I saw on CNN the other day the NBC ordered a full season of Joey
For all you UK-ians out there, Joey starts at 8.30 on February 13th, on Channel Five.
Note: I just discovered that the webmasters of the Friends reference site I was using for production info on that show now have one for Joey, which can be found here. Since I got used to that format, I'll probably use that from now one, and I revised the Announcement above to make that one the first one mentioned. 
And you wanna know what's the WEIRDEST thing about that site? Well, on their page for the pilot episode appears this little passage:
From the "Joey is still Joey" department:
Joey: I was the star of a show! And now I'm the guy who turned down "Nurses." Which is strange, because in real life, I would never turn down a nurse!
Hmmm......now why does the format of that quote ring a bell......?
Because Mad Magazine has used that joke for several decades? :-)
Ah, but only now did that site start using it regarding something referenced from an epsisode of a TV show.
I'm telling you, Snick, I've started a trend!!
ANNOUNCEMENT: Well, I think that's it for me and Joey. Now that's it on at the same time as Smallville, I don't think I'll be paying that much attention to it. While it has its moments, it's not as funny as its predecessor, nor that cast's dynamic. I wouldn't mind watching it casually, and maybe even taping it out of curiosity, but I forgot to even do that tonight, and that should tell you something. Being a moderator is something you do when you have more than just a casual habit of watching a show, and I'm really not that interested in it anymore.
So if anyone interested enough wants to take over the Joey boards, just ask Phil. And since traffic on the Friends boards has dropped dramatically since it left the air (not that it was ever that much to begin with), you can have that too if you want.
Sadly, it sounds like this might be the end for Joey. Andrea Anders, the cute blonde playing his neighbor (sorry, can't remember the character's name, arghhh!!!) has been signed for a new series on CBS. Add that to being off for such a long hiatus, and things look pretty grim.
Too bad. I think given time it really could've turned into the Frasier to Friends' Cheers. Well, maybe not, but I still think it deserves better than it got.
NBC obviously thought "Hey, it worked for Frasier, it can work for Joey." However, Frasier Crane was a much more rounded character, and, in his spin-off, they surrounded him with interested characters (like his brother Niles and his dad, Martin). Although Frasier was a show in its own right, that didn't stop them from having actors from Cheers do guest spots from time to time.
Joey, on the other hand, seemed to want to pretend that Friends never existed. Joey was friends with the gang in NYC for more than a decade, yet there was not ONE single reference. Even if they couldn't get one of them to guest star, couldn't they have shown Joey on the phone with one of them (Chandler comes to mind here).
Also, Joey was never meant to carry a show on his own. The character was the least developed of all of the Friends. Also, Matt LeBlanc was getting too old for this role. Does anyone want to watch a 50 year old man going round the bars saying "How you doin'?"
For every Frasier, there is an AfterMASH. Joey was in the latter catagory. File under failed spin-off.
I totally agree with everything you said, Tim. Very well put.
The problem with one-dimensional comic relief characters (like Joey and to a lesser extent, Phoebe) is that for some reason, the people at the TV networks always think that they can carry an entire spinoff show based solely on their own merits and talents. And then they proceed to fail miserably.
I have a book called "Unusually Stupid Americans" that has a section in it devoted to some of the worst ever spinoff sitcoms that were actually given the green light to air on TV. The book came out before "Joey", however, but another one of my favorite books "Worst Ideas Ever" actually has an entire section devoted to how bad "Joey" was and why it didnt work. In it, the authors were convinced that Phoebe was the other one-dimensional comic relief character that "Friends" had, but at least she got a much better sendoff with her marriage to Mike near the end. But I did agree with their opinion that she was quite annoying at times and wasn't as well-developed or as believeable to real life as Rachel or Monica.
Anyway, if anyone is interested in wanting to see Matt Leblanc become part of the "a washed-up TV actor/ress plays an exaggerated caricature of themselves in an attempt to revive their career" trend that has become quite prolific in the last decade or so, look no further than "Episodes" on Showtime. What I've seen of it, I think is hilarious!
Thankfully, Matt LeBlanc was able to bounce back from this show. It took time, but he did.