‘Friends’ Creator Talks ‘Joey’ Spinoff Failure Amid ‘Young Sheldon’ Success: ‘Stuff Just Happened’

“It’s 20/20 hindsight,” David Crane tells TheWrap

Does the breakout popularity of “The Big Bang Theory” spinoff “Young Sheldon” suggest that “Joey” should have been handled differently in order to keep the “Friends” magic alive?

David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, who worked together on “Friends,” spoke to TheWrap about whether they feel there was a missed opportunity in the execution of the Matt LeBlanc-led “Joey,” which sputtered when it launched in September 2004 and got the axe by NBC after two critically-maligned seasons. The pair know a thing or two about LeBlanc, having co-created his Showtime comedy “Episodes” that signs off Sunday.

“It’s 20/20 hindsight,” said Crane, who co-created “Friends” with Marta Kaufman.

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