NBC turns to its old pal 'Joey'

A thin cloud of pathos hangs over "Joey," NBC's attempt to chip more ratings gold from the already stripped "Friends" mine. It's just hard to escape the feeling that Matt LeBlanc's Joey Tribbiani, thick-headed, lovable, and always hungry, is returning to TV in the wake of his glory days.

While his tired "Friends" have all moved on to post-Perk lives and decaffeinated haircuts, here's good old Joey, continuing to sling one-liners and protest, "Chandler and I are not a gay couple!" He's like the one-time high-school football star who's still bragging about his touchdowns.

And the story behind the sitcom, which premieres tonight at 8 on Channel 7, only adds to the pathos. NBC is desperate for a hit to open its fading "must-see" lineup, now that "Friends" is gone, and Fox is about to move its youth hit, "The O.C.," to Thursdays at 8. It's afraid of losing its already shaky hold on the most lucrative TV night of the week. And so the network is playing it slavishly safe, replacing "Friends" with a series that's as close to "Friends" as it could possibly get. With so much at stake, NBC is terrified to take any creative risks.

Not that "Joey" is an unpleasant way to spend a half-hour. It doesn't provide you with the buzz of a fresh sitcom, the kind of excitement triggered by the likes of "Arrested Development," and the

premiere leans too heavily on boob jokes. But it's definitely not the painful "AfterMASH"-like disaster many of us were expecting. It's got the happy-sexy-snarky repartee that became a "Friends" trademark, as well as the same kind of idealized and brightly lit setting as "Friends," only this time in LA. It's like watching "Friends" circa season seven -- decent enough, but far from great. Not surprisingly, the executive producers -- Kevin S. Bright, Scott Silveri, and Shana Goldberg-Meehan -- are "Friends" veterans. The "Joey" concept recalls that of "Frasier," as one of an ensemble moves cross-country to be with his family. After relocating to LA, Joey connects with his slightly smarter sister, Gina (Drea de Matteo), and her much smarter 20-year-old son, Michael (Paulo Costanzo), who is literally a rocket scientist. Joey tries to succeed as an actor with the help of his brash, hyperbolic agent, Bobbie, who's played by the wonderfully mad Jennifer Coolidge. And he tries to succeed with an attractive neighbor, Alex (Andrea Anders), who happens to be married. Memo to the "Joey" people: Please don't turn Joey and Alex into the next Ross and Rachel or we will so not be happy.

It's too soon to say whether the "Joey" ensemble will develop that most elusive of sitcom blessings -- chemistry. But it's not too soon to say that the chemistry odds are greatly increased by de Matteo, a current Emmy nominee for her heartbreaking turn as Adriana on "The Sopranos." Dramatic actors often strain to be funny, but de Matteo, with her long nails and tight clothes, tosses out her "Joey" punchlines as if she's worked at a breezy sitcom pace for years. She's quite natural and believable as Joey's sister, and she smartly deploys her Adriana-like Jersey accent to drive home her lines. "The doctor was reluctant," she complains about having had her breasts enlarged three sizes.

Ten years ago, Joey would have been the least likely "Friends" character to inspire a spinoff. He was the requisite sitcom dummy, and not much more. But LeBlanc and the "Friends" writers miraculously grew him into the endearing heart of the series. If they could pull that one off, maybe they can actually pull "Joey" out of the shadow of "Friends" and turn it into something distinct. Maybe they will be able to provide Joey -- and NBC -- with a few more seasons of Thursday glory days.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com.

Joey
Starring: Matt LeBlanc, Drea de Matteo, Jennifer Coolidge, Paulo Costanzo, Andrea Anders
On: NBC, Channel 7
Time: Tonight, 8-8:30