If Joey is to get by, he's gonna need a little help from his Friends. Almost six months after Matt LeBlanc's NBC sitcom premiered to good reviews and great ratings, viewers are vanishing, and they're taking the critics with them. In other words, the show had better get a lot better — fast — or it'll quickly join AfterM*A*S*H in spin-off heaven.
"It's not about anything more than Joey moving to Los Angeles, living in an apartment and interacting with his sister and nephew," groans Ed Martin, editor of the TV-biz newsletter "Jack Myers Report." Adds an industry insider: "If it's not sinking, it's certainly floundering."
Although NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly notes that Joey is the season's No. 1 new comedy, he concedes, "There's work to be done." Efforts are under way to surround Chandler's former roommate with more interesting, er, pals. "The show is being opened up," Reilly says, citing Lucy Liu's re
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