Sylvia Linares/FilmMagic
Now that Courteney Cox has returned to the sitcom A-list with ABC's Cougar Town, is Matt LeBlanc the next of our favorite Friends in line for a TV comeback? LeBlanc is set to star in Episodes, a BBC-produced comedy that will air on Showtime. Taking a lesson from his last TV role on tepid Friends spin-off Joey, LeBlanc, 43, will not be playing a new version of struggling actor Joey Tribbiani. This time, he'll actually be playing a successful actor....named Matt LeBlanc.
"It's not really myself," LeBlanc explains. "There are some similarities, but for the most part, he's a made-up character."
The new series centers around a fictional British TV show called Pucks that gets an American remake. The American version stars fake Matt LeBlanc -- and is a total disaster from day one. (Audiences will get to see snippets the fictional TV show inside the actual TV show, so LeBlanc is actually playing himself and playing himself playing another role. Confused yet? Joey Tribbiani certainly would be!)
LeBlanc definitely needs to escape the ghost of Joey, and satirizing himself seems like a brave step in the right direction. Hey, it worked for Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm -- not to mention Kirstie Alley on Fat Actress, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie on Flight of the Conchords, and of course, James Franco on General Hospital.
Incidentally, Matthew Perry will also be premiering a new comedy: ABC's midlife-crisis sitcom Mr. Sunshine, premiering in 2011. Maybe all the ex-Friends can guest-star on each other's shows during Sweeps Week!
Do you think Matt LeBlanc's new show will be a hit? Chime in below!
Like This? Read These:
- Amanda Bynes "Unretires" from Acting
- Alec Baldwin Regrets His Acting Career
- PHOTOS: '90s TV Shows We Miss
