The 8 Forbidden "Joey" Episodes Just Escaped the NBC Vault and Are Now on YouTube

For the first time ever, the eight unaired final episodes of "Joey," the much-maligned "Friends" spin-off that followed Joey Tribiani, have been uploaded to the official "Friends" YouTube channel, allowing die-hard fans to finally see how the story ends, as reported by Channel 13.

The series, which premiered just six months after "Friends" ended its iconic 10-season run, was canceled in disgrace by NBC after only two seasons due to disastrously low ratings.

Now, more than 21 years later, the eight episodes of season 2 that never aired on television are officially streaming, free and legal, on YouTube.

Starring Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as the lovably dim-witted Joey Tribiani, the show followed him as he moved to Los Angeles to chase acting fame, living with his sister Gina (Drea de Matteo from "The Sopranos") and her super-smart son Michael (Paulo Costanzo).

Despite a strong pilot watched by 18.55 million Americans, viewership collapsed over time. The season 1 finale drew just 8.56 million, and season 2 performed even worse, with its last broadcast episode attracting only 4.09 million viewers. NBC pulled the plug in December 2005 and later burned off one final episode before burying the rest... until now.

Executive producer Kevin S. Bright reflected in a 2006 interview: "In 'Friends', Joey was a womanizer but a great friend you could count on. In 'Joey', he became this pathetic guy who couldn’t get work or dates. It felt wrong, but they didn’t listen to me."