Joey - The Complete First Season
OK, sitcom fans, let's gather to appreciateJoeyfor what it is: A pretty darn good showcase for the talents of star Matt LeBlanc and his fabulous supporting cast. If the show isn'tFriends, so what? Few sitcoms are. LeBlanc and his costars are still funny, engaging, and sometimes downright hilarious. If Adriana had to leaveThe Sopranos, the silver lining is that actress Drea de Matteo resurfaces here as straight-outta-Queens whacky sister Gina. Also in the stellar cast is one of America's finest comedic actresses, Jennifer Coolidge, who plays the sharky Hollywood agent and straightwoman. Joey's relocation to L.A. has given his acting career a lot more "meat" for the writers to work with, and LeBlanc is still adorably clueless. (He never realized, for instance, in 20 years of trying out for stage productions ofRomeo and Juliet, why his plaintive delivery of "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" never got him the part of... Romeo.)  The boxed set of the first season includes all 24 episodes, and a lot of good writing and topnotch performances. And most importantly, the Joey we love: "Why do you have to ruin stuff like that? Huh? 'The curve ball is impossible.' 'Don't eat that, it's solid mold.' 'That's not a dog, it's a possum. Stop letting it lick your face.' Why?!!"--A.T. Hurley