Five finally finds slot for 'Joey'

Five has finally scheduled the second and final season of Friends spinoff Joey after more than 18 months on the shelf.

The comedy, which stars Matt LeBlanc in the title role, will play out in double-bills on Sunday nights at 7pm starting April 29. The second season of Everybody Hates Chris will serve as a lead-in from 6pm, with both shows combining to form a two-hour US "comedy block" of programming.

Five landed the rights to the series in 2004 in a deal worth an estimated £5.5 million. Although the first episode managed an impressive 4.1 million viewers, the curiosity factor soon wore off and ratings dipped to a paltry 1 million viewers as the first season progressed.

In the US, the situation was not much better but a lack of any better alternatives saw the show picked up for a second season. The series was finally axed by NBC in its upfronts presentation last May.