Matt LeBlanc Heads Back To TV

Matt LeBlanc is set to head back to TV this January playing... Himself!

Indeed, actor Matt LeBlanc, famous for his portrayal of Joey on Friends, will play an actor named Matt LeBlanc in the new Showtime/BBC comedy co-production Episodes.

Episodes tells of the hair-raising process of remaking a hit British TV show into a new program for American network television.

In the program, LeBlanc is chosen to play the lead character in a remake of a fictional British show that featured an elderly and erudite school principal. The big difference is that in the U.S. remake, the principal is turned into a high school hockey coach, reports Reuters. The British show ends up being completely retooled by American network executives, much to the dismay of its original producers who've come to Los Angeles to oversee it.

Episodes was created by Friends co-creator David Crane and Mad About You’s Jeffrey Klarik, who based it on some of their more upsetting experiences in the industry. In fact, Klarik described the duo's efforts on the 2006 CBS sitcom The Class as like "a puppy in a dryer; it was torture," reports New York Daily News.

As for LeBlanc, he hasn’t been seen on television since the ill-fated Friends spinoff, Joey, was canceled. Since then, he took time to be a dad and step back from the business. When Crane and Klarik came calling, however, he listened to their pitch over lunch and committed to it before they brought out the check.

"It's nice to be back with writing that I have a lot of faith in and a cast that's really talented," said LeBlanc. "It was different, though, with single-camera versus the multicamera [of Friends]. When you say a punchline and there's no audience laughing, it's a little unnerving."