Friends fans in the US can finally watch the last eight episodes of the hit sitcom's ill-fated spin-off show Joey, starring Matt LeBlanc as the hapless but loveable Joey Tribbiani.

The 2004 NBC sitcom was cancelled in 2006 midway through its second season following poor ratings, meaning US fans never got to see the final instalments.

Now, almost 20 years later, those episodes have been made available to watch on the Friends YouTube channel.

The show, which first aired just four months after Friends ended, saw Joey move to Los Angeles, where, ironically, his new sitcom was cancelled, forcing him to move in with family.

"To the person that runs the Friends YouTube channel, thank you," one fan wrote. "I never got a chance to watch this series and the fact that you kept with it is amazing."