When Joey, the Friends spin-off started, I thought that it would take a while for it to come together. A new ensemble, a new writing team, and new situations make this inevitable. Unfortunately, with six episodes aired, Joey has not yet hit its stride.

Matt LeBlanc, as Joey, continues to perform his character’s amiable, yet stupid and oddly appealing, maneuvers. Joey has moved to Los Angeles with the help of his sister, Gina. Shortly after moving into his new apartment, Joey’s nephew and Gina’s son Michael move in with Joey. Transplantation to L.A. has given Joey no new problems; no opportunity for growth.

The burden of growth belongs to Joey’s nephew Michael, played by Paulo Costanzo. Michael yearns for some space from his mother, and as played by Drea de Matteo, the audience might wish for distance from his mother, too. Costanzo’s earnest manner and lopsided smile convey an easy, yet slightly geeky charm. But the rest of the cast disappoints.

Alex, Joey’s neighbor and erstwhile super, conveys blandness. Played by Andrea Anders, she’s pretty - but not too pretty - a lawyer and intelligent - but not too intelligent - slightly inept socially, yet she’s a career woman. All in all, a non-entity. In a recent episode about Michael’s changing relationship with his mother’s, her absence didn’t register.

Gina (Drea de Matteo) merely appears sleazy. While Joey’s character skirted the outlying areas of crass, he never came across as a caricature. With his character’s obviously generous heart and LeBlanc’s wonderful comic timing, he and his castmate Lisa Kudrow set the bar for dumb and lovable. De Matteo, given material more well-rounded and less stereotyped, might eventually be able to create a believable sister for Joey. In the meantime, her shrill and unlikable character strikes false notes in gross contrast to LaBlanc’s and Costanzo’s more understated portrayals.

Friends created magic from relationships. Each of the characters loved the others, even when not understanding them. On Joey, the boob jokes and stereotyped characters obscure everything else, failing to create any magic, old or new. Perhaps the writers and actors will find their way as the show goes on, but as yet, Joey misfires more frequently than not.