Matt LeBlanc Showtime Comedy Premieres January 2011

For those of you who have missed seeing Matt LeBlanc on the small screen, the Friends (and Joey) star is set to star in Showtime’s upcoming new comedy Episodes, which will premiere on the pay-cable channel in January 2001.

From Showtime’s very brief series description (below), it seems Episodes is a TV series about a TV series. Brought to you by Friends’ David Crane and Mad About You’s Jeffrey Klarik, Episodes marks Matt LeBlanc’s return to the small screen, playing the role of himself.

New comedy series EPISODES stars Matt LeBlanc (Friends) and is executive produced and created by David Crane (Friends, The Class) and Jeffrey Klarik (The Class, Mad About You). The series focuses on a British couple whose hit, erudite UK show is turned into an Americanized sitcom starring LeBlanc (as himself). Jimmy Mulville executive produces through his successful Hat Trick production company (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Worst Week). EPISODES is a co-production of SHOWTIME and the BBC.

Interestingly enough, LeBlanc’s Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow also starred in a series about a TV show. While Kudrow wasn’t playing herself in HBO’s shortlived The Comeback, the series was about a TV show. Let’s hope Episodes earns more appreciation than The Comeback did.

Episodes will premiere on Showtime on Monday, January 10, 2011 at 10:30 p.m.