The Phoebe Show (2007 F.R.I.E.N.D.S Spin-off)

The Phoebe Show is an American comedy series that airs on NBC, Thursday at 8:00 PM. The series initially premiered on NBC on September 20, 2007. It stars Lisa Kudrow and Paul Rudd, reprising their roles from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Series overview
NBC ordered 13 episodes for the first season in May 2007. It premiered on September 20, 2007. After high ratings in the first episode, eleven extra episodes were ordered for a total of 22. Midway through the season, the order was cut by five episodes for a total of 19. The season concluded on May 8, 2008.

After decent ratings, a second season was ordered. It was only given an order for 18 episodes as Lisa Kudrow, who played Pheobe, didn't want to commit to a full season. It premiered in January 2009 and ended in May 2009.

Following the second season's low ratings, NBC renewed the series for a third season consisting of only 13 episodes and moved the show to Friday at 9:00pm, where ratings are lower. It premiered in January 2010 and ended in April 2010.

Viewership and ratings
The first season premiered to 28 million viewers and a 10.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Due to the writer's strike, the ratings fell continuously. The finale was viewed by 10.8 million viewers and got a 3.8 rating, down 62% from the first episode. The first season averaged 15.2 million viewers and a 5.7 rating overall, which made it the sixth most viewed show on all of broadcast television. Because of high ratings, NBC ordered a second season.

The second season premiered on January 29, 2009. It premiered to 7.1 million viewers and a 2.4 rating, down 75% in viewership and 76% in ratings from the first season premiere. It was also down by 34% in viewership and down 58% in ratings from the previous episodes. The finale was viewed by 5.6 million viewers and got a 1.9 rating, down 21% in viewership and ratings from the season premiere and down 48% in viewership and 67% in ratings from the previous season finale. The second season averaged 6.5 million viewers and a 2.1 rating, down 57% in viewership and down 63% in ratings from the first season. The average made it rank at number 96 across all of broadcast television, down 90 spots from the first season. Despite huge declines and very low ratings, NBC ordered a third season of 13 episodes, set to premiere sometime in 2010.

The third season premiered in January 2010 to 4.3 million viewers and a 1.3 rating, down 39% in viewership and down 43% in ratings from the second season premiere. It was also down 23% in viewership and down 32% in ratings from the season two finale. The third season finished airing in April 2010 to 5.8 million viewers and a 1.8 rating. This was surprising, as the series didn't decline across it's third season as much as the first two seasons and actually went up. It averaged 4.9 million viewers and a 1.7 rating. However, the show was cancelled.

DVD releases
The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in September 2008. It contains all 19 episodes through three discs on DVD and two discs on Blu-ray.

The second and third seasons were released together in a box-set in September 2010. It contains all 31 episodes across seven discs, four for the second season and three for the third. The Blu-ray has three discs, two for the second season and one for the third.