Matt LeBlanc plans comeback with first role in 5 years — details


The Friends star has kept out of the spotlight in recent years, save for tributes to Matthew Perry and a Dunkin' Donuts commercial with Jennifer Aniston


THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW -- Episode 3115 -- Pictured: Matt LeBlanc© Getty Images
Ahad Sanwari
Ahad SanwariSenior Writer - New York
4 days ago
Share this:

It's been more than five years, but Matt LeBlanc is coming back!

The actor, 58, best known for playing Joey Tribbiani in Friends and a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes, has been out of the TV game since 2020.

Matt's last TV work ended in 2020, with the conclusion of the sitcom Man with a Plan after four seasons. He then made appearances in the Friends reunion special in 2021 as well as an episode of Top Gear that same year.

Matt LeBlanc at the "Episodes" Press Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel on August 7, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California© Getty Images
Matt LeBlanc is returning to TV for the first time in over five years

He slowly inched his way back into the mainstream with a cameo in a Dunkin' Donuts Super Bowl commercial earlier this year, reuniting with his Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston. And now, he has a new show in the works!

As part of their fall programming line-up announcements, CBS revealed on April 15 that they'd greenlit a new show from the development room currently titled Flint. The show is expected to premiere during the 2027-28 season.

Matt will also serve as an executive producer on the series as well as star in it. Per their release: "As part of CBS' year‑round long-term development strategy, the network has ordered a development room to start writing scripts for FLINT (working title), a drama from Evan Katz (showrunner of 24), developed in partnership with Matt LeBlanc, who would also star and executive produce pending a series order for broadcast."

STUDIO CITY, CA - AUGUST 01:  Matt LeBlanc attends the 2017 Summer TCA Tour - CBS Television Studios' Summer Soiree at CBS Studios - Radford on August 1, 2017 in Studio City, California.  (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)© Getty Images
He will star in and executive produce the show "Flint" for CBS

CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Television will produce the series. A synopsis for the show was also shared, which reads: "FLINT tells the story of a burnt-out LAPD detective who, on the verge of retirement, is blindsided when the city extends his service by five years."

"Determined to get fired, he breaks rules and disobeys orders, which, to his dismay, makes him an even better cop." If released as a drama as advertised, the show marks a rare foray into the genre for the actor, who has been widely recognized for bringing his easygoing charm to more light-hearted roles.

Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay© NBC
The actor broke into the mainstream with "Friends," which began airing back in 1994

A few years ago, Matt went viral on TikTok because of his resurfaced appearance on the Scandinavian show Skavlan, in which he explained his philosophy for life after Friends – doing nothing.

"My plan was, it was 10 years of Friends, and then I did two years of Joey, and then I said, 'Right, I'm gonna take a year off, I wanna take a year off and just relax,'" he said, quipping right after: "I had such a good time, I said, 'I'm gonna take another one,' right? And then that one was even better. So I said, 'Maybe one more!' And then it turned into five or six years."

FRIENDS -- "The One with the Flashback" Episode 6 -- Pictured: (l-r) Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing© Getty Images
"My plan was, it was 10 years of 'Friends', and then I did two years of 'Joey', and then I said, 'Right, I'm gonna take a year off, I wanna take a year off and just relax.'"

"My favorite thing in the world to do, like my absolute favorite thing in the world, is to do nothing. I'm great at it," he continued, similarly saying the same thing during an appearance on Conan in 2017: "I should be a professional nothing. Because I think I would like to do not a [expletive] thing. That's what I would like to do. Just nothing. Nothing. Zero."

More US
See more