‘Web Therapy’: Lisa Kudrow returns for season 3, stages new ‘Friends’ reunion

Lisa Kudrow is proving that television can not only spin off effectively from the internet, but also be strong enough to build beyond just an initial viral explosion. “Web Therapy” is one of the best examples of an experiment gone right; not only is it thoroughly entertaining, but the TV version adds so much more to just the small clips that we see of the show regularly online.

According to Deadline, we now also know for certain that there is going to be plenty more of the show on the way. Showtime has officially ordered ten additional season 3 episodes that run for 30 minutes each, and Kudrow has assembled an impressive list of guest stars already, including “Modern Family” star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, film actress, Meg Ryan, and her former “Friends” cohort Matt LeBlanc, who also sets up shop at Showtime with his award-winning series “Episodes.”

For many years, there was the long-standing belief that no one from the world of “Friends” would be able to carry over their success to a new show, largely because they had become so synonymous with their original parts that it did not seem possible for them to be playing anyone else. However, Courteney Cox proved this wrong with “Cougar Town,” and Kudrow and LeBlanc have gone the premium cable route to ensure that the focus is on the new characters that they are playing, and not necessarily a situation that could perpetuate comparisons. Matthew Perry also now seems to have his first successful post-“Friends” series in “Go On,” which is at the moment NBC’s highest-rated comedy.

Are you happy for Kudrow, and for “Web Therapy” as a whole?