Best/Most Successful Spin-offs

[Cedrique]

I tried doing a HSB binge a few years ago. It didn’t age well, and I was only able to get about 4 episodes in before bailing.

I do remember that Fran’s basically just took his Buntz character from HSB and reprised it for NYPD Blue.

I guess not every show stands up to the test of time. But one show from that time period that does still stand up is The Rockford Files. IMO it was one of the most well written shows of all time. And the background music is mesmerizing.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

Bevis and Butthead - King of the Hill

I think Daria is the only true spin-off of Beavis and Butthead.

Never liked that show too much, but it was pretty successful I believe.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

I wasn’t challenging, I was genuinely asking. I appreciated B&B, but never really watched it (I liked the idea of it more than liking it specifically for itself). Same with KotH. I enjoyed the few episodes I saw, but I never made a point to do a proper viewing.

The latest two seasons of Beavis and Butthead are just as solid as the original run. New movie was okay.

 

[rmilia1]

My favorite spin off was Angel ( Buffy )

 

[calsnowskier]

My favorite spin off was Angel ( Buffy )

Great add.

I read the first few “seasons” of the comics continuation (the comics are considered full show canon), but it got a bit out there after a couple seasons…

If Firefly lasted, there was full intention of having Mal meet a stranger with bleach blonde hair at a random bar in some backward world somewhere. That would have been awesome!

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Sesame Street - Muppet Show - Fraggle Rock

 

[Hank Kingsley]

RAW - Smackdown

 

[Schmoopy1000]

Spiderman - Electric Company

 

[broncosmitty]

Does The Colbert Report count?

 

[Old Lion]

Different Stroke - Facts of Life

Think you have that backwards. Different Strokes came first and then Mrs Garret got a job in upstate NY to make Facts of Life. A theme song by Alan Thicke who later did Growing Pains but not as a spinoff AFAIK.

 

[wood20ks]

Threes Company(horrible show) - The Ropers( even more horrible)

Chrissy was the only reason to watch 33s Company......may she rip.

 

[Pure Steel]

Threes Company(horrible show) - The Ropers( even more horrible)

Chrissy was the only reason to watch 33s Company......may she rip.

Some useless trivia: In the opening credits where Jack is riding his bike and falls in the sand, that’s Suzanne Somers in a wig walking by……great ass

 

[Yankee Traveler]

There was an episode with Gibbs working with Harm and his team. It has never been released for streaming (lots of ‘80s and ‘90s episodes are lost to streaming due to music licensing) and I have never seen it, but there has been lots of direct crossover between JAG and NCISA (Harm made a few appearances, for example).

David Elliot and Catherine Bell did a couple guest appearances together on NCIS.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

What are the best spin-offs ever? What are the most successful? For the purposes of this thread, let’s focus of TV shows. We can talk about movies later if there is interest.

Mork & Mindy (Happy Days)
Laverne & Shirley (Happy Days)
NCIS (JAG)
NCIS universe (New Orleans, Red, LA, Sydney, Hawaii, shared universe with 5-O and McGyver))
Chicago universe (Fire, PD, Med, Justice)
Law and Order universe (shared universe with Chicago, SVU, London, etc)
Diagnosis Murder (Jake and the Fat Man)
Frasier (Cheers)
Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad)

What am I missing?

Magnum PI - (Rockford Files)

 

[Yankee Traveler]

What are the best spin-offs ever? What are the most successful? For the purposes of this thread, let’s focus of TV shows. We can talk about movies later if there is interest.

Mork & Mindy (Happy Days)
Laverne & Shirley (Happy Days)
NCIS (JAG)
NCIS universe (New Orleans, Red, LA, Sydney, Hawaii, shared universe with 5-O and McGyver))
Chicago universe (Fire, PD, Med, Justice)
Law and Order universe (shared universe with Chicago, SVU, London, etc)
Diagnosis Murder (Jake and the Fat Man)
Frasier (Cheers)
Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad)

What am I missing?

Knots Landing (Dallas)
Trapper John MD (MASH)
Bionic Woman (Six Million Dollar Man)
Boston Legal (The Practice)
Lou Grant and Rhoda (MTM)
Dr Phil (Oprah)
Emergency (Adam 12)


And...The Hee Haw Honeys (Hee Haw)

 

[Pure Steel]

David Elliot and Catherine Bell did a couple guest appearances together on NCIS.

Catherine Bell was yummy…….

 

[calsnowskier]

Magnum PI - (Rockford Files)

Really? I had no idea.

I know Murder, She Wrote shared a universe with Magnum, but I don’t think it was an intended spinoff.

 

[calsnowskier]

Knots Landing (Dallas)
Trapper John MD (MASH)
Bionic Woman (Six Million Dollar Man)
Boston Legal (The Practice)
Lou Grant and Rhoda (MTM)
Dr Phil (Oprah)
Emergency (Adam 12)


And...The Hee Haw Honeys (Hee Haw)

Mentioned up thread, but Trapper was NOT a spin off of either the show nor the movie. It was it’s own thing, based on the book (just as the movie and show were independent, regardless of Gary Burghoff’s involvement in both)

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Mentioned up thread, but Trapper was NOT a spin off of either the show nor the movie. It was it’s own thing, based on the book (just as the movie and show were independent, regardless of Gary Burghoff’s involvement in both)

So...Same character played by the same actor and not a spinoff ?

Trapper John, M.D. is an American medical drama television series and spin-off of the film M*A*S*H (1970). Pernell Roberts portrayed the title character, a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS for seven seasons, from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986. Roberts played the character more than twice as long as had Wayne Rogers (1972–75) on the TV series M*A*S*H. The role of Trapper John was played by Elliott Gould in the film.

Trapper John, M.D. - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[calsnowskier]

So...Same character played by the same actor and not a spinoff ?

Trapper John, M.D. is an American medical drama television series and spin-off of the film M*A*S*H (1970). Pernell Roberts portrayed the title character, a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS for seven seasons, from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986. Roberts played the character more than twice as long as had Wayne Rogers (1972–75) on the TV series M*A*S*H. The role of Trapper John was played by Elliott Gould in the film.

Trapper John, M.D. - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Same actor? Pernell Roberts only played the character on Trapper John, MD. Wayne Roger’s only played the character on the TV show. Elliott Gould only played the character in the movie.

I read an article a number of years ago spelling out how TJMD was a book “spinoff” and not related to the movie or show. I can’t find that article now, but I did find one that mentions that the TJMD producers went to court with the MASH show producers claiming they were a spinoff of the movie, not the show (royalty reasons), and they won that case. So even though they marketed the show as a MASH show spin-off AT THE TIME, officially, LEGALLY, it is not a show spinoff.

Spin Off?: "M*A*S*H" and "Trapper John, M.D."