TV spin-offs are hard to get right. Whenever a series becomes a hit with audiences, the network immediately scrambles to keep that success going for as long as possible, oftentimes stretching the series out for way longer than is appropriate (we’re looking at you, How I Met Your Mother.) But even when the show ends, sometimes the network still can’t resist squeezing a little more out of the franchise and launching a spin-off series.
These types of shows are very hit or miss. A lot of times they take one of the popular characters from the original series and make him or her the main character, which can often fail when it becomes clear they only worked as a supporting character. Sometimes, though, the spin-off actually really works, to the point where we forget the show even was was a spin-off because it takes on a life of its own separate from the original show.
Tonight, Better Call Saul premieres on AMC, a spin-off to one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of all time, Breaking Bad. The show will focus on Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, who was the comedic relief in Breaking Bad. His character was pretty iconic and integral to the show, but he was never front and center. Can Saul Goodman carry his own series, or was he only interesting in small bursts? How can Vince Gilligan and the crew possibly follow a show widely considered to be a masterpiece? Should AMC just have left the franchise alone? What kind of spin-off will this be?
In preparation for the premiere, let’s take a look at some of the best and worst TV spin-offs of all time.
Image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com
[new page = #10]
10. Angel
A spin-off of the hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel was pretty successful and widely enjoyed by fans. While many of these types of shows happen after the original series has ended, as is the case with Better Call Saul, Angel started while Buffy was in its fourth season. The shows actually ran simultaneously and would sometimes intertwine, with characters from Buffy appearing on Angel. To this day, the series doesn't quite have the same amount fanfare as Buffy does, but it’s still pretty well-respected in its own right.
[new page = #9]
9. The Colbert Report
The Colbert Report was one of those shows that arguably became even better than the show it originated from. The brilliant Comedy Central satirical news series was actually a spin-off of The Daily Show, with Colbert’s right-wing pundit character appearing as a correspondent on the Jon Stewart show originally. The show premiered on Comedy Central in 2005 and was an immediate success, with Colbert completely reshaping the political satire landscape for nearly a decade. His segments ranged from simple goofy fun to genuinely brilliant analysis of current events through comedy, like with his incredible months-long coverage of Super PACs. The show went off the air in December 2014 so Colbert could take over The Late Show. The character of Stephen Colbert may have left us, but he will likely continue to influence political satire for years to come.
[new page = #8]
8. Family Matters
This is another show where the fact that it’s a spin-off is almost a piece of trivia that a lot of people don’t even know. Family Matters was actually a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, though eventually becoming far more popular than its parent series and considered by many to be far superior. Harriette Winslow originally appeared in Perfect Strangers’ third season. The series about the Winslow family, which became increasingly focused on their neighbor Steve Urkel, became one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s, airing 215 episodes over a decade. That’s far more than its parent series aired, making Family Matters an absolutely ideal success story for a spin-off.
[new page = #7]
7. The Legend of Korra
Avatar: The Last Airbender was an interesting show in that despite airing on Nickelodeon, it was pretty smart and sophisticated and appreciated by adults as a genuinely compelling and creative series. The show aired from 2005 to 2008, and in the following years gained even more respect among new fans who originally dismissed the show as being for kids.
In 2012, Nickelodeon launched a sequel series to Avatar, The Legend of Korra. It wasn't exactly a spin-off in that it didn’t follow any character from The Last Airbender. Instead, it took place in the same world and told the story of a new character, Korra, 70 years after the events of the original series. The show didn’t disappoint, receiving just as much critical acclaim. Unfortunately, due to poor ratings Nickelodeon started moving the show to online distribution, with the last episodes premiering on Nick.com before later airing on television. Though it may not have been as successful in the ratings as Nick might have hoped, it built up a dedicated fanbase and ran for one season longer than Avatar, making it a pretty successful spin-off
[new page = #6]
6. The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life is yet another one of those classic sitcoms that we actually forget was a spin-off, which seems to have happened with a lot of these shows. In this case, the series originated from Diff’rent Strokes and focused on Edna Garrett, a character in Diff’rent Strokes’ first two seasons. Both of these shows are considered to be pretty classic sitcoms in their own right, but The Facts of Life is barely even talked about in the same breath as Diff’rent Strokes; it's just its own show. It was also another case where it was actually more successful than the parent series, airing nine season in comparison to Diff’rent Strokes’s eight.
[new page = #5]
5. Torchwood
Torchwood wasn't quite as successful as some of the other shows on this list, but it still managed to do pretty well for itself. Torchwood was a spin-off of Doctor Who, focusing on Captain Jack Harkness and the Torchwood Institute, which appeared in the 2005 revival of Doctor Who. While Doctor Who is often arguably aimed at kids, Torchwood was intended for an older audience and dealt with more serious topics. The show received mixed reviews but generated a fair amount of loyal fans, who stuck with the show for its four season run. It could never live up to Doctor Who, one of the most long-running and successful science fiction series of all time, but for what it was, Torchwood was a pretty solid effort.
[new page = #4]
4. Laverne and Shirley
Laverne and Shirley, the long running series which premiered in 1976, was a spin-off of Happy Days, with the lead characters being introduced on that original series. Happy Days is one of the all-time sitcom giants, but Laverne and Shirley was actually extremely successful too, being able to live up with one of the most popular shows of that generation. By the show’s second season, Laverne and Shirley became the most watched show on TV, surpassing Happy Days in the ratings. Like The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes, both shows have withstood the test of time separate from each other, and that’s the sign of a great spin-off.
[new page = #3]
3. NCIS
Here’s an example where a spin-off did so well it actually ended up spawning its own spin-off. NCIS, the long running police procedural series currently in its 12th season on CBS, was a spin-off of the legal drama JAG, with the cast of NCIS originally appearing in that show’s eighth season. Since then, NCIS has been ridiculously successful for CBS, and has held the title of most watched scripted show on TV since season 7. The show also spawned two spin-offs of its own, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans, making these two shows spin-offs of a spin-off. We can only hope one of these new shows ends up with a spin-off of its own just to see how long this cycle can continue.
[new page = #2]
2. Frasier
A lot of debate exists among fans over whether Frasier is a better series than Cheers, and just the fact that that's even a question makes the show stand above the average spin-off. A spin-off of the classic sitcom Cheers, Frasier stared Kelsey Grammar as psychologist Dr. Frasier Krane. Unlike some of these shows where the spin-off focuses on a character who really only appeared for a short period of time in the original show, Frasier was a series regular on Cheers, appearing in 214 episodes. And though he wasn’t the main character in that series, the promotion to series lead worked out extremely well, and Frasier was both a critical and financial success. The show ran for 11 seasons, the same amount as Cheers, and to this day stands next to some of the great sitcoms of all time.
[new page = #1]
1. The Simpsons
It’s impossible to talk about spin-offs without mentioning The Simpsons, without any doubt the most successful spin-off of all time. The animated series, which has become an absolute staple of American pop culture, actually was a spin-off of The Tracy Ullman Show, with the Simpsons family appearing in short animated segments on that sketch comedy series. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to begrudgingly watch the premiere of The Simpsons, thinking it was an unoriginal way of cashing in on the success of The Tracy Ullman Show and having no idea it would overshadow that series, to say the least. For decades to come, when creating a spin-off, The Simpsons’ trajectory is the absolute dream scenario.