Shows They Shouldn't Have Remade—And Some They Should
Maybe you stopped watching your favorite TV show after its run ended, and you scoff at the thought of any spin-off. Or, maybe you're yearning for more of your favorite show after it was unexpectedly canceled, and that new spin-off looks very promising! Let's explore some of the best and worst TV spin-offs of all time.
The Worst Spin-Offs
Let's look at some of the cardinal sins of television: shows that should have been left alone when they ended, rather than the poor attempt to match up to their significance and quality that these spin-offs were.
Sanford Arms
Trying to follow the hyper-successful Sanford And Son (1972)—where two African-American actors took center stage and played their parts as a father-and-son duo in a sitcom chock full of life lessons and drama while maintaining the familial feel—was always going to be difficult. After Redd Foxx departed for ABC and Demond Wilson left after a salary dispute, NBC's Sanford Arms (1977) was always going to struggle. NBC pulled the plug on Sanford Arms after just eight episodes.
Three's A Crowd
ABC's answer to Three's Company (1977) leaving the air after eight seasons was to introduce a new love interest for Jack Tripper in Vicky Bradford. Unfortunately, the new character added little value to the spin-off and the audience lost interest quickly. Three was indeed a crowd—the spin-off was cancelled after just one season.
ABC, Three's a Crowd (1984-1985)
Saved By The Bell: The College Years
Saved By The Bell: The College Years (1993) was most definitely not saved by the proverbial bell. Despite the success of Saved By The Bell (1989), the spin-off featured short, 23-minute episodes in which cast members get into all sorts of trouble at college. Predictability didn't exactly help the cause and The College Years disappeared after one season.
NBC, Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993-1994)
Tabitha
Time was not Tabitha's friend. ABC waited five years to air the spin-off of Bewitched (1964). Five long years. Fans of Bewitched had grown up and moved out by the time Tabitha (1977) came along. Borrowing Samantha Stevens' young daughter from the original, Tabitha was suddenly a young adult played by Elizabeth Montgomery. Unfortunately, the original charm of the series had long left the memories of Bewitched fans and Tabitha was gone after a season.
Law & Order: Trial By Jury
As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". While Law And Order (1990) has had some masterful spin-offs, Trial By Jury (2005) wasn't one of them. Taking out all of the exciting bits (like the crime and punishment) and instead focusing on the more mundane aspects of the law, is it any wonder fans couldn't get behind it? The verdict was delivered after one season: cancellation.
NBC, Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005-2006)
Phyllis
Piggybacking off the enormous success of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), two stars decided they'd make their own shows: Rhoda (1974) was an Emmy award-winning hit with America, meanwhile Phyllis' Cloris Leachman received a nomination for an Emmy, but the show never really got off the ground. Possibly overshadowed by the success of Rhoda, Phyllis lasted just one, 48-episode season between 1975 and 1977.
The Brady Bunch: Variety Hour
Another victim of "too late", The Brady Bunch: Variety Hour (1976) was supposed to be a one-off, two-hour special that involved much of the cast of America's beloved Brady Bunch (1969). Upon hearing this, fans flocked to the two-hour special, inspiring ABC to craft eight more installments of The Variety Hour. Unfortunately, the series was a show-within-a-show that was gone just six months later. Out with a whimper.
ABC, The Brady Bunch Hour (1976-1977)
How I Met Your Father
Despite the huge success of How I Met Your Mother (2005), starring Neil Patrick-Harris, Josh Radnor and Jason Segel, How I Met Your Father sought to tell a similar story from the other side of the romance, starring Hillary Duff and Kim Cattrall, looking back from the future (2050), with Hillary's character Sophie recounting the events that led to her meeting the father of her unseen son. Never able to replicate the success of HIMYM, the series was cancelled after 18 months.
Hulu, How I Met Your Father (2022-2023)
The Blacklist: Redemption
The Blacklist (2013) may be one of the best dramas of the 2010s, which lasted for 10 seasons until 2023. The Blacklist: Redemption stars Famke Janssen as the head of a covert mercenary organization, once again chasing down the evil that lurks in the shadows. Unfortunately, Redemption couldn't hold a candle to the original and was cancelled within eight weeks of its launch.
NBC, The Blacklist: Redemption (2017)
Models Inc
Unfortunately for Models Inc (1994), it was the wrong combination of two different types of TV: a murder-mystery and modeling. Even though it starred Carrie-Anne Moss (later star of The Matrix series), the spin-off of Melrose Place (1992) flopped. The 29-episode series got more absurd as it went along, only for Fox to (mercifully) pull the plug.
The Tortellis
Remember Nick and Loretta Tortelli from Cheers (1982)? If you don't, that's totally understandable—neither were particularly interesting characters from the show. So, fans of Cheers were left baffled when the pair received their own show, The Tortellis (1987). You won't be surprised to learn that the show aired for just 13 weeks.
Ravenswood
We all know that Pretty Little Liars (2010) was something of a cult classic and we also knew that following something that successful would be challenging. But, Ravenswood (2013) tried, bless their hearts. Set in a fictional Pennsylvania town of the same name, Ravenswood stars a group of no-name teens entwined by a vicious curse. It was so forgettable that it was gone within 10 weeks.
ABC Family, Ravenswood (2013-2014)
Living Dolls
Who's The Boss (1984) was a comedy that captured America for eight wonderful seasons. Unfortunately for the spin-off Living Dolls (1989), starring a young Halle Berry (in her television debut) and Leah Remini (in her second-ever role), it never really measured up to the humor captured in Who's The Boss and was shut down after just 12 weeks.
Booker
21 Jump Street (1987) was hugely popular for four years on the air, as was recurring character Richard Greico. But that didn't mean that he'd do well with his own show, particularly when it was about an insurance agent and his seemingly random adventures. People just don't care enough about the insurance agency. Sorry, Fox. Booker (1989) lasted just one season.
American Juniors
American Idol (2002) was such a smash hit and has become such a staple of American television that the geniuses at Fox News thought it might be a good idea to take five random young voices and put them together to form a five-person group, rather than having young singers compete for a single winning spot. Teach the kids about sharing victory? Sure. But you can't force harmony or chemistry and the show was cancelled after 17 episodes.
Checking In
You all remember Florence, the maid from The Jeffersons? (1975). Of course you do. Because fans liked her so much, the executives in charge of The Jeffersons decided to give her a headline shot in her own show, Checking In (1981). Unfortunately for Florence, the rest of the cast couldn't keep up with her natural charisma and she quickly lost her show, returning to The Jeffersons with ease.
A Man Called Hawk
Spun-off the 1985 drama Spenser: For Hire (1985) starring Robert Ulrich as a Boston-based private eye, A Man Called Hawk (1989) took place in New York and starred Ulrich's co-star Avery Brooks in the main role with the same premise. Despite being cancelled 13 weeks later, A Man Called Hawk did receive guest stars like Angela Bassett and Samuel L Jackson.
The Golden Palace
Fans were distraught when The Golden Girls concluded. So, too, were the cast—Bea Arthur took matters into her own hands and landed a spin-off called The Golden Palace (1992), starring Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin. Never able to capture the magic of The Golden Girls, the Golden Palace lasted just one season of 24 episodes.
CBS, The Golden Palace (1992-1993)
CSI: Cyber
Forensic science is difficult for the average Joe to understand, but at least CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and most of its other spin-offs have done an okay job. CSI: Cyber from 2015? Not so much. Steeped in technical jargon and computer-related scientific research that nobody without a degree in forensic sciences would understand, the show was Ctrl-Alt-Deleted after just one season.
Enos
A spin-off of The Dukes Of Hazzard (1979)? Really? Yes. Really. Just for one season, but still, Dukes of Hazzard heartthrob Enos Strate, played by Sonny Shroyer, became a crime-fighting deputy in Hazzard County. Lasting a single season, Enos Strate went back to being a cast regular on Dukes in 1981.
The Finder
Hart Hanson, creator of Bones (2005), is responsible for the half-season mess that was The Finder (2012). A sort-of spin-off saw an Army Major with a traumatic brain injury able to locate patterns in things that other people couldn't. Exactly how he used this special skill was a bit unclear, which is probably why The Finder never found its audience and was gone in a few weeks.
The Ropers
As if Three's A Crowd wasn't bad enough, Three's Company (1977) had another spin-off: The Ropers (1979) starred Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as a curmudgeonly old couple, frustrated at the world and each other. With no clear storyline, vision, bad writing and poor comedy, The Ropers only lasted 28 episodes and received poor ratings throughout.
The Girl From UNCLE
With the huge success of The Man From UNCLE ringing in their ears, NBC executives decided a spin-off was in order. Starring Stefanie Powers, the spin-off didn't exactly inspire. Another problem was the title—because it was 1966, they couldn't even call it "The Woman From UNCLE," due to broadcasting rules. So, they went with "Girl". It flopped spectacularly after a season and a bit.
NBC, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966-1967)
Mrs Columbo
Kate Mulgrew starred in this wife-centric version of the super popular detective show Columbo (1968). Unfortunately for Mrs Columbo, she was the great unknown in Columbo. Sure, everyone's favorite detective mentioned her, but we never actually saw Mrs Columbo. So, when Kate Mulgrew was given a role in the spin-off, fans went, "Wait, what? Who?" and the show lasted for a single season.
Baywatch Nights
You'd never have believed that David Hasselhoff would turn from chief lifeguard on Baywatch (1989) to a private detective in Baywatch Nights (1995). Well, he did and to make matters worse, the producers added a paranormal element to the show—thanks to the craze around The X-Files at the time. It lasted for two long years and 44 episodes before being mercifully cut short.
The Baywatch Company, Baywatch Nights (1995-1997)
Joanie Loves Chachi
A spin-off of Happy Days (1974) that most definitely didn't result in happy days. Starring Erin Moran and Scott Baio as two lovebirds and songbirds, Joannie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola, the show hoped to cash in on the craze of the British Invasion in the early 1980s. Needless to say, they didn't and Joanie Loves Chachi (1982) ended after a single season.
ABC, Joanie Loves Chachi (1982-1983)
The Brady Brides
Originally, The Brady Brides (1981) was a made-for-TV movie called The Brady Girls Get Married (1981), but then the producers had the bright idea to turn it into a weekly sitcom. Featuring Marcia and Jan marrying their respective husbands, The Brady Brides lasted only 10 episodes, despite the live studio audience.
AfterMASH
It was always going to be difficult to one of the greatest pieces of American television in history, but the creators of AfterMASH (1983) should really have considered that before going ahead. Starring Harry Morgan as Colonel Potter, Jamie Farr as Klinger, and William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, AfterMASH tells the story of the three working at a veterans' hospital back stateside after the Korean War. Unable to capture the original brilliance of M*A*S*H (1972), the show was cancelled after just two seasons.
Joey
Joey Tribbiani was one of the most beloved characters on Friends (1994), but when producers decided to try and revitalize the Friends fanbase with Joey (2004), focusing on Tribbiani's attempts to become an actor in Hollywood, it was really bound to fail, as he didn't have the core group around him. After a little more than two seasons, Joey was cancelled.
Beverly Hills Buntz
Based on the great Hill Street Blues (1981), starring their lead character, Dennis Franz, Beverly Hill Buntz took the good cop that Franz was in Hill Street Blues and put him as a private eye in Beverly Hills. One of a myriad of private-eye shows in the 1980s, Beverly Hill Buntz was cancelled after nine episodes.
NBC, Beverly Hills Buntz (1987-1988)
The Best Spin-Offs Of All Time
Now that we've counted down some of the worst spin-offs, let's examine 10 of the best of all time. Do you agree with our list of the worst? Let us know in the comments.
A Different World
A spin-off from the ill-fated The Cosby Show (1984), A Different World (1987) saw Lisa Bonet's character, Denise, head off to university—and her fans followed. Tackling issues of race, sexuality, and other tough topics, A Different World was a fantastic follow-up for the popular character.
NBC, Different World (1987-1993)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
When Law & Order: SVU (1999) first aired at the turn of the 21st century, people weren't sure what to make of it. It was definitely new, fresh, and dealt with more difficult topics and criminal cases than the traditional Law & Order (1980). Of particular note is that Mariska Hargitay still plays a lead role. SVU continues to be one of the best police procedurals on TV.
NBC, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-)
Angel
David Boreanaz was already everybody's favorite vampire slayer's boyfriend, so when Boreanaz was given his own show as the titular character of Angel (1999), fans of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (1997) dutifully followed him. Experiencing with darker themes than its predecessor, Angel gave vampire lovers an insight into what it might be like to exist as one.
Benson
No, not Detective Olivia Benson from SVU, but rather Robert Guillaume's butler Benson from Soap (1977). This time, Benson is put in charge of an entire household. Slapstick comedy throughout, Benson (1979) is one of the greats.
The Good Fight
A spin-off of the legal/political drama The Good Wife, The Good Fight (2016) centers around the battle of an ex-lawyer fighting to rebuild both her and her daughter's careers as a financial scam destroys their lives. The Good Fight came at a great time as political turbulence in the US was on its way to an all-time high.
CBS All Access, The Good Fight (2017-2022)
Laverne & Shirley
A spin-off from Happy Days (1974) featuring two recurring characters, Laverne and Shirley, the eponymous sitcom of the same name from 1976 ranks high on our list of fantastic spin-offs.
ABC, Laverne & Shirley (1976-1983)
NCIS
You can be forgiven for thinking that NCIS (2003) was its own thing. It's actually a spin-off from the legal-military drama JAG (1995), but was able to hold its own weight perfectly—leading to several spin-offs of its own! Mark Harmon plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a steely NCIS agent with a capable team of military crime-solving sleuths.
The Jeffersons
All In The Family (1971) was one of America's greatest family sitcoms in an era of great family sitcoms. But one of its spin-offs—The Jeffersons (1975)—broke racial and social barriers during its 11 seasons on the air. One of the all-time great spin-offs in TV history.
CBS, The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
Frasier
Psychologist Frasier Crane was a regular on Cheers (1982), but in 1993, he swapped the bar for the couch and gave us 11 incredible seasons. Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce starred in Frasier (1993) and gave us one of the best spin-offs ever.
Better Call Saul
Breaking Bad (2008) was one of the greatest, most innovative TV shows of all time. But its spin-off, Better Call Saul (2015), showcases the corruption of a fledgling attorney, Saul Goodman. As good as Breaking Bad was, Better Call Saul was exactly the follow-up that was necessary. It had to be spectacular—and it was.
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AMC, Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
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