Over the years we have been blessed with some wonderful television shows that have gone on to redefine their respective genres. Some excel through their breathtaking cinematography whilst others instead rely heavily on their fantastic writing. One thing that they all have in common, however, is their excellent casts, without whom they would never have succeeded.
It’s typically the show’s leads that will shine the brightest, but, every once in a while, one of the secondary characters will end up stealing the show. Keen to capitalize on this, it’s not uncommon for network executives to greenlight spin-off shows, of which there have been many great examples. Sadly though, not all of them have hit the mark with some missing it by a huge margin.
10 Great: The Colbert Report (The Daily Show)
Many considered The Colbert Report to be better than the show from which it spun off, which is high praise indeed considering the success of The Daily Show. Stephen Colbert’s character made the transition from correspondent to anchor with relative ease and was able to carry the show through an incredible 1,447 episodes before leaving to replace David Letterman as the host of The Late Show.
Satire isn’t always the easiest thing to get right, but The Colbert Report was able to do so consistently and always made it look so easy. It never felt forced, it was always funny, and it did a wonderful job of highlighting the pomposity of the typical political pundit and ridiculing the ratings-driven nature of broadcast media.
9 Terrible: Top Of The Heap (Married… With Children)
The wonderful chemistry between Ed O’Neill and Katey Sagal helped to make Married… with Children one of the best comedy shows of the late eighties and early nineties. The two actors complemented each other perfectly which allowed them to really bring the show’s writing to life. With all due respect, without them, the show would have been nothing.
With that in mind, one struggles to understand the reasoning behind the decision to greenlight Top of the Heap. Sure, it was clear that Matt LeBlanc had the potential to play a much more prominent role, but this was far from the right stage for him to do so on. Interestingly, the spin-off later received a spin-off of its own which also starred LeBlanc, but Vinnie & Bobby was just as underwhelming and, like its parent show, only lasted for one season.
8 Great: Angel (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Although Angel never quite reached the same heights as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it really wasn’t far behind. From his humble beginnings on Buffy, it was clear to viewers that the character had a lot of potential and the vampire with a soul more than delivered in this regard when finally given the chance. Few characters are as complex, nor do many demonstrate such obvious growth over the course of just a few seasons.
Although set in the same universe as Buffy, Angel quickly found its own formula and established itself as its own unique entity. The show’s darker tone allowed it to tackle more mature themes while its strong supporting cast featured plenty of interesting and unique characters. It may have bowed out a little earlier than many would have liked, but it did so on a high.
7 Terrible: The Green, Green Grass (Only Fools And Horses)
Only Fools and Horses is one of the quintessential British comedies of the eighties and nineties and remains incredibly popular to this day. The Christmas special Time on Our Hands was watched live by 24.35 million people, which, in 1996, equated to more than 40% of the UK’s population. For anybody wondering, that’s the equivalent of 160 million people tuning in for a show in the states which is at least 10 million more than tuned in to watch the moon landing.
The spin-off show The Green, Green Grass was not completely without merit, but it differed so much from its parent show that it struggled to attract anywhere near as large an audience. Its biggest problem, perhaps, was that its main character Boycie just didn’t have enough about him to warrant a spin-off. Creating a compelling narrative centered around him and his wife Marlene may well have been an impossible feat. Regardless, it’s one that the show’s writers failed to accomplish.
6 Great: Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad)
While some may have preferred a spin-off focusing on Walt or Jessie, most seem to be in agreement that AMC made the right choice when they settled on Saul. Prior to the events of Breaking Bad, Walt was the model citizen while Jessie was just a two bit-criminal with no idea what he was doing. By contrast, Saul was a character with very little backstory and plenty of untapped potential.
It seems fair to say that this potential has definitely been realized, with Better Call Saul providing the perfect backstory for the character while also including a few nice nods to the original show. It’s Jimmy’s relationship with his brother Chuck that really drives the show forward though and continues to do so even after the latter’s death. It may not have had the same impact as Breaking Bad, but it is every bit as captivating.
5 Terrible: The Golden Palace (The Golden Girls)
It’s easy to see how The Golden Palace came to exist. How it went so terribly wrong is something of a mystery though. Given how successful and beloved The Golden Girls was, a spin-off featuring three of the show’s four main cast members should have been a slam dunk. Sadly, however, history will remember it as more of an Alley-oops.
The loss of Bea Arthur undoubtedly hurt the show’s appeal, but its biggest problem was its ridiculous concept and some mediocre writing. Rose, Blanche, and Sophia felt like they were treading water throughout the show’s sole season while the additions of Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle offered little and at times felt very forced.
4 Great: Frasier (Cheers)
While the character remains very much the same, the tone of Frasier differs greatly from that of Cheers. As a result, its charm and elegance can at times make for some dry viewing. Despite this though, it still provides plenty of laughs and is surprisingly accessible in spite of its often serious subject matter.
Despite his sophistication, Frasier remains incredibly relatable thanks in large to his interactions with the rest of the cast. Martin and Niles perfectly compliment the two extremes of his personality while also bringing plenty to the table themselves. Eddie also deserves a mention, if only because he is one of the cutest and most memorable dogs of all time.
3 Terrible: Ravenswood (Pretty Little Liars)
Pretty Little Liars was by no means a bad show, but whether or not it was good enough to warrant its own spin-off show is certainly a matter for debate. Whichever side of the argument one falls on is somewhat irrelevant, however, as the decision-makers at ABC Family clearly thought it was worth the punt. They quickly changed their tune when the ratings came in though.
Although characters like Carla and Hanna made appearances, the show centered mainly around a brand new cast of characters. This needn’t have been an issue were it not for how dull most of them were. The tone of the show was a little darker than Pretty Little Liars which could have helped to plug a gap in the market. Sadly, however, the show instead delivers only cheap scares and ham-fisted writing.
2 Great: The Simpsons (The Tracey Ullman Show)
Not many people will have heard of The Tracey Ullman Show, which is surprising considering that it’s arguably one of the most important television shows of all time. Not because it was particularly amazing or anything like that, but because without it, the world may have never been introduced to the Simpson family.
Before spinning off into their own show, everybody’s favorite yellow family appeared in animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. There were 48 of them in total spread out over a three year period. Their popularity led to The Simpsons being greenlit and, as they say, the rest is history. 31 years later and the show is still going strong and has perhaps told every story there is to tell.
1 Terrible: Joey (Friends)
One of the things that made Joey such a great character in Friends was the chemistry that he had with the rest of the group and the way that they all balanced each other out. Without his friends, however, Joey begins to feel a little one dimensional and lacks the charm required to carry a show of this size on his back.
It certainly had its moments, but, ultimately, the show relied on a tired format and its inconsistent writing just wasn’t up to scratch. Even at its best, it felt like a poor imitation of Friends. At its worst, it felt like the kind of soulless television written by somebody who has read about life in a book but never actually experienced it for themselves.
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