For about as long as there has been television, there have been spin-offs — TV shows that exist in the same continuity as one popular series, typically focusing on a side character made into the central protagonist. Some have proven to be very successful (such as when Kelsey Grammer’s Cheers character became the title role of the Frasier cast) while others are remembered today as a notorious failure (such as when Friends cast member Matt LeBlanc led Joey for two seasons — a season too long for some).
Then, there are some series spun-off from hits that exist in-between, neither achieving success, nor going on to be remembered for their short-lived run. We thought it would be fun to jog your memory (or inform you for the first time) about those shows by looking back at some our favorite TV shows and their forgotten spin-offs.
21 Jump Street (Booker)
While the breakout star of 21 Jump Street was obviously Johnny Depp — who would cameo in the 2012 movie adaptation as Tom Hanson — it was Richard Grieco — who appeared in the 2014 sequel, 22 Jump Street — who got to lead his own show as recurring character, Dennis Booker. However, Booker, which followed the rebellious, youthful-looking cop as an insurance investigator, only lasted one season from 1989 to 1990.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (Planet Sheen)
Most fans might consider The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius to be one of the rare TV shows that surpassed the movies they were based on, but would not say the same about Planet Sheen. In fact, the series — which follows the adventures of Jimmy’s hyperactive best friend (Jeffrey Garcia) while stuck on an alien planet — managed to last three seasons, but has an IMDb rating of 2.9.
All In The Family (Archie Bunker's Place)
Creator Norman Lear’s groundbreaking comedy, All in the Family, was the parent series of several other successful sitcoms, including Maude and The Jeffersons, with one of its lesser-known spin-offs being Archie Bunker’s Place. Starring Carroll O’Connor reprising his Emmy-winning role as the owner of his own bar and restaurant, the series actually had a good four-year-run, but now lives in obscurity.
Alice (Flo)
The series adaptation of Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore promptly steered clear of becoming a forgotten TV show based on a movie, but its sole attempt at a spin-off was not as successful as its parent series. Her scene-stealing, Emmy-nominated performance on Alice as outspoken server Flo earned Polly Holliday her own eponymous series set at her own diner in her Texan hometown, but after one season, viewers told the show it could kiss their grits.
American Idol (American Juniors)
There have actually been multiple times when popular reality TV shows attempted a version that featured underage participants, including American Idol. Airing on Fox in 2003 (just a year after its predecessor’s debut), American Juniors featured host Ryan Seacrest, according to EW, and Season 1 runner-up Justin Guarini as a judge, but did not generate quite the same buzz — despite launching Lucy Hale’s career, which Jimmy Kimmel Live! unearthed.
Barney Miller (Fish)
One of the reasons why Barney Miller is remembered as one of the funniest and best mystery TV shows of its time is its hilarious supporting cast, which included the late Abe Vigoda in the Emmy-nominated role, Phil Fish. ABC greenlit a sitcom that would follow the New York detective outside of the precinct, but — as USA Today recalls — it was cancelled after one-and-one-half seasons in mid-1978, less than a year after Fish’s retirement episode of Barney Miller aired.
Battlestar Galactica (Galactica 1980)
Years before the 2000s-era reboot of Battlestar Galactica became one of the most beloved sci-fi TV shows of its time, the first reboot of Glen A. Larson’s cult favorite series was greenlit pretty quickly after it ended. However, Galactica 1980, which brought the action to modern day Earth, would also end very quickly after 10 episodes, due to poor reviews and was later edited into the TV movie, Conquest of the Earth.
Baywatch (Baywatch Nights)
In 1995, while Baywatch was still in its prime, David Hasselhoff reprised his Baywatch cast role of Mitch Buchannon on a series that saw the lifeguard moonlighting as a private investigator. As ratings declined, the writers opted to turn Baywatch Nights into an X-Files-style paranormal investigation drama for its second season, which would also be its last.
Bewitched (Tabitha)
In 1977, just five years after the end of Bewitched, an attempt to continue its magical legacy was made in the form of Tabitha. Following Samantha and Darrin’s eponymous daughter (Lisa Hartman) as an adult, the show failed to cast a spell on viewers and was cancelled after 11 episodes.
Bones (The Finder)
A Season 6 episode of Bones called “The Finder” — in which Brennan and Booth call upon the help of eccentric, but inquisitive, Army veteran Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults) — served as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off of the same name. Also starring the late Michael Clarke Duncan, The Finder, unfortunately, could not find an audience and did not make it past its 13-episode run in 2012.
Cheers (The Tortellis)
While Frasier would find great success in its 11 seasons, it is not the only spin-off from Cheers, let alone the first, which would be The Tortellis. This sitcom put Dan Hedaya’s recurring role as Carla’s ex-husband, Nick, and his own family at the forefront, but was met with criticism for its stereotypical depiction of Italian-Americans (according to ScreenRant) and low ratings, sealing its early downfall.
Columbo (Mrs. Columbo)
If you want to see a good whodunit TV show in the style of Columbo but with a female lead, I would recommend checking out Peacock’s Poker Face with Natasha Lyonne, instead of Mrs. Columbo. This mystery series starring fellow Orange is the New Black cast veteran Kate Mulgrew as the never-before-seen wife of Peter Falk’s iconic lieutenant was not so well-liked by audiences, or the producers of the parent series, and was taken off the air after 13 episodes, as Slash Film recalled.
Dawson's Creek (Young Americans)
In the same year he was introduced on Dawson’s Creek for a three-episode stint, Rodney Scott’s Will Krudski went on to be the lead character of Young Americans, which aired on The CW when it was still called the The WB. Despite being ahead of its time for its commentary on themes like gender roles and starring Kate Bosworth and Ian Somerhalder, the absence of anyone from the Dawson’s Creek cast may have deterred viewers from tuning into its summer 2000 run.
Doctor Who (K-9 And Company)
In its 60 years of existence, the British sci-fi staple, Doctor Who, has inspired multiple spin-offs, with Torchwood being a successful example, but we cannot quite say the same about K-9 and Company. The series never continued past its 1981 pilot, but a more successful team-up of Elisabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith with the robotic dog called K9 would happen years later in the form of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The Dukes Of Hazzard (Enos)
Bumbling Hazzard County cop Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer) had the honor of leading his own self-titled series that followed his adventures fighting crime in L.A. with his partner, Turk Adams (the late Samuel Wright). However, he would return to his original role on The Dukes of Hazzard after Enos faced cancellation after a single, 18-episode season in 1981.
Dynasty (The Colbys)
The primetime soap opera Dynasty — the most popular show of the 1984-1985 season — focused on the personal struggles of the wealthy Carrington family. In 1985, ABC debuted a spin-off centered on the rival family, the Colbys, which would earn an Emmy nomination for its cinematography, but was cut short after just two seasons.
Fame (Fame L.A.)
More than a decade after the end of Fame — which was loosely based on 1980 movie of the same name — a new series emerged that was set on the other side of the country. Yet, despite earning Emmy Awards wins for its opening title music and choreography, Fame L.A. did not live forever, and was cancelled after one season in 1998.
Family Ties (Day By Day)
There are some spin-offs that really try to stretch the connective tissue between to their parent series, such as Day by Day, which starred Douglas Sheehan as Brian Harper, who was written as an old college roommate of Steven Keaton (Michael Gross) from Family Ties. That tie was, apparently, not strong enough for this NBC family sitcom to last longer than two seasons, but — on the bright side — it would allow series regulars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Courtney Thorne-Smith to go on to star on Seinfeld and Melrose Place, respectively.
The Golden Girls (The Golden Palace)
After The Golden Girls ended with Dorothy (Bea Arthur) moving away with her new husband (Leslie Nielsen), Rose (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), and Sophia (Estelle Getty) would invest in a very understaffed Miami hotel. Also starring Don Cheadle in one of his earliest roles and Cheech Marin, The Golden Palace was actually the third spin-off of The Golden Girls (after Empty Nest and Nurses) but the first to last only one season.
Growing Pains (Just The Ten Of Us)
Even if you have never seen Just the Ten of Us — for which Bill Kirchenbauer reprised his recurring Growing Pains character, Coach Graham T. Lubbock, from 1988-1990 — you might recognize a few of its key actors. Namely, A Nightmare on Elm Street cast lead Heather Lengegnkamp and Matt Shakman (director of WandaVision and the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot) played two of Graham’s eight children and Dennis Haysbert played his assistant coach, Duane Johnson.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.)
Most modern day audiences had never even heard of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. before Guy Ritchie’s movie adaptation of the 1960s spy series came out in 2015. Therefore, we would certainly forgive anyone for forgetting (or never knowing about) The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., which followed the assignments of another agent from the titular organization, played by Stefanie Powers, for 29 episodes from 1966 to 1967.
Once Upon A Time (Once Upon A Time In Wonderland)
Just a couple years after the debut of Once Upon a Time, ABC introduced another story of fairytale characters struggling to find an escape from the real world which looked directly toward the seminal work of Lewis Carroll for inspiration. Yet, critics and audiences were more impressed with the visual aesthetic than anything else about Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, which went off with its head after one 13-episode season.
Party Of Five (Time Of Your Life)
Acclaimed family drama Party of Five was a breakout hit for rising stars Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, Lacey Chabert, and Jennifer Love Hewitt — the latter of whom would reprise her role as Sarah Reeves Merrin as the lead of Time of Your Life. Also starring Jennifer Garner, the series — in which Sarah moves to New York to learn more about her biological parents — suffered from low ratings during its sole season, which was split in half by a five-month hiatus before Fox’s failed attempt to bring it back for Summer 2000.
Pretty Little Liars (Ravenswood)
It is funny to think of how many somewhat ordinary dramas take place in the same universe as another series that is complete fantasy, such as Ravenswood. In 2013, Pretty Little Liars cast member Ashley Benson appeared as Hanna Marin to establish her hit series’ connection to this show — about five strangers embroiled in a curse plaguing the titular town — which lasted one season on Freeform when it was still called ABC Family.
Rugrats (Rugrats Pre-School Daze)
A special episode of Rugrats — which Paramount+ recently rebooted — that imagined the babies as preteens would inspire a successful series called All Grown Up!, which was the first spin-off to the long-running Nicktoon, but that was not always the case. According to Variety, Nickelodeon had originally been developing a series focused on Angelica Pickles and Susie Carmichael that would be shelved for years and eventually be released in 2005 as Rugrats Pre-School Daze, which only had a total of four episodes.
Sanford And Son (Sanford Arms)
Despite a few exceptions on this list alone, spin-offs tend to be most successful when a popular and recognizable character is given the lead role and not an entirely new character, like what they did with Sanford Arms. This continuation of Sanford & Son saw widowed father Phil Wheeler (Teddy Wilson) take over Fred (Redd Foxx) and Lamont’s (Demond Wilson) rooming house — a change of pace that did not seem to resonate with viewers and resulted in a very quick cancellation in 1977.
That's So Raven (Cory In The House)
Raven-Symoné would reprise her role as a psychic of the same name as an adult on Raven’s Home, which was not the first time Disney Channel debuted a That’s So Raven spin-off. In 2007, Kyle Massey came back to play Cory Baxter on Cory in the House, in which he moves into the White House after his father (Rondell Sheridan) becomes the President’s personal chef. Also starring Madison Pettis, you could say the sitcom lasted a fitting two terms (seasons) after 34 episodes.
Three's Company (The Ropers, Three's A Crowd)
The original Three’s Company landlords were Stanley (Norman Fell) and Helen Roper (Audra Lindley), until they left in 1979 to lead their own self-titled sitcom that was cancelled after two seasons in 1980. In 1984, the parent series’ finale served as a sort of backdoor pilot to a new show called Three’s a Crowd — centered on Emmy winner John Ritter’s character, Jack Tripper, his new girlfriend, Vicky (Mary Cadorette), and her father, James (Robert Mandan), who becomes their landlord — which only lasted one season.
Walker, Texas Ranger (Sons Of Thunder)
Years before The CW rebooted Walker, Texas Ranger with Jared Padalecki in the title role (and also greenlit a short-lived prequel set in the old West called Walker: Independence), Chuck Norris and his younger brother, Aaron, had their own idea for a spin-off. After introducing Dallas detective Carlos Sandoval (James Wlcek) in Season 4, he was given his own series in 1999 called Sons of Thunder — in which he becomes a private investigator — that ran for six episodes on CBS.
The X-Files (The Lone Gunmen)
There are three TV shows that exist in Chris Carter’s X-Files universe: the iconic original (which was brought back for two more seasons in 2016), the marginally successful Millennium (which was retroactively confirmed as a spin-off), and The Lone Gunmen, which some say Fox should be embarrassed about cancelling after one 13-episode season.
Focusing on the titular trio of eccentric conspiracy theorists (Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood, and Dean Haglund) who previously aided Mulder and Scully, the pilot episode of the spin-off, which aired in March 2001, is eerily similar to the tragic events of September 11th that year — as Journal News Online recalls — which is not why it was cancelled, but why it is somewhat infamous to fans who may remember it.
How many of these spin-off series do you actually remember? How many would you like to see brought back? And how many of these do you think never should have seen the light of day?
