TV Tuesday: This Looks Familiar

[yourlibrarian]

Have you ever watched spinoff shows? What makes them more or less successful?

Are there any you wish had been made or are looking forward to?

Comments

[jo]

I don't think I've gotten into too many spin-off series. One of the main issues I have with spin-offs is that they often choose the least interesting characters, or characters I like the least, to base them on. Classic example being Frasier, as a spin-off from Cheers. I never liked the character on Cheers, so have never watched Frasier because I don't like Frasier. Or AfterMash, a spin-off of M*A*S*H* which focused on Col. Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulchahy. In contrast to that, there was also Trapper John, MD, which while billed as a spin-off, isn't really. The character, Trapper, is played by a completely different actor, and it's set 28 years after Trapper's discharge from the army, and other than the character's name, I don't remember anything about it tying in to M*A*S*H*. For all intents and purposes, anyone could watch it and completely enjoy it even if they'd never seen a single episode of M*A*S*H*.

I don't count various iterations of the parent series as being technically spin-offs (e.g. the million and one NCISs, FBIs, CSIs, Law and Orders, etc.). For me, a spin off has to be centred around a character, or characters -- played by the same actor(s), from the original parent show. Otherwise, it's just another version of the parent show, but with a different focus -- and expansion of that universe. So, all the Star Treks since TOS are not spin-offs of TOS, they expand on the universe created by TOS. The Outlander prequel Blood of My Blood, isn't a spin-off. There are characters in it who were/are in Outlander, but portrayed by different actors as Blood of My Blood takes place before Claire and Jamie are born (well, Claire is born, Jamie not yet).

Some spin-offs I did/do enjoy: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (ST: Discovery), Star Trek: Picard (ST: Next Generation), Maude and The Jeffersons (All in the Family), Millennium (X-Files), The Bionic Woman (The Six-Million Dollar Man), Rhoda, Phyllis and Lou Grant (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), Knots Landing (Dallas), Bosch Legacy (Bosch).

[yourlibrarian]

As I had never watched MASH I never saw any of the spinoffs either, though I'm aware of them. What you say is what I'd also gathered about Trapper. It reminds me of the issues surrounding the new Watson medical drama.

I think that's a good way to look at what is and isn't a spinoff. I would call all the others parts of a franchise rather than spinoffs. It is interesting to ponder prequels and sequels, because I would tend to agree that a spinoff has to be some character(s) from the prior show (same actor(s)) either continuing in the same verse or somehow connected to the original show.

I found Picard a mixed bag but particularly liked S3 which was very much a sequel to TNG. (I liked S1 too but had issues with some of the plotting). I loved Bionic Woman and have seen very little of 6 Million Dollar Man. That was very much a spinoff, given that there were 3 characters from 6 that appeared regularly on both shows, as well as a few crossover story arcs.

[wendelah1]

I loved Frasier. The character is an ass, but that's where the humor originates. I also loved The Big Bang Theory, with a similar dynamic. Tastes do differ. I agree 100% with your definition of a spinoff. Young Sheldon--a spinoff. You might disagree. Now they've spun off Sheldon's older brother from that series and given him a show. NCIS: Origins--a spinoff. I think so, anyway. NCIS: Sydney--not a spinoff. Same premise as original flavor NCIS, just in a new setting.

A spinoff I wished for--one for The Americans. I wanted to know what happened to Paige and Henry.

[yourlibrarian]

Other than seeing a few episodes here and there, I never watched Cheers, so I had no initial interest in Frasier. However after a few seasons I did start to watch it and thought it was well written.

Oh that's interesting about The Americans! Yes, I'd quite like to know that as well.

[yourlibrarian]

I've seen a few spinoff shows, probably more than I realized. Per the discussion above, Stargate Atlantis would be a franchise addition even if there were crossovers. (I have yet to see SG1) So would Laverne & Shirley, and Mork and Mindy. I know L&S appeared on Happy Days but don't think they were any real part of that show. By contrast, Joanie Loves Chaci would have been a spinoff.

In fact, something that interests me is why certain spinoffs do or don't succeed. I agree that the character is pretty relevant, though I would expect that the decisions involved in a spinoff from the studio and money side would seem to take into account how popular the character was. Either they guess wrong sometimes or perhaps the new show just isn't as well done. Sometimes the genre of show changes in a spinoff and that may not appeal to the original viewers.

My favorite spinoff is probably Angel from Buffy. While it was its own show in some ways, I always saw it as very tied to Buffy. It wasn't just all the characters that came over to it, or the occasional crossover storylines. It also existed in the same verse, and had various crossovers behind the scenes with some writers working for both shows. I know some people have said it was a darker, more adult show. But they ran on the same network (at first) and were subject to the same restrictions. Part of it was to be expected given it revolved around a vampire rather than teens, but Buffy too got darker as the characters got older. And a lot of the comedic writing was the same.

A spinoff I'd like to see would be a prequel of Firefly focusing on Mal and Zoe pre-Firefly. It wouldn't be possible to do that as a live action but it could be done as an animated show, voiced by the same actors.

[mllesatine]

I also loved Angel. It's been decades since I watched these shows but if memory serves Cordelia would have gotten the kind of ending in Buffy that usually means a character is dying so another character can grow from the experience. I was so happy to see her story/her arc continued in Angel.

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, I doubt there would have been an Anya had Cordelia not moved on to Angel. They occupied a similar slot but diverged as characters. Cordelia definitely got more growth on Angel (not to mention Wes, who had the most developed evolution of probably any character on either show).

[rogueslayer452]

I've definitely watched many spin-off shows, more than I can probably remember, to be honest. Some that I didn't even know were spin-offs from something else until much later.

When it comes to what makes a spin-off successful on a personal level, to me, is how engaged I am with the story and the characters. As mentioned, I've watched some spin-offs without realizing they were spin-offs from something else, and that can definitely be a good indicator that it's not entirely reliant on the original show to provide context. It's just its own thing that stands on its own so that anyone unfamiliar with the shared universe can watch it without feeling like they're missing out on anything. Other spin-offs are connected more tightly with one another, and that's not bad if you're a fan of both (or more), but personally I like when spin-offs take a life of its own especially the more it goes on with the story.

For example, Angel was a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and while they stayed connected through their shared universe and characters and even doing crossover episodes, it always felt like it was its own thing. I also liked that it brought over secondary and supporting characters from BTVS onto the show which allowed them to have the development they probably wouldn't have had if they stayed on the original show.

I've had various spin-off ideas from shows that I wished could've happened, because some shows have quite a large ensemble cast and even such great mythos and lore into their world-building that a spin-off would be an excellent way of exploring more of that (aside from, y'know, book tie-ins or comics and other additional material like that of course). Some were even in the works for some shows but they never happened for one reason or another, sometimes frustratingly so.

[yourlibrarian]

One thing I wonder about is how many spinoffs became more successful than their original shows. It seems to me few do, either in length of run or in terms of popularity.

Your mention of the large casts reminded me that this has been a significant difference as TV has aged. More shows tend to have larger casts, if not of primary characters then at least of secondary ones. That definitely should provide more opportunities, but I don't get the sense that it's the case.

[tinny]

The thing I want to note here is that spinoffs often divide the viewership. Like someone above mentioned they hated Frasier but loved Cheers. It was the other way around for me, I never really watched Cheers but loved Frasier. I never warmed to Buffy (early seasons) but loved Angel. I never liked SG-1 but got deep into SGA.

I guess the producers make spin-offs because they like to attract the original viewers, but in my experience that never quite works out.

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, I daresay that there are always factors in the original show which don't carry over (even when they have some crossover showrunners or writers), and those are the factors that have people watching.

[wild_solovei]

Oh, I used to absolutely love Torchwood. I even watched it before I had even heard of Doctor Who, and I have no regret that it was my entryway into the fandom. Even though I ended up watching DW as well, Torchwood always felt more mature and more moving, so it stayed my favourite.

I also ended up watching Angel the Series, but didn't like it quite as much as Buffy ; even though some really interesting stuff was happening in s2 and part of s3, it ended up such a mess !
I really wish they had made that spin off on Faith instead.

[yourlibrarian]

Funnily enough I also watched Torchwood even though I'd never seen Who at that point. (I still haven't seen much of it but have seen some episodes here and there).

[wild_solovei]

Ahah, what a coincidence ! Didn't think this would have happened often. But who knows... I think Torchwood would attract very different people than Doctor Who. I remember seeing a fanvid of Jack Harkness and Captain John Hart's fight (the one where they kiss then punch each other with glee) and thinking "That looks like something for me !". Not the kind of things you'd find on Doctor Who.

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, I think it was John Hart's appearance that made me more aware of the show as he had many Buffy fans who wanted to watch that episode and stayed for the rest.