Popular Shows That Had Episoded Intended To Spin Off

[US71]

All those spinoffs at least got off the ground.  I was talking within the context of concepts that never occurred or outright failed.

(And, the K-9 series was K-9 and Company)

...

Dweeks who think the audio stuff or additonal novels are canonical make me snicker.

K-9 and Company bombed.

There was later an animated K-9 show oriented towards kids

[Rothman]

All those spinoffs at least got off the ground.  I was talking within the context of concepts that never occurred or outright failed.

(And, the K-9 series was K-9 and Company)

...

Dweeks who think the audio stuff or additonal novels are canonical make me snicker.

K-9 and Company bombed.

There was later an animated K-9 show oriented towards kids

At least a pilot was made.

[Jardine]

Not sure if strictly spin off relted or 'occurred in same universe' kinda thing, but Petticoat Junction, Beverley Hillbilly's and Green Acres share DNA.

Sorry if already noted above, I looked but might have missed a post somewhere.

[Stephane Dumas]

CBS choices for spin-off choices are a bit weird and questionning from what I saw on Wikipedia about the Dukes of Hazzard.

The Dukes of Hazzard aired two episodes, named "Jude Emery" and "Mason Dixon's Girls", which served as a backdoor pilot complete with the Dukes cast interacting with the new characters. Ultimately, CBS passed on the two series in favor of a series starring Hazzard County deputy Enos Strate.

And no need to know how the Enos spin-off performed....

[sparker]

Back around '83 or so, Three's Company, having ended, spun off John Ritter's chef character into Three's A Crowd, featuring his character as the owner of a West L.A. neighborhood bistro, complete with a regular girlfriend character and a series of weird customers (including a minor mobster played by Terry Kiser, later famous as the dead Bernie in the film Weekend at Bernie's).  Generally silly or nonsensical plots; ran out its first season and was unceremoniously cancelled. 

[US71]

Not sure if strictly spin off relted or 'occurred in same universe' kinda thing, but Petticoat Junction, Beverley Hillbilly's and Green Acres share DNA.

Sorry if already noted above, I looked but might have missed a post somewhere.

There was some crossover. If memory serves, Petticoat Junction was sort of the "base" and branched into Green Acres or Beverly Hillbillies.  but no 3-way crossover nor GA/BH crossover.

[US71]

Also, Greatest American Hero was going to replace the lead with a female, but it didn't happen. Rumor has they may be trying again.

[Big John]

Not sure if strictly spin off relted or 'occurred in same universe' kinda thing, but Petticoat Junction, Beverley Hillbilly's and Green Acres share DNA.

Sorry if already noted above, I looked but might have missed a post somewhere.

There was some crossover. If memory serves, Petticoat Junction was sort of the "base" and branched into Green Acres or Beverly Hillbillies.  but no 3-way crossover nor GA/BH crossover.

Does the fact that PJ and GA were set in Hooterville mean anything?

[gilpdawg]

IIRC, Frasier announced that he was moving back home (to Seattle) in the final season of Cheers. That may or may not have been the last-ever episode, but I know that he had just divorced Lilith and found no reason to stay in Boston.

Considering Frasier on Cheers didn't have a brother and his father wasn't an ex-cop, I doubt they were that careful about tying the two shows together.  I don't even know if it was ever established on Cheers that he was originally from Boston.

I've watched virtually every episode of Frasier, but almost none of Cheers (on my list of things to-do). Was it established that Frasier did in fact not have a brother, and that his dad was in fact not a cop? Or were these both things that were not addressed on Cheers that Frasier (the show) was free to exploit?

On Cheers it was once said that his father was no longer living. They kind of tried to explain that on an early episode that they were estranged at the time.


iPad

[mrsman]

IIRC, Frasier announced that he was moving back home (to Seattle) in the final season of Cheers. That may or may not have been the last-ever episode, but I know that he had just divorced Lilith and found no reason to stay in Boston.

Considering Frasier on Cheers didn't have a brother and his father wasn't an ex-cop, I doubt they were that careful about tying the two shows together.  I don't even know if it was ever established on Cheers that he was originally from Boston.

I've watched virtually every episode of Frasier, but almost none of Cheers (on my list of things to-do). Was it established that Frasier did in fact not have a brother, and that his dad was in fact not a cop? Or were these both things that were not addressed on Cheers that Frasier (the show) was free to exploit?

On Cheers it was once said that his father was no longer living. They kind of tried to explain that on an early episode that they were estranged at the time.


iPad

There are many TV show fan websites out there that aim to pick out all of these inconsistencies in the writing.  I know that "The Simpsons" has sites like that.

Just look at all the contortions that Roseanne had to do.  Did Dan Connor die at the end of the original run?  Yes.  But we are basically asked to forget about the last two seasons and just advance 20 years on all the characters.  So Dan is still alive for this year's season.

Most fans don't care about these story problems, as long as they are entertained.

[roadman65]

IIRC, Frasier announced that he was moving back home (to Seattle) in the final season of Cheers. That may or may not have been the last-ever episode, but I know that he had just divorced Lilith and found no reason to stay in Boston.

Considering Frasier on Cheers didn't have a brother and his father wasn't an ex-cop, I doubt they were that careful about tying the two shows together.  I don't even know if it was ever established on Cheers that he was originally from Boston.

I've watched virtually every episode of Frasier, but almost none of Cheers (on my list of things to-do). Was it established that Frasier did in fact not have a brother, and that his dad was in fact not a cop? Or were these both things that were not addressed on Cheers that Frasier (the show) was free to exploit?

On Cheers it was once said that his father was no longer living. They kind of tried to explain that on an early episode that they were estranged at the time.


iPad

There are many TV show fan websites out there that aim to pick out all of these inconsistencies in the writing.  I know that "The Simpsons" has sites like that.

Just look at all the contortions that Roseanne had to do.  Did Dan Connor die at the end of the original run?  Yes.  But we are basically asked to forget about the last two seasons and just advance 20 years on all the characters.  So Dan is still alive for this year's season.

Most fans don't care about these story problems, as long as they are entertained.

Try Star Trek now with its many series and now retrofitted using the alternate timeline theory.  The best one I like is how World War II was won now by a UFO being the first Enterprise stopping the Xindi from helping the Nazis win the war and alter all of history post world war.

What about the Odd Couple?  Each episode was self contained  so it never carried over beyond the episode end.  Then Dallas too was contained in a new universe when TNT re did the series a few years back.   Remember Cliff Barnes made peace with the Ewings and became friends with Bobby in the final seasons.  Yet in the last one Barnes lost his bumbling demeanor and was more evil than he ever was before.

Yes people make a big deal over minor details especially on TVLand.

[US71]

There are many TV show fan websites out there that aim to pick out all of these inconsistencies in the writing.  I know that "The Simpsons" has sites like that.

Just look at all the contortions that Roseanne had to do.  Did Dan Connor die at the end of the original run?  Yes.  But we are basically asked to forget about the last two seasons and just advance 20 years on all the characters.  So Dan is still alive for this year's season.

Most fans don't care about these story problems, as long as they are entertained.

You forgot Bobby Ewing

[abefroman329]

One I'm aware of that the above-linked A.V. Club article missed–

Toward the end of the series, an episode of The Rockford Files titled "Just a Coupla Guys"  had Jim Rockford travel to New Jersey on a case where he crossed paths with a pair of half-charming but half-witted would-be gangsters–and supposedly this episode was pitched to NBC as a pilot for a spin-off series (which the network declined). But interestingly, the episode was written by David Chase, who created The Sopranos twenty years later.

And on a slightly related topic: I've wondered the same about insurance company commercials, which have largely been comedic, episodic, and centered around a spokes-character for the last decade. A company will have a have a main mascot featured in most of their commercials (e.g. the GEICO gecko, Progressive's Flo), yet they periodically launch one-off commercials with characters that sometimes reappear in subsequent ads and become sort of a secondary mascot–like GEICO's Maxwell the Pig or Progressive's "box guy" . I wonder to what extent the companies are either trying out new mascots to see what might resonate with audiences or at least are trying to hedge their bets in case the actor playing the main mascot's role decides to quit or hold out for a bigger paycheck.

Remember Geico's Caveman mascot? ABC tried to make a sit-com with that, but it flopped after only a couple of episodes.

Not once, but twice.  I believe it was the first incarnation that featured Nick Kroll as one of the cavemen.

[abefroman329]

Toward the end of the series, an episode of The Rockford Files titled "Just a Coupla Guys"  had Jim Rockford travel to New Jersey on a case where he crossed paths with a pair of half-charming but half-witted would-be gangsters–and supposedly this episode was pitched to NBC as a pilot for a spin-off series (which the network declined). But interestingly, the episode was written by David Chase, who created The Sopranos twenty years later.

I have read about that elsewhere on tvtropes.  I believe there was also a gangster character on that ep who was in therapy and/or had a toxic relationship with his mother.

[abefroman329]

There are many TV show fan websites out there that aim to pick out all of these inconsistencies in the writing.  I know that "The Simpsons" has sites like that.

Just look at all the contortions that Roseanne had to do.  Did Dan Connor die at the end of the original run?  Yes.  But we are basically asked to forget about the last two seasons and just advance 20 years on all the characters.  So Dan is still alive for this year's season.

Most fans don't care about these story problems, as long as they are entertained.

Once upon a time, all sitcoms were episodic; the entire season was filmed and the strongest episodes were aired during sweeps week. It is jarring to watch as a modern viewer accustomed to season/series-long arcs.

[US71]

Yes people make a big deal over minor details especially on TVLand.

I think every show is like that.

[vdeane]

There are many TV show fan websites out there that aim to pick out all of these inconsistencies in the writing.  I know that "The Simpsons" has sites like that.

Just look at all the contortions that Roseanne had to do.  Did Dan Connor die at the end of the original run?  Yes.  But we are basically asked to forget about the last two seasons and just advance 20 years on all the characters.  So Dan is still alive for this year's season.

Most fans don't care about these story problems, as long as they are entertained.

That's similar to what's going on with Cardcaptor Sakura.  The original anime/manga was from the 90s, with the series basically picking up where it left off 20 years ago in the present day.  It even looked as first as if the new anime was retconning the second movie out of existence, though some details from it have been confirmed canon, leading fans to wonder how that works since part of it is explicitly contradicted by a MAJOR story element of the new arc.  There are also some details in both the manga and anime (but more so the anime) that hint that the discontinuities might actually be explained.

Meanwhile Star Trek: Discovery is, between the new look of the Klingons and the "holophone", is currently asking us to believe that two episodes of Enterprise and many scenes scattered through Deep Space Nine (most notably in Trials and Tibble-ations and anything referring to the holophone as brand new) never happened.  At least most of the other visual discontinuities don't have any dialog explicitly canonizing something different.

[KEVIN_224]

Back around '83 or so, Three's Company, having ended, spun off John Ritter's chef character into Three's A Crowd, featuring his character as the owner of a West L.A. neighborhood bistro, complete with a regular girlfriend character and a series of weird customers (including a minor mobster played by Terry Kiser, later famous as the dead Bernie in the film Weekend at Bernie's).  Generally silly or nonsensical plots; ran out its first season and was unceremoniously cancelled. 

Three's A Crowd was for the 1984-85 season on ABC.

[jp the roadgeek]

Just remembered Cheers spawned another short-lived spin-off The Tortellis which focused on Carla's ex Nick, and his new wife (played by Casey Kasem's wife).  Both appeared on Cheers on a somewhat regular basis for a few seasons surrounding the spinoff.  The show was a flop, lasting only 13 seasons, and the storylines of the series were eventually woven into Cheers canon. 

[US71]

Just remembered Cheers spawned another short-lived spin-off The Tortellis which focused on Carla's ex Nick, and his new wife (played by Casey Kasem's wife).  Both appeared on Cheers on a somewhat regular basis for a few seasons surrounding the spinoff.  The show was a flop, lasting only 13 seasons, and the storylines of the series were eventually woven into Cheers canon. 

I wouldn't call 13 seasons to be a flop

[US71]

I just remembered: there was a proposed Batgirl spin off from Batman which which never went beyond a test episode.

[abefroman329]

Back around '83 or so, Three's Company, having ended, spun off John Ritter's chef character into Three's A Crowd, featuring his character as the owner of a West L.A. neighborhood bistro, complete with a regular girlfriend character and a series of weird customers (including a minor mobster played by Terry Kiser, later famous as the dead Bernie in the film Weekend at Bernie's).  Generally silly or nonsensical plots; ran out its first season and was unceremoniously cancelled.

Probably because the Jack Tripper character on the original UK show, Man About the House, was given a spinoff called Robin's Nest.  I don't know if that was more or less successful than Three's A Crowd.

The UK equivalent of the Ropers (can't remember their last name [ETA: It was called George and Mildred]) also got a spinoff, as the Ropers did.  Again, I don't know whether the UK or US version was more successful.

[PHLBOS]

Just remembered Cheers spawned another short-lived spin-off The Tortellis which focused on Carla's ex Nick, and his new wife (played by Casey Kasem's wife).  Both appeared on Cheers on a somewhat regular basis for a few seasons surrounding the spinoff.  The show was a flop, lasting only 13 seasons, and the storylines of the series were eventually woven into Cheers canon. 

I wouldn't call 13 seasons to be a flop

I believe he meant to say 13 episodes.  I remember when that spin-off was launched (during Cheers' 5th Season).  I'm surprised that the number of episodes made/aired was that high.

[roadman]

Not sure if strictly spin off relted or 'occurred in same universe' kinda thing, but Petticoat Junction, Beverley Hillbilly's and Green Acres share DNA.

Sorry if already noted above, I looked but might have missed a post somewhere.

There was some crossover. If memory serves, Petticoat Junction was sort of the "base" and branched into Green Acres or Beverly Hillbillies.  but no 3-way crossover nor GA/BH crossover.

Not quite.  Beverly Hillbillies predated Petticoat Junction, which predated Green Acres.  Bea Bernadette originally played Jed's cousin Pearl in the early BH episodes, and went on to play Kate Bradley in PJ until she passed away.  The Beverly Hillbillies/Petticoat Junction crossover came much later in the BH series when the whole "Silver Dollar City" theme in a few episodes failed to pan out.  But you are correct, BH and GA never crossed over.

[roadman65]

I also think that Quinn Martin used a final season episode of Barnaby Jones to attempt to launch a show that failed.  It was about a father and son bumbling private eye firm that was actually solving the crime more than Barnaby, Betty, or JR Jones were. 

Then in a couple of episodes of In The Heat of The Night, there was the actor who played Mike Hammer who had a recurring role where him and a lady solved the crimes of the episodes rather than Gillespe or Tibbs.  In fact the Chief and Detective were supporting the guest stars in those episodes.  I guess NBC did not take to it, but Fred Silverman kept featuring the characters in hope that NBC would have picked up eventually but did not.