10 Best TV Spin-Offs of All Time, Ranked (2024)

There’s an inherent danger with any spin-offs of popular television shows, as it can often be challenging to replicate a series that was popular for very specific reasons. Television shows are generally successful if they combine multiple cast members and storylines, but isolating just one of them can be more limited in storytelling. Television fans need to look no further than the Friends offshoot Joey or the Bones tie-in series The Finder to see how wrong spin-offs can go.

However, television spin-offs can succeed if they do enough to differentiate themselves from their predecessors in terms of narrative, tone, and dramatic intent. Theoretically, a great spin-off series should be able to please both longtime fans of the original work and those experiencing the story and characters for the first time. Here are the ten best television spin-offs of all time, ranked.

10 ‘Laverne & Shirley’ (1976-1983)

Spin-off of ‘Happy Days’ (1974-1984)

Laverne & Shirley was a natural expansion of the Happy Days universe that managed to more than surpass any expectations of what Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams could do in their own series. While Happy Days was ostensibly a coming-of-age story aimed at adolescent viewers who could relate to the young characters, Laverne & Shirley was an earnest celebration of female friendship. Considering that female representation both behind and in front of the screen was severely lacking when the series first debuted, Laverne & Shirley was ahead of its time.

Laverne & Shirley proved to be just as funny as Happy Days, yet never felt like it was negating the authentic, heartfelt nature that had helped to make the original series so popular. Considering that the two shows aired around the same time, television comedy buffs had a real treat when new episodes of both sagas aired.

Laverne & Shirley

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Release Date

January 27, 1976

Cast

Penny Marshall , Cindy Williams , Eddie Mekka , Betty Garrett , David L. Lander , Michael McKean , Leslie Easterbrook , Ed Marinaro

Seasons

8

Main Genre

Comedy

9 ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ (1999-)

Spin-off of ‘Law & Order’ (1990-)

is the rare television spin-off series that managed to surpass its predecessor in terms of cultural influence. The original was a groundbreaking drama series that lionized the procedural format long before the notion of “prestige television” became popularized in the early 21st century. However, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was arguably the grittier, more emotionally rich, and consistently shocking series that has managed to retain its consistency of quality for several decades.

The success of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit can be largely attributed to the charisma of Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, both of whom have done a great job at consistently developing their characters over the course of many seasons. Dips in quality were to be expected within any show that has run for this long, but Law & Order: Special Victims Unit never featured performances that were less than excellent.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Action

Crime

Drama

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Release Date

September 20, 1999

Cast

Mariska Hargitay , Ice-T , Kelli Giddish , Peter Scanavino

Seasons

21

8 ‘The Jeffersons’ (1975-1985)

Spin-off of ‘All in the Family’ (1971-1979)

The Jeffersons served as one of the most successful spin-offs of All in the Family, but quickly proved to be far more daring and controversial than its predecessor. While All in the Family was a fairly standard depiction of “family values,” as was common within sitcoms in the 1970s, The Jeffersons examined the reality of race relations in the United States. Although it never sacrificed its enduring sense of humor and strong ethical value, The Jeffersons was willing to bridge difficult conversations about such controversial topics as mental health struggles, alcoholism and addiction, police brutality, and representation for the LGBTQIA community.

Few comedy shows have aged as well as The Jeffersons, as like many of the shows produced by Norman Lear, it provided a perfect time capsule of a specific point in American history. Generations of underrepresented groups felt “seen” on television for the first time as a result of The Jeffersons.

The Jeffersons (1975)

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Release Date

January 18, 1975

Cast

Isabel Sanford , Sherman Hemsley , Franklin Cover , Paul Benedict , Marla Gibbs

Seasons

11

Main Genre

Comedy

7 ‘Maude’ (1972-1978)

Spin-off of ‘All in the Family’ (1971-1979)

Maude was a star-making series for Bea Arthur, who had a few guest appearances on All in the Family before she was deemed popular enough to get her own spin-off series. Like The Jeffersons, Maude was ahead of its time when it came to discussing controversial topics and pushing progressive themes; the series openly argued for women’s liberation and the advocacy of civil rights. Any series with such prominent political intentions may have risked irritating the audience, but Maude was so remarkably funny that it never felt like it was homework.

Maude was a quintessential series within the development of New York City as a prominent location in sitcoms, and featured standout appearances by many of the Big Apple’s most prominent landmarks. Subsequent comedy shows set in New York, such as Friends, Seinfeld, and 30 Rock, were all derived from the influence that Maude had.

Maude (1972)

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Release Date

September 12, 1972

Cast

Bea Arthur , Bill Macy , Rue McClanahan , Conrad Bain

Seasons

6

Main Genre

Comedy

6 ‘Frasier’ (1993-2004)

Spin-off of ‘Cheers’ (1982-1993)

Frasier had the unenviable task of trying to live up to the legacy of Cheers, but managed to become an all-time great comedy series in its own right. Kesley Grammer’s Dr. Frasier Crane was sent back to his home in Seattle and paired off with his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce), who also worked as a psychiatrist. Longevity is a hard task when it comes to sitcoms, but Frasier managed to retain a consistent level of quality for nine seasons.

The legacy of Frasier continues to grow strong, as a recent continuation of the series featuring Grammer reprising the titular role is set to return for a second season. The Frasier reboot is among the rare comedy legacy programs that have acknowledged that the main characters have aged since the original, and subsequently adapted to modern views and the development of technology.

Frasier

TV-PG

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Release Date

September 16, 1993

Creator

David Angell, Peter Casey, Glen Charles, David Lee

Cast

Kelsey Grammer , David Hyde Pierce , Jane Leeves , Peri Gilpin , John Mahoney

Seasons

11

Main Genre

Comedy

5 ‘The Colbert Report’ (2005-2014)

Spin-off of ‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart’ (1999-)

The Colbert Report was a genre-bending revitalization of the talk show format that allowed Stephen Colbert to have more freedom than he had ever been allowed on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Colbert played a fictionalized version of himself that appeared to be a hardcore right-wing pundit intended to satirize media figures like Bill O’Reilly and Tucker Carlson.

The Colbert Report was able to utilize satire to get viewers engaged with the political process, and often found a way to explain complex dynamics in a manner that was comprehensible for less savvy viewers. In addition to politics, Colbert was able to add commentary on popular culture, celebrities, and odd news stories. Unfortunately, Colbert’s more recent entry into traditional late night with The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has proved to be disappointing, as it lacked the edge and creativity of The Colbert Report.

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4 ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ (1987-1994)

Spin-off of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’ (1966-1969)

Star Trek: The Next Generation expanded the Star Trek mythology in a compelling way that guaranteed the saga’s success as one of the most prominent science fiction franchises of all time. The original Star Trek series, while groundbreaking in many ways, was canceled before it had the opportunity to realize its potential. However, Star Trek: The Next Generation was given the chance to develop a unique story over the course of seven seasons, adding a more thoughtful and introspective depiction of both Starfleet and the Federation.

Star Trek: The Next Generation added some of the greatest science fiction characters ever, with Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard cited as the most beloved captain in the saga’s history. Stewart and the other remaining cast members reprised their roles in four spin-off films, as well as the Paramount Plus sequel series Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Drama

Where to Watch

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Release Date

September 26, 1987

Cast

Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , Marina Sirtis , LeVar Burton , Gates McFadden , michael dorn

Seasons

7

3 ‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-2022)

Spin-off of ‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013)

Better Call Saul proved to be the rare prequel series that deepened its predecessor, as Vince Gilligan’s spin-off series explored the tragic circ*mstances that led Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) to become the malicious, dishonest lawyer that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) meet in the middle of the second season of Breaking Bad.

Better Call Saul proved to be a Shakespearean tragedy equal to Breaking Bad, utilizing a clever non-linear format to serve as both a flashback and a continuation. Odenkirk delivered a transformative performance as an imminently hateable character that viewers couldn’t help but root for at times; although Better Call Saul featured some of the most shocking moments in the history of dramatic television, it also retained the pitch-black sense of humor that had made Breaking Bad such a phenomenon in the first place.

Better Call Saul

TV-MA

Drama

Crime

Where to Watch

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Release Date

February 8, 2015

Cast

Bob Odenkirk , Jonathan Banks , Rhea Seehorn , Patrick Fabian , Michael Mando , Tony Dalton , Giancarlo Esposito

Seasons

6

2 ‘Angel’ (1999-2004)

Spin-off of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997-2003)

Angel was a notable shift in tone compared to Buffy the Vampire Slayer which perfectly suited the darker demeanor of the titular character. The spin-off series follows the titular vampire Angel (David Boreanaz) in the aftermath of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which he traveled to Los Angeles to start his own independent detective agency to fight demons.

Angel was a stark dark fantasy that was deeply indebted to its noir influences, yet the redemptive character arc added the same earnest sense of heart that had made young viewers fall in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the first place. Although it would occasionally break format with some strange episodes that were more overtly comedic in nature, the serialized nature of Angel’s narrative progression allowed it to reach more profound truths about the conflict between good and evil.

Angel

TV-14

Supernatural

Drama

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Release Date

1999-10-5

Cast

David Boreanaz , Charisma Carpenter , Glenn Quinn , Alexis Denisof , J. August Richards , Vincent Kartheiser , James Marsters

Seasons

5

1 ‘The Simpsons’ (1989-)

Spin-off of ‘The Tracey Ullman Show’ (1987-1990)

The Simpsons is a groundbreaking achievement in comedy, animation, and the television medium, so it's almost easy to forget that the series originated as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. However, The Simpsons quickly grew into a cultural phenomenon in its own right; by the mid-1990s, the series dominated popular culture with characters, locations, running gags, and catchphrases that were widely recognizable.

Amazingly, The Simpsons is still going strong after three decades on the air. Although some hardcore fans may argue that the show’s first ten seasons were its “Golden Age,” modern episodes of The Simpsons are still more creative, heartfelt, and gut-busting funny than a majority of what else is on the air. With tons of merchandise, tie-in material, and even a cinematic entry, The Simpsons is one of the greatest achievements in the history of culture, even if The Tracey Ullman Show has faded into obscurity.

The Simpsons

TV-14

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Release Date

December 17, 1989

Cast

Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith , Hank Azaria , Harry Shearer

Seasons

36

Main Genre

Comedy

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