An abundance of streaming services and distribution channels has led to more television content than ever before, a lot of which has emerged as peak television. Additionally, a renewed focus on expanded franchises has led to more spin-off and prequel series.
A lot of the time, a spin-off can feel like a forced endeavor and a lazy way to extend a series’ lifespan, but they can also turn into some of the best shows on television under the right circumstances. As a result, many spin-offs have become beloved in their own right, even if no one asked for them.
10 Better Call Saul Presents An Enlightening Story With Masterful Patience And Plotting
There’s always a reasonable risk of diminishing returns whenever a critically acclaimed series decides to pursue a spin-off series. Breaking Bad is still considered to be one of television’s greatest accomplishments, yet against all odds, its humble prequel series is somehow even better.
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s focus on Walter White’s slimy criminal lawyer, Saul Goodman, has evolved into one of the medium’s sharpest character studies. Jimmy McGill’s gradual loss of his soul is a heartbreaking experience and a masterclass in acting from everyone involved. Better Call Saul tells a moving story that forever recontextualizes Breaking Bad, but can still be viewed as a standalone achievement.
9 Daria Is The Sarcastic Successor To Beavis And Butt-Head’s Foolishness
Mike Judge's puerile Beavis and Butt-Head has become an evergreen critique of pop culture that's found itself back on television through several revivals. The satirically foolish nature of the series' titular characters leads to some serious tonal whiplash when it comes to the series' spin-off, Daria.
The self-titled spin-off follows Daria Morgendorffer, a smart and sarcastic teenager who could not be more different from Beavis and Butt-Head. In the preceding series, Daria is the butt of jokes and not that interesting. However, Daria became a strong counterculture voice that was fundamental to the MTV generation of the late '90s.
8 Mork & Mindy Makes A Star Out Of Its Alien Entertainer
ABC's Happy Days was a huge incubator for new stylized sitcoms. It seemed like a guest character just had to make a strong impression on one episode of Happy Days and they'd be given their own spin-off series to properly strut their stuff. Several of these spin-offs feel like natural extensions of Happy Days' optimistic nostalgia.
However, Mork & Mindy is a comedy about an alien's mission to acclimate to Earth culture. Robin Williams' boundless energy in Happy Days as Mork from Ork was undeniable. Robins proved that he could anchor a series of his own, even if the premise is ludicrous.
7 Angel Broods Its Way Into Serialized Genre Greatness
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a transformative piece of ‘90s genre television. Buffy would make the controversial decision to remove its signature character’s love interest at the end of the show’s third season and spin him off into his own leading vehicle.
Angel came to be as a result of David Boreanaz’s charismatic screen presence, but audiences were skeptical that the character could work without Buffy. The characters from Buffy and Angel would continually interact and crossover into each other’s respective series. By their ends, many would consider Angel to be the more mature series with the stronger finish.
6 Pinky And The Brain Is Proof That Their Miniature Evil Genius Has Legs
Animaniacs was a breath of fresh air for young audiences during the 1990s and its variety show structure resulted in several character vignettes that could easily be turned into their own series. One of the most popular of Animaniacs' creations, Pinky and the Brain, proved that they could extend their world domination shenanigans into longer storylines.
However, Pinky and the Brain would continually suffer from network interference, resulting in the program transforming into Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain. This was a forced attempt to rejuvenate the formula that ended up eliminating any lingering goodwill for the property.
5 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Is This Generation’s Procedural Comfort Food
Law & Order is a true institution of television that's produced thousands of episodes across multiple series. Oddly enough, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has emerged as the "primary" Law & Order even though it started as a sensationalized spin-off.
SVU investigates crimes of a sexual nature, which the series has been able to indulge in for more than 500 episodes. There were early reservations that so much Law & Order had to co-exist, but now, SVU is the soothing background noise of syndication for millions of viewers.
4 DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow Finds Gold In Its Predecessors’ Supporting Characters
It’ll be the end of an era once the CW’s Flash ends with its ninth season, as its expansive Arrowverse will officially come to an end. This connected universe made up the bulk of the CW’s programming at one point and frivolous spin-offs were par for the course.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow follows a cast of misfit supporting characters from Arrow, The Flash, and other Arrowverse titles. Season one of Legends of Tomorrow is a self-serious slog, but it soon embraces a playful energy, finds its footing, and evolves into one of the most natural Arrowverse series.
3 The Good Fight Keys Into Even More Heightened Legal Absurdism
Robert and Michelle King's The Good Wife was one of the most consistent legal procedural series on network television, and it gradually started to exhibit its creators' growing exasperation over the state of the world. The Good Fight follows Christine Baranski's Diane Lockhart as she attempts to rebuild her name and reputation.
Initially, it seems as if The Good Fight will just be more of The Good Wife, albeit with different characters. However, The Good Fight has grown into one of the most unique television shows that uses the medium as a fascinating communication tool.
2 The Colbert Report Extends An Egotistical Joke Into Groundbreaking Journalism
Jon Stewart's tenure as the host of Comedy Central's Daily Show remains unparalleled as far as political talk shows are concerned. Stephen Colbert is now the host of Late Night, but many audiences first got to know him as the exaggerated conservative talking head of The Daily Show.
The series playfully teased Colbert receiving his own extreme version of The Daily Show, but this gag eventually became a reality that ran for close to a decade. The Colbert Report was born out of absurdity, but it accomplishes just as much as The Daily Show.
1 Frasier Keeps Audiences Entertained For More Than A Decade
Cheers produced 275 episodes over the course of 11 seasons, which is a significant run that allowed the sitcom to continually evolve and say everything it needed to. One would think that after 11 seasons, there's no need to continue to follow any of these characters. Not only did the announcement of Frasier catch many by surprise, but it'd also go on to last for 11 seasons.
Frasier wasn't many people's favorite Cheers character, but these low expectations worked out to the spin-off's advantage. The decision to pair Frasier with what's essentially another version of himself in the form of his brother, Niles, is a stroke of genius.