There have been some very profitable spin-offs over time; this checklist will not be a compilation of these. No, sadly, that is the opposite finish of the spectrum. An inventory of spin-offs that didn’t seize the general public like their mum or dad reveals. Exhibits like Joanie Loves Chachi, AfterMASH, and others litter this checklist with cast-offs that often by no means even made it previous one season. Nonetheless, it is enjoyable to reminisce about what might have been. Our checklist of TV spin-offs that bombed.
Joanie Loves Chachie
Joanie Loves Chachi is among the most infamous spin-offs of all time. Possibly it is as a result of the title was a bit of foolish, or as a result of it did not even come near having the identical attraction as its authentic present, Completely happy Days, or perhaps as a result of Completely happy Days had a few profitable spin-offs: Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. We could by no means know. We’ll additionally must hold guessing as to how a lot Joanie actually did love Chachi, because it was canceled after simply 17 episodes.
That ’80s Present
Although it is not technically a direct spin-off, I am counting That ’80s Present right here. It is actually extra a religious successor to That ’70s Present, although utilizing any phrase with “success” in it is not actually one thing that ought to be accomplished right here. The present lasted simply 13 episodes in 2002. There was a extra profitable spin-off/legacyquel to That ’70s Present, known as That ’90s Present, which informed the story of the unique present’s characters as they grew to become mother and father, which you’ll watch with a Netflix subscription.
Joey
It is form of loopy {that a} present as wildly fashionable as Associates solely tried one spin-off. In fact, after Joey bombed, it began to make extra sense. Clearly, the present is about Joey (Matt LeBlanc), who strikes out west from New York to grow to be an actor. The present was a bit of extra profitable than among the others on this checklist, lasting 46 episodes over a few seasons. It suffered from low rankings all through most of its run.
Three’s a Crowd
It is two’s firm, then Three’s A Crowd was one too many reveals for Jack Tripper. Tripper, performed by John Ritter, first got here to life in Three’s Firm, and when that present resulted in 1985. It is a sequel as a lot as it’s a spin-off, however both approach, it lasted only one season earlier than getting the boot from ABC.
Fish
One factor you could say about Fish is that its theme music nonetheless slaps. Aside from that, although, this spin-off of Barney Miller with the late Abe Vigoda reprising his function as Det. Fish from that present did not dwell as much as its mum or dad present. It did handle to get a second season, however was nonetheless axed after simply 35 episodes.
Legislation & Order: Trial by Jury
Through the years, there have been a ton of various variations of Legislation & Order which were spun off from the unique present. Legislation & Order: SVU is among the most profitable spinoffs of all time. Legislation & Order: Trial by Jury will not be. The present starred Bebe Neuwirth and Jerry Orbach (reprising his iconic Lenny Briscoe character from the unique present), but it surely lasted simply 13 episodes earlier than being declared useless by NBC.
Fits LA
One factor Fits LA does have going for it’s that it was barely extra profitable than one other Fits spin-off, Pearson. Nonetheless, with out Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, holding down a task as she did within the authentic, the present simply could not survive previous one season.
Time Of Your Life
Jennifer Love Hewitt reprised her function from Celebration of 5 in Time of Your Life, a spin-off of the profitable Fox present. The present even co-starred Jennifer Garner and future NCIS forged member Pauley Perrette. Nonetheless, all that expertise wasn’t sufficient to get multiple season of the present on the air within the 1999-2000 TV season.
Fashions Inc.
Fashions Inc. is an attention-grabbing one, as a result of it is a short-lived spin-off that was spun off of a really profitable spin-off, Melrose Place. The latter was born from Beverly Hills, 90201 and proved wildly profitable for Fox. Fashions Inc., which starred Carrie-Anne Moss and Linda Grey, lasted only one season earlier than it was canceled in 1995.
Saved by the Bell: The Faculty Years
Typically, you simply must let a very good factor go. After the massively profitable and iconic Saved By The Bell ended, the producers tried to reboot the story in a spin-off, creatively named Saved by the Bell: The Faculty Years. They could not recreate the magic, although, and the present was canceled after one season of 19 episodes.
The Tortellis
Nick Tortelli, the ex-husband of Carla in Cheers, was one of the fashionable aspect characters on the hit sitcom for NBC. That naturally led to a spin-off, which follows Nick and his new spouse to Las Vegas. We did not get to see a lot of them, although, because the present was canceled after simply 13 episodes. Far fewer than Fraiser, which was, in fact, a really profitable spin-off of Cheers.
The Golden Palace
AS a spin-off/sequel to The Golden Women, The Golden Palace had all of the substances of one other hit present. Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty all returned to reprise their roles; solely Bea Arthur declined to be a part of the present. The forged additionally added Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin, but it surely nonetheless wasn’t sufficient to final multiple season.
AfterMASH
The hit CBS sitcom concerning the Korean Conflict, MASH, is a superb instance of a present that ended extraordinarily effectively. The spin-off AfterMASH did not fare the identical destiny. The present, which starred authentic MASH characters Col. Potter (Harry Morgan), Klinger (Jamie Farr), and Father Mulcahy (William Christopher), was set in a fictional small city in Missouri and did not have any of the attraction or gravitas of the unique. It did handle to hold on for 2 seasons and 31 episodes earlier than it was canceled.
Dwelling Dolls
Even with a forged that included Halle Berry (in her first function) and Leah Remini, Dwelling Dolls solely lasted 13 episodes on NBC. The present was a spin-off of Who’s The Boss with Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano showing within the “backdoor pilot,” but it surely by no means actually discovered its footing, and amid forged adjustments and different manufacturing complications, it was seemingly doomed from the beginning.
Baywatch Nights
What when you took a present well-known for lovely individuals working on a sunny seaside and set it at night time? The end result was taking Baywatch and creating Baywatch Nights. Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff) trades his pink swim rescue buoy for a gun and leaves the seaside to grow to be a personal investigator. Yeah, it wasn’t good, although it did make it two seasons.
CSI: Cyber
The unique CSI’s first couple of spin-offs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, have been each profitable and had lengthy runs on CBS. The present’s third try at a franchise spin-off, CSI: Cyber, wasn’t. Even Ted Danson becoming a member of the forged from the unique present in its second season wasn’t sufficient to put it aside from cancellation after two seasons.
Tabitha
Whereas Bewitched proved that folks cherished a very good sitcom a few pleasant witch, that did not translate to the spin-off Tabitha. The present starred Lisa Hartman and the titular character. Tabitha was the daughter of Samantha and Darren from Bewitched, who moved out of the home and located her first job in Los Angeles. The present was practically the hit of its mum or dad present and lasted simply 11 episodes.
Sanford Arms
This one appears to be a case of a present that had some cash to spend, however needed to fully change instructions on a dime, and in consequence, failed to seek out an viewers. Sanford Arms was a spin-off of Sanford & Son after Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson left the unique present and its deliberate spin-off following Wilson’s character. As a substitute, audiences acquired Sanford Arms, a few boarding home subsequent to the junkyard. Unsurprisingly, it was canceled shortly after eight episodes
Mama’s Household
This one is a bit of difficult. In 1982, Vicki Lawrence introduced her fashionable character Thelma Harper, or “Mama,” that she created on the Carol Burnett Present, to her personal present, Mama’s Household. The present initially aired on NBC and was canceled after airing for components of two seasons, becoming it properly on this checklist. Nevertheless, this present had a reprieve and ended up getting introduced again in syndication within the mid-80s, and ended up working 4 extra seasons.
The Winchesters
Supernatural had a brilliant devoted fanbase for 15 years when it ran on The WB. The producers of the present tried a number of spin-offs, together with The Winchesters, starring Meg Donnelly. It lasted only one season, although it was probably the most profitable of spinoffs.
Prime Of The Heap
Prime Of The Heap from 1991 was one of some makes an attempt for a Married…With Youngsters spin-off, the Matt LeBlanc-led present that premiered as an episode of Married. It did not work, regardless of a gifted forged that included LeBlanc, Joseph Bologna, future Dazed and Confused forged member Joey Lauren Adams, the legendary Rita Moreno, and the late Leslie Jordan. The present was canceled after simply 6 episodes, not together with the pilot.
Gloria
The legendary All In The Household had a bunch of spin-offs, some, like The Jeffersons, have been wildly profitable. Others, like Gloria, have been much less so, to say the least. The present follows the Bunker’s daughter as she navigates a brand new world as a divorced, single mother. It was canceled after one season. It ought to be famous that Gloria ought to in all probability be counted as a spin-off the Archie’s Place, the present that continued All In The Household, because it premiered as an episode of the legacy present.
The Brady Brides
Although The Brady Brides was initially conceived as a TV film about Jan and Marsha Brady getting married on the similar time, the producers tried to show it right into a spin-off of one of the enduring reveals of all time, The Brady Bunch. The spin-off did not fairly have the legacy of the unique present, ending after 10 episodes in 1981. It’s notable for being the one time within the varied reunions, reboots, and TV films that each one 9 of the unique forged members labored collectively after the unique present ended.
Beverly Hills Buntz
Possibly you’ll be able to guess by the title alone that Beverly Hills Buntz was doomed to fail. The present, a spin-off of Hill Avenue Blues, adopted Det. Norman Buntz (Dennis Franz) out to Beverly Hills, the place he grew to become a personal detective to the wealthy and well-known. It was…a comedy, but it surely wasn’t humorous, and the tone was a radical departure from its mum or dad present. It is no shock that it solely made it one season.
Katy Keene
Lucy Hale took on the titular function in Katy Keene, which was a spin-off of CW’s Riverdale concerning the comedian ebook character of the identical title. Different Archie Comics characters, like Josie McCoy and her BFF Pepper Smith, have been additionally characters on Katy Keene. CW could not seize the magic of Riverdale, nonetheless, and the present was canceled after only one, 13-episode season. You possibly can watch it with an HBO Max subscription, although.
Buddies
Do you know that Dave Chappelle starred in a spin-off of Residence Enchancment? After he performed a small half in an episode of the long-running Tim Allen present, Chapelle landed his personal present, known as Buddies. Sadly, it did not final lengthy, because it was cancelled after airing simply 4 episodes. Fortunately for all of us, Chappelle did not fade into obscurity like this present.
Younger Individuals
Whereas Dawson’s Creek remains to be beloved in the present day, it is short-lived spin-off, Younger Individuals, is usually forgotten. It lasted simply eight episodes and actually is not notable for any motive.
Sons Of Thunder
Within the Nineties, Walker, Texas Ranger grew to become an extremely fashionable present, starring the legendary Chuck Norris. On the shut of the last decade, Norris and his brother Aaron created a derivative known as Sons of Thunder. The explanation you in all probability have not heard of it’s that it lasted all of six episodes.
Mrs. Columbo
Let’s be actual – the explanation Columbo was so fashionable is as a result of Peter Falk was wonderful because the titular detective. That is not a shot at Kate Mulgrew, who starred as Falk’s character’s spouse, and journalist/crime investigator, Kate, in Mrs. Columbo; she’s fairly nice within the 13 episodes of this spin-off, but it surely’s inconceivable for anybody to dwell as much as Falk in the same function.
Enos
Oh boy. The place to start out right here? Yeah, there was a spin-off to The Dukes of Hazzard starring Sonny Shroyer as Enos, in…Enos. The truth that it made it to 18 episodes is form of wonderful.
A Man Referred to as Hawk
Anybody who’s a fan of Spenser: For Rent (of the books that the present was primarily based on) is aware of simply how cool the character Hawk is. Hawk, performed by Avery Brooks in Spenser and its spin-off, A Man Referred to as Hawk, is simply the very best. Tragically, as cool as his personal present might have been, it did not get any traction and was canceled after simply half a season and 13 episodes.
Booker
Richard Grieco changed Johnny Depp within the early Fox hit 21 Bounce Avenue, and he managed to spin his character, Booker, right into a present of the identical title, but it surely lasted only one season in 1989 and 1990. Like all of the reveals on this checklist, it lacked the attraction of the present it was spun off from and failed to seek out the identical form of viewers.