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With news of a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff starring Kate (Dr. Addison Montgomery) Walsh, we’re obligated to march out the best and worst of the second-generation series genre
• Everybody knows Cheers begat Frasier. Did you know Cheers also begat The Tortellis, a Dan Hedaya vehicle that co-starred Casey Kasem’s wife? It ran for four months in 1987.
• Certain shows had a knack for producing memorable offspring. Happy Days gave birth to Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy and – less memorably – Joanie Loves Chachi. All in the Family gave us The Jeffersons and Maude – which itself gave us Good Times.
• Three’s Company, on the other hand, was less successful. The Ropers and Three’s a Crowd were not good.
• Matlock begat Jake and the Fatman begat Diagnosis: Murder.
• The Golden Girls led to Empty Nest, which led to Nurses. The Golden Girls also led to The Golden Palace, a spin-off involving Blanche, Rose, Sophia, Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin. I swear I’m not making this up.
There are plenty more examples.
But rather than going on and on about Daria and Family Double Dare, let me pose a question. Are there any characters you wish had been spun off into their own series? Niles Crane? President Santos? Robin Colcord? D.J. Conner? Andy Keaton?
personally, i think julio fuentes from sanford and son should have been given a shot…or even harry bentley from the jeffersons…
posted by frank on 2-22-2007 at 8:13 am
I ALWAYS wanted to see a “Bewitched” spinoff with Uncle Arthur and Endora!
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 2-22-2007 at 8:14 am
I think All in the Family gets more spinoff credit than you give it. It also spun off “Archie’s Place” (where Edith has died and Archie owns the bar he used to hang out at), and “Gloria” where the daughter Sally Struthers goes to work as (or for? I forget) a veterinarian with Burgess Meredith. Technically “704 Hauser” was a spinoff about a minority family who purchased Archie Bunker’s house, but otherwise it was completely unrelated to the storyline or characters. And then the Jeffersons was spun off into “Checking In”, where maid Florence got to run a hotel.
TV Geeks don’t typically count Mork and Mindy as a true spinoff from Happy Days, since the whole Mork character was really more of a special guest star role and not a major character. It’s as if Cheers spun Frasier off into his own series after 2 visits with Diane, before he became a character of his own.
Even “The Tortellis” had appearances by a number of Cheers alum, including Carla, George and Norm. I don’t think any Happy Days people ever showed up in Colorado with Mork and Mindy.
posted by Duane on 2-22-2007 at 8:29 am
Good stuff, Duane. Do you know what the thinking was behind “704 Hauser”? Was Archie involved at the beginning? Or was this just a case where the set had been taking up space for 15 years, and the network said, “Why not?”
posted by Jason on 2-22-2007 at 9:12 am
The Wikipedia entry (which does not cite sources) says that Norman Lear started up the project at a time when conservative radio was on the upswing (think Rush Limbaugh) and “the time was right” to explore some of the issues being discussed. It only lasted 6 episodes.
posted by Duane on 2-22-2007 at 9:57 am
I would have enjoyed a Northern Exposure spin. That show was so well written and character driven.
posted by Mim on 2-22-2007 at 10:01 am
I wish any other character from Soap made their own show other than Benson.
I wish After M*A*S*H was never given the green light.
I hope someone from The Office does something as good.
Joey? We won’t go there.
posted by Action Jackson on 2-22-2007 at 11:01 am
Family Matters was originally a spinoff of Perfect Strangers. The mother was a security guard at the newspaper where Cousin Larry was a columnist.
Sadly, Steve Urkel was never inspired sufficiently to do a proper Myposian Dance of Joy.
posted by Aaron on 2-23-2007 at 6:42 am
YOU BETTER BE SITTING DOWN…. I’M GOING TO NAME A SPIN OFF… BEFORE I SAY IT PLEASE KNOW THIS IS USED AS PUNISHMENT IN 3RD WORLD COUNTRIES…
“JONIE LOVES CHACHIE/CHACHY/HOWEVER YOU SPELL IT. I’LL BET NAT KNOWS.
posted by JOHN BROWN on 2-23-2007 at 11:35 am
Jake and the Fatman was on long before Matlock, the two shows were not related.
posted by MarkL on 2-23-2007 at 12:30 pm
Not so, MarkL. Matlock aired from 1986-1995. Jake and the Fatman ran from 1987-1992.
From IMDb:
• The year before “Jake and the Fatman” premiered, William Conrad (J.L. McCabe) appeared in a two part episode of “Matlock” (1986), titled “The Don”, in which he played prosecutor James L. McShane. Joe Penny (Jake Styles) appeared in the same two-parter as Paul Baron, the son of Matlock’s client. (Both shows came from Dean Hargrove Company.)
posted by Jason on 2-23-2007 at 1:12 pm