http://whatculture.com/tv/10-classic-tv-series-you-didnt-know-were-spinoffs.php

The final episode of Cheers was a big deal. Cheers was one of those terrific sitcoms that managed to beat the odds. Like M*A*S*H, it not only survived major cast changes, which can kill a show, but was strengthened by them. Cheers remained fresh throughout its run and ended on a high note.

When Cheers closed its doors the big announcement was that there would be a spinoff: Frasier. My first thought was that it would be a disaster. Cheers thrived on an ensemble cast that clicked so well that the power of the characters and their relationships with one another made the show. The bar and situations were secondary.

I couldn’t imagine a series called “Sam” or “Diane” or “Woody” working at all, much less a “Frasier.”

But it did. And it succeeded in the same way Cheers did. Frasier was less a Kelsey Grammar vehicle and more of a true ensemble piece. Casting was key, and the casting was brilliant and inspired.

Not all spinoffs work. Remember Joey? Neither do I. But occasionally a television show makes magic, has a baby and it grows big and strong and is able to stand on its own. Here are ten such spun shows that managed to beat the odds and survive. At least for a while.


Read more at http://whatculture.com/tv/10-classic-tv-series-you-didnt-know-were-spinoffs.php#3iRGiKK5Rdlx0Ke1.99

The intelligence of all sitcom fans on this board has been insulted by that article. :rolleyes:

all of these are obvious, except the one that isn't a spin-off:

10. The Jeffersons (All In The Family)
9.Family Feud (Match Game) - not a spin-off
8. Super Dave (Bizarre)
7. Benson (SOAP)
6. Facts of Life (Diff’rent Strokes)
5. Laverne and Shirley (Happy Days)
4. Mork and Mindy (Happy Days)
3. The Simpsons (The Tracey Ullman Show)
2. Happy Days (Love, American Style)
1. The Andy Griffith Show (The Danny Thomas Show)

Personally I don't consider Happy Days to be a true spinoff of Love, American Style -- I mean airing a pilot as something to run in an anthology series is a little different, IMO.

it says HAPPY DAYS had 2 animated spin-offs. What were they?

How can a game show be considered a spin off much less a classic TV series-especially since it's still on?

How can a game show be considered a spin off much less a classic TV series-especially since it's still on?

I don't get that, either. Maybe because Richard Dawson was a regular on The Match Game, and then got his own hosting gig on The Family Feud??:confused:

it says HAPPY DAYS had 2 animated spin-offs. What were they?

Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
Laverne and Shirley in the Army (included the Fonz character)

Family Feud's whole premise of asking 100 people a survey question is based on Match Game's Super Match bonus round.

Except for the person who wrote the article, who didn't know these were spin offs?

Fonz and the Happy Days Gang


Fonz and the Happy Days Gang...IN SPAAAAACE! :lol:

Here's one that many people forget..."Family Matters", which was actually a spin-off of "Perfect Strangers".

Even to a casual fan, most of these would be obvious as spinoffs.

:rolleyes:

I don't get that, either. Maybe because Richard Dawson was a regular on The Match Game, and then got his own hosting gig on The Family Feud??:confused:
Richard Dawson was spun-off into Family Feud because of Match Game but the game itself wasn't a spin-off.

The Simpsons was a spin-off of The Tracy Ullman Show.

I didn't know until 1978 that "Griffith" was a "Thomas" spin-off though I recall seeing a Thomas rerun with Griffith and thought it was a crossover episode. Would that mean that "Gomer Pyle-USMC" was the first show to spin-off of a spin-off?

I am sure that at least 90% of the sitcomsonline members knew that 8 or more of the 10 shows listed were spin-offs and what shows they were spun from. I was hoping for some real surprising information considering the title of the article. It should be renamed "10 shows you knew were spun off from another show".

Richard Dawson was spun-off into Family Feud because of Match Game but the game itself wasn't a spin-off.

As I've read before, Family Feud is a spinoff of the Match Game bonus game. ("We asked 100 people to give their best response to this...") This developed into a full game based on asking 100 people for their responses to various questions or categories.

I wanted a Norm Peterson show, but it probably would not have worked. Frasier did. I watched very few episodes of this show? Why? Don't know really. Maybe the people were too rich. Not to say the show was bad, I love Kelsey Grammar. I think the man is a dumbass with his personal life, but he has persevered above that, and is still here and rich, which counts for something.