What makes a spin off a spin off exactly? We know the obvious, but here's a not so obvious (or is it). . .

Solomon and his thread about Family Matters Spinoff got me thinking... The show "704 Hauser"... some don't consider it a true spin off, some do. What do you all think? Personally I think it is just Spinawful. :crazy:

That's a good question, but I would have to say that it was a spinoff. Even though a character wasn't spun off, the house was, putting it in the same sitcom universe as Archie Bunker.

Originally posted by Brian Damage
That's a good question, but I would have to say that it was a spinoff. Even though a character wasn't spun off, the house was, putting it in the same sitcom universe as Archie Bunker.


I don't know Brian, new characters, different decade, I'm not too sure 704 Houser Street was a spinoff from AITF.

I think I read somewhere that an adult Joey guest-starred in an episode.I'm not sure but I think I read that somewhere.

Originally posted by Sitcomwriter
I think I read somewhere that an adult Joey guest-starred in an episode.I'm not sure but I think I read that somewhere.

Joey did. I taped the ep nine years ago but don't know where it is. He took a stroll through the neighborhood and came by to visit the house. He was about eighteen years old. It wasn't determined if it was a spinoff or not, but it looks like it is a spinoff of some sorts. But then again that is just my opinion.

Originally posted by ThomasE


Joey did. I taped the ep nine years ago but don't know where it is. He took a stroll through the neighborhood and came by to visit the house. He was about eighteen years old. It wasn't determined if it was a spinoff or not, but it looks like it is a spinoff of some sorts. But then again that is just my opinion.


How can it be a spinoff and there was no cast members on the show from AITF? The other spinoffs The Jeffersons, Maude, ABP, and Gloria were all characters from AITF. Please don't tell me 704 Hauser street was a AITF spinoff. That's like a new couple moving in the Jeffersons deluxe apt and calling it a spinoff.

I looked up the word "spinoff" in the dictionary. By its definition, 704 Hauser is not a spinoff.

--a television series built around a charactrer in an ealier series

I personally don't think it is a spinoff.

I'm gonna step back from 704 Hauser for a sec and bring up another show. (I contemplated making a new thread, but its not a very interesting question or one that should take too much explanation.)

Most places I look, "Gloria" is mentioned as a spinoff from "All In The Famliy" but technically, it is "Archie Bunker's Place," isn't it? I've only seen one episode of ABP (The 2nd part with Gloria and Mike's brief return),I've never seen any episodes of "Gloria," but heard briefly about its pilot and its tie with ABP.

If it's not, then AITF only really has 2 spinoffs when most people think it's 4. (Of course some of you might think 3, or even 4.)

The house was spunoff, not a character. So it was a spinoff. They even brought back Joey, to make Solomon happy.

So do you want me to believe you or Webster's Dictionary? ;)

They may have brought Joey on an episode but the series wasn't built around him as the dictionary states. I don't know if Webster's definition should be expanded, because clearly they meant for "704 Hauser" to have a connection with AITF, otherwise they would have just as well had them in a different house.

Re: 704 Houser Street: Why is it that any Norman Lear-produced show starring John Amos stirs up a spinoff/not a spinoff debate???

I'm not even going to go there...for obvious reasons.:D

What I thought was interesting is that Lear hired John Amos 15 years after firing him from Good Times. I guess time heals all wounds. I never got to see this show - probably because it wasn't a hit, it got cancelled quickly.

If All In The Family debuted today and had the same initial ratings...it would have been a "One year wonder." Scary...:(

was a great show

i loved the concept of updating the show with a black family living in the old bunker home (but had archie died, or sold it to them?)
also it was really cool how the situations had changed but still stayed the same

the father was a liberal and the son was the conservative, it reflected the political changes going on in the usa

john amos was never better
was it a spinoff? maybe, maybe not,
it can be argued both ways