7 Forgotten TV Show Spin Offs of the 1980s That Totally Flopped

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The 1980s were the golden age of TV spin-offs… and not all of them were golden.

If a show was even remotely successful, network executives were already asking the same question: “Can we squeeze one more series out of this?” Sometimes that gave us classics. Other times, it gave us shows like AfterMASH, The Tortellis, Joanie Loves Chachi, Three’s a Crowd, Gloria, The Brady Brides, and Checking In—spin-offs that arrived with built-in fanbases… and still crashed in the ratings.

In this video, we’re counting down 7 forgotten TV show spin-offs from the 1980s that totally flopped. We’ll look at:

• Why networks thought these spin-offs were “can’t-miss” hits
• How they tried to cash in on shows like MASH, Cheers, Happy Days, The Brady Bunch, All in the Family, Three’s Company, and The Jeffersons
• What went wrong once these series had to stand on their own
• And how some characters quietly snuck back to their original shows after the experiment failed

If you grew up on reruns, TGIF blocks, and Must-See TV, this is a nostalgic deep dive into the bizarre, short-lived corners of 1980s television.

👇 Tell us in the comments:
Do you actually remember watching any of these spin-offs? And what other forgotten shows should we cover next?

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