Womans's Day: 10 Spin-offs That Are Better Than The Originals - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 01-08-2010, 08:32 PM

10 TV Spin-offs That Are Better Than the Originals

Find out which parent programs produced successful offspring
By Brynn Mannino
Posted January 07, 2010

For whatever reason, it seems we only hear about the unsuccessful TV spin-offs (Joey, anyone?).

We forget that some of our favorite shows—like The Simpsons and NCIS—originated from other shows.

WD tracked down the best small-screen spin-offs to give you a little historical insight into your most-loved programs.

Original: Match Game (1962-1999)
Spin-off: Family Feud (1976-present)

You can't always predict whether or not a show will do well—or, more specifically, why.

In the case of Match Game, it was the humor, the timeslot and one of the celebrity panelists: British-born actor Richard Dawson, who joined the show from 1973 to 1978.

Dawson went on to host Match Game's successful game show spin-off, Family Feud, in 1976 (while still on Match Game).

He continued to host until 1985, and the show has since had several different hosts, including a short stint by Dawson again in 1994.

Original: The Tracey Ullman Show (1987-1990)
Spin-off: The Simpsons (1989-present)

It was on The Tracy Ullman Show, a variety show featuring sketch comedy and musical numbers, that The Simpsons first appeared as hilarious 30-second clips that aired before and after commercials.

But proving too big for bumpers, the show, created by Matt Groening, launched into a half-hour series in December 1989.

The still-running satirical comedy responsible for "D'oh," the catchphrase used around the world, now holds the record for longest-running scripted prime-time U.S. television series.

Original: Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)
Spin-off: Family Matters (1989-1998)

Perfect Strangers’ character Harriette Winslow, and her later-introduced husband, Carl, went on to spawn one of the most popular American sitcoms to join the TGIF lineup in 1989.

And the minds at Thanks Goodness It's Funny should be especially thankful for Steve "No Sweat, My Pet" Urkel; his snorting, calamitous ways propelled Family Matters—which outlived its predecessor—into American TV fame.

Original: Extreme Makeover (2002-2007)
Spin-off: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2004-present)

In time, reality TV show Extreme Makeover, which ran from 2002 to 2007, proved too superficial in its mission to transform someone's appearance with plastic surgery and more.

However, its spin-off, which started as a special in 2003 and later premiered in 2004—starring the dreamy and talented Ty Pennington—can hold its proverbial head much higher.

Today, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition focuses on building a fantastic home for a deserving family, which leads up to a ceremony that runs dry millions of tear ducts each episode.

Original: Cheers (1982-1993)
Spin-off: Frasier (1993-2004)

Cheers was a hugely popular sitcom that ran for 11 years. But we suppose not everyone was comfortable—or wanted their kids to think they were comfortable—with a bar being the place "where everybody knows your name."

However, the upper-class status and highbrow wit of one of the show’s supporting characters, Dr. Frasier Crane, must have resonated with a large percentage of American audiences, because in 1993 he became the star of his own show.

Frasier also ran for 11 years, making it one of the most popular comedic sitcoms in recent TV history. Its series finale aired in 2004.

Original: Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986)
Spin-off: The Facts of Life (1979-1988)

In The Facts of Life’s nine-year run, it bravely approached topics including suicide, drug addiction, breast cancer and abortion, but the quirky, all-girl cast of characters is what really made the spin-off intriguing.

It all started with the Diff’rent Strokes housekeeper character, Mrs. Garrett, who left the show in 1979 to play house-mother at the Eastland School for Girls.

Though Gary Coleman's catchphrase, "What'chu talkin' about, Willis?", helped make Diff’rent Strokes a very close competitor throughout the ’80s, The Facts of Life eventually proved more successful in terms of ratings, and ended in 1988, two years after Diff’rent Strokes went off the air.

Original: Animaniacs (1993-1998)
Spin-off: Pinky and the Brain (1995-1999)

Pinky and the Brain, which first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs, eventually accomplished what the duo set out to do at the beginning of each episode—take over the world (or at least the cartoon-loving part of it).

Its parody-plotted style did well with viewers, and the duo got their own show in 1995.

Though its run didn’t outlast Animaniacs, we vote in favor of the two adorable, endlessly entertaining genetically enhanced mice who brought into common language the neologism "narfistic."

Original: JAG (1995-2005)
Spin-off: NCIS (2003-present)

Boasting more in-the-field action, character development and humor-riddled dialogue than its parent program, JAG, NCIS, which started in 2003, has accomplished what not many shows can: a steady rise in viewership as the seasons progress—up to 20 million viewers in its present seventh season, up from 17 million in its sixth season and 15 million in its fifth.

Today, it's one of the only shows that can hold its own during what's commonly known as the "death slot"—the phrase used to describe the timeslot up against American Idol.

Original: Dallas (1978-1991)
Spin-off: Knot's Landing (1979-1993)

By the time of its conclusion in 1993—after a 14-season run—Knots Landing had become one of the longest-running prime-time soaps in U.S. television history.

Though its parent program, Dallas, was also prized for its longevity and good acting, Knots Landing was liked for its laid-back family feel, not overly outlandish plots and much-loved actors, including Julie Harris and Michelle Phillips.

We can't say, however, that the formula inspired any of today's prime-time dramas, which are chockful of more not-very-laid-back drama than we can handle.

Original: Grey's Anatomy (2005-present)
Spin-off: Private Practice (2007-present)

Here at WD, we're split right down the middle on which ABC prime-time medical drama rules, but we can all agree that there was no better time for a spin-off to be spun.

In 2007, just as the drama died down concerning Isaiah Washington’s real-life unrenewed contract with ABC and before Grey’s fifth season, in which character Izzie Stevens' deceased fiancé Denny Duquette started reappearing as a ghost, fan favorite Addison Montgomery got her own show.

Enter Private Practice. Starring hunky actors Tim Daly and Taye Diggs, this California-based drama is anything but mellow, creating fair competition—viewer ratings aside.

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/En...Originals.html

Marvo301 · 01-08-2010, 10:02 PM

It's interesting to note that one of the spin-off's mentioned (NCIS) now has a spin-off of it's own (NCIS LA).

Chocoholic · 01-09-2010, 12:36 AM

I totally agree with The Simpsons and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I disagree with Frasier though. I like Cheers much better.

catlover79 · 01-09-2010, 01:19 AM

I have to disagree with one in particular - Perfect Strangers was WAY better (and much more consistent) than Family Matters. I didn't even know Family Feud was a spinoff, much less from Match Game. Learn something new every day!!

dakert · 01-09-2010, 01:25 AM

Family Feud is NOT better than Match Game!!!!!

JamesG · 01-09-2010, 01:32 AM

They aren't on this list but I have a few personal favorite spin-offs over the parent show:

I liked ANGEL better than Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I liked Xena: Warrior Princess better than Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

DSfan · 01-09-2010, 01:51 AM

Doesn't Love American Style and Happy Days need to be included on this list. That is one of the truest spinoffs, in my opinion, since many of the same actors moved over to Happy Days like Marion Ross, Anson Williams, and others.

tvparadise · 01-09-2010, 01:53 AM

Frasier better than Cheers??? I don't think so. I also enjoyed the Frasier Crane character greatly on Cheers, but could never get into the spin-off. And I tried because I like Cheers so much. They're really just totally different shows.

Zoneboy · 01-09-2010, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSfan

Doesn't Love American Style and Happy Days need to be included on this list. That is one of the truest spinoffs, in my opinion, since many of the same actors moved over to Happy Days like Marion Ross, Anson Williams, and others.

Some people including myself don't consider Happy Days to be a spinoff but rather the original pilot. It's no more a spinoff than Wait Till Your Father Gets Home whose original pilot aired as the episode "Love and the Old-Fashioned Father".

vlis · 01-10-2010, 01:48 PM

I do not consider Family Feud a spin-off of Match Game. Were they even on the same network? I believe Match Game was on CBS daytime while FF was on abc daytime.

browneyes106 · 01-10-2010, 06:04 PM

I agree with some of the shows on the list. I liked The Facts of Life a lot more than Differ'ent Strokes. I think that Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice shouldn't be on the list. I don't think either show is extremely good. I did like Frasier but I thought Cheers was the better show.

JamesG · 01-10-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by browneyes106

I think that Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice shouldn't be on the list. I don't think either show is extremely good.

I watched Grey's during the time when it first came on. I haven't been keeping up with it.

I admit to not liking it as much when Isiah Washington left; the show did lose a big element with that.

I like it mainly for Sandra Oh and that short black lady (I forget the actress' name).

I haven't watched Private Practice. I'm a fan of Taye Diggs so I might want to look at it some time.

howierules86 · 01-10-2010, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlis

I do not consider Family Feud a spin-off of Match Game. Were they even on the same network? I believe Match Game was on CBS daytime while FF was on abc daytime.

You're right about the networks, and no, I've never considered FF a spinoff of MG myself. It just happened to be that Richard Dawson got picked to host the first version of FF, and it was also created by Mark Goodson & Bill Todman as well.

JamesG · 01-10-2010, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlis

I do not consider Family Feud a spin-off of Match Game. Were they even on the same network? I believe Match Game was on CBS daytime while FF was on abc daytime.

You are right about that. Family Feud started out on ABC and Match Game was currently on CBS at the time Feud began. Match Game was originally on NBC.

megamanj2004 · 01-11-2010, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlis

I do not consider Family Feud a spin-off of Match Game. Were they even on the same network? I believe Match Game was on CBS daytime while FF was on abc daytime.

In a minor technical way, FF was a spin-off of MG due to MG's Audience Match portion of the bonus round part of the show, which the champion tried to give an answer and hope it's the most popular answer.

Another show that in a way was better than its parent show was Diagnosis Murder, since that show outlasted its spin-offf show Jake and the Fatman by 3 seasons.

01-08-2010, 08:32 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,153	Womans's Day: 10 Spin-offs That Are Better Than The Originals 10 TV Spin-offs That Are Better Than the Originals *Find out which parent programs produced successful offspring* By Brynn Mannino Posted January 07, 2010 For whatever reason, it seems we only hear about the unsuccessful TV spin-offs (Joey, anyone?). We forget that some of our favorite shows—like The Simpsons and NCIS—originated from other shows. WD tracked down the best small-screen spin-offs to give you a little historical insight into your most-loved programs. *Original: Match Game* (1962-1999) Spin-off: Family Feud (1976-present)** You can't always predict whether or not a show will do well—or, more specifically, why. In the case of Match Game, it was the humor, the timeslot and one of the celebrity panelists: British-born actor Richard Dawson, who joined the show from 1973 to 1978. Dawson went on to host Match Game's successful game show spin-off, Family Feud, in 1976 (while still on Match Game). He continued to host until 1985, and the show has since had several different hosts, including a short stint by Dawson again in 1994. *Original: The Tracey Ullman Show* (1987-1990) Spin-off: The Simpsons (1989-present)** It was on The Tracy Ullman Show, a variety show featuring sketch comedy and musical numbers, that The Simpsons first appeared as hilarious 30-second clips that aired before and after commercials. But proving too big for bumpers, the show, created by Matt Groening, launched into a half-hour series in December 1989. The still-running satirical comedy responsible for "D'oh," the catchphrase used around the world, now holds the record for longest-running scripted prime-time U.S. television series. *Original: Perfect Strangers* (1986-1993) Spin-off: Family Matters (1989-1998)** Perfect Strangers’ character Harriette Winslow, and her later-introduced husband, Carl, went on to spawn one of the most popular American sitcoms to join the TGIF lineup in 1989. And the minds at Thanks Goodness It's Funny should be especially thankful for Steve "No Sweat, My Pet" Urkel; his snorting, calamitous ways propelled Family Matters—which outlived its predecessor—into American TV fame. *Original: Extreme Makeover* (2002-2007) Spin-off: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2004-present)** In time, reality TV show Extreme Makeover, which ran from 2002 to 2007, proved too superficial in its mission to transform someone's appearance with plastic surgery and more. However, its spin-off, which started as a special in 2003 and later premiered in 2004—starring the dreamy and talented Ty Pennington—can hold its proverbial head much higher. Today, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition focuses on building a fantastic home for a deserving family, which leads up to a ceremony that runs dry millions of tear ducts each episode. *Original: Cheers* (1982-1993) Spin-off: Frasier (1993-2004)** Cheers was a hugely popular sitcom that ran for 11 years. But we suppose not everyone was comfortable—or wanted their kids to think they were comfortable—with a bar being the place "where everybody knows your name." However, the upper-class status and highbrow wit of one of the show’s supporting characters, Dr. Frasier Crane, must have resonated with a large percentage of American audiences, because in 1993 he became the star of his own show. Frasier also ran for 11 years, making it one of the most popular comedic sitcoms in recent TV history. Its series finale aired in 2004. *Original: Diff'rent Strokes* (1978-1986) Spin-off: The Facts of Life (1979-1988)** In The Facts of Life’s nine-year run, it bravely approached topics including suicide, drug addiction, breast cancer and abortion, but the quirky, all-girl cast of characters is what really made the spin-off intriguing. It all started with the Diff’rent Strokes housekeeper character, Mrs. Garrett, who left the show in 1979 to play house-mother at the Eastland School for Girls. Though Gary Coleman's catchphrase, "What'chu talkin' about, Willis?", helped make Diff’rent Strokes a very close competitor throughout the ’80s, The Facts of Life eventually proved more successful in terms of ratings, and ended in 1988, two years after Diff’rent Strokes went off the air. *Original: Animaniacs* (1993-1998) Spin-off: Pinky and the Brain (1995-1999)** Pinky and the Brain, which first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs, eventually accomplished what the duo set out to do at the beginning of each episode—take over the world (or at least the cartoon-loving part of it). Its parody-plotted style did well with viewers, and the duo got their own show in 1995. Though its run didn’t outlast Animaniacs, we vote in favor of the two adorable, endlessly entertaining genetically enhanced mice who brought into common language the neologism "narfistic." *Original: JAG* (1995-2005) Spin-off: NCIS (2003-present)** Boasting more in-the-field action, character development and humor-riddled dialogue than its parent program, JAG, NCIS, which started in 2003, has accomplished what not many shows can: a steady rise in viewership as the seasons progress—up to 20 million viewers in its present seventh season, up from 17 million in its sixth season and 15 million in its fifth. Today, it's one of the only shows that can hold its own during what's commonly known as the "death slot"—the phrase used to describe the timeslot up against American Idol. *Original: Dallas* (1978-1991) Spin-off: Knot's Landing (1979-1993)** By the time of its conclusion in 1993—after a 14-season run—Knots Landing had become one of the longest-running prime-time soaps in U.S. television history. Though its parent program, Dallas, was also prized for its longevity and good acting, Knots Landing was liked for its laid-back family feel, not overly outlandish plots and much-loved actors, including Julie Harris and Michelle Phillips. We can't say, however, that the formula inspired any of today's prime-time dramas, which are chockful of more not-very-laid-back drama than we can handle. *Original: Grey's Anatomy* (2005-present) Spin-off: Private Practice (2007-present)** Here at WD, we're split right down the middle on which ABC prime-time medical drama rules, but we can all agree that there was no better time for a spin-off to be spun. In 2007, just as the drama died down concerning Isaiah Washington’s real-life unrenewed contract with ABC and before Grey’s fifth season, in which character Izzie Stevens' deceased fiancé Denny Duquette started reappearing as a ghost, fan favorite Addison Montgomery got her own show. Enter Private Practice. Starring hunky actors Tim Daly and Taye Diggs, this California-based drama is anything but mellow, creating fair competition—viewer ratings aside. http://www.womansday.com/Articles/En...Originals.html

01-08-2010, 10:02 PM	#2
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	It's interesting to note that one of the spin-off's mentioned (NCIS) now has a spin-off of it's own (NCIS LA).
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

01-09-2010, 01:19 AM	#4
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	I have to disagree with one in particular - Perfect Strangers was WAY better (and much more consistent) than Family Matters. I didn't even know Family Feud was a spinoff, much less from Match Game. Learn something new every day!!
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

01-09-2010, 12:36 AM	#3
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	I totally agree with The Simpsons and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I disagree with Frasier though. I like Cheers much better.

01-09-2010, 01:25 AM	#5
dakert Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 10, 2007 Location: Altoona PA Posts: 3,411	Family Feud is NOT better than Match Game!!!!!

01-09-2010, 01:32 AM	#6
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,153	They aren't on this list but I have a few personal favorite spin-offs over the parent show: I liked ANGEL better than Buffy the Vampire Slayer I liked Xena: Warrior Princess better than Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

01-09-2010, 01:51 AM	#7
DSfan Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 15, 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 1,204	Doesn't Love American Style and Happy Days need to be included on this list. That is one of the truest spinoffs, in my opinion, since many of the same actors moved over to Happy Days like Marion Ross, Anson Williams, and others.

01-09-2010, 01:53 AM	#8
tvparadise Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 18, 2003 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 299	Frasier better than Cheers??? I don't think so. I also enjoyed the Frasier Crane character greatly on Cheers, but could never get into the spin-off. And I tried because I like Cheers so much. They're really just totally different shows.

01-10-2010, 01:48 PM	#10
vlis Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 16, 2007 Posts: 41	I do not consider Family Feud a spin-off of Match Game. Were they even on the same network? I believe Match Game was on CBS daytime while FF was on abc daytime.

01-10-2010, 06:04 PM	#11
browneyes106 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 01, 2008 Posts: 6,094	I agree with some of the shows on the list. I liked The Facts of Life a lot more than Differ'ent Strokes. I think that Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice shouldn't be on the list. I don't think either show is extremely good. I did like Frasier but I thought Cheers was the better show.