Entertainment
10 Must-Watch TV Spin-Offs, Ranked
There’s a misconception that a spin-off is a retread of old material, because the best spin-offs were the result of creative and original thinking. It takes vision to imagine that an unlikely character can spawn an 11-season run, or to find the material for a hard-hitting drama within an iconic comedy.
The following shows are some of the very best TV spin-offs, each standing as an example of a must-watch program with mass appeal for all audiences. Whether it’s a sequel, a prequel, or an animated breakout hit, these are the spin-offs that are mandatory viewing, ranked by overall excellence and their ability to eat up days of your life while you binge.
10
‘Lou Grant’ (1977–1982)
Everyone is familiar with the groundbreaking sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but far less attention is paid to the dramatic spinoff, Lou Grant. The series saw Mary Richards’ (Mary Tyler Moore) former boss, Lou Grant (Ed Asner), move to Los Angeles to work as editor for the fictional newspaper, the Los Angeles Tribune. The series used current social issues to explore the fast-paced and high-pressure world of print journalism.
Lou Grant is typically rare to find as a streaming option, but all five seasons of the series can be purchased on DVD. While it’s uncommon to see a spin-off change formats from half-hour comedy to hour-long drama, the character of Lou made the transition well, with the series earning 13 Primetime Emmys and a Peabody award. In fact, Asner was the first performer to win comedic and dramatic Emmys for playing the same character.
9
‘Boston Legal’ (2004–2008)
Boston Legal took viewers into the unpredictable world of the lawyers who worked at the legal firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. New hire Alan Shore (James Spader) is a brilliant attorney unafraid to work outside ethical boundaries, but his winning record in the courtroom and his close friendship with senior partner Denny Crane (William Shatner) keep him from packing up his office. Each episode combined legal drama and wry comedy to create a unique legal series that broke genre conventions.
The character of Alan Shore was originally introduced on the acclaimed legal drama The Practice in its final season, serving as a problematic anti-hero to stir up drama. However, Boston Legal took a much more lighthearted approach to a legal procedural that featured an irreverent comic tone that would frequently step into the absurd. Boston Legal is an addictively fun watch, with the chemistry between Spader and Shatner a compelling reason to binge.
8
‘Young Sheldon’ (2017–2024)
Fans of The Big Bang Theory could see the origins of the eccentric genius Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) in the sitcom Young Sheldon. Predominantly set in the early ’90s, the series follows Iain Armitage in the role of the adolescent version of Sheldon Cooper as he grows up in Medford, Texas. Although fans saw brief glimpses of them in the original series, Young Sheldon fleshed out the boy genius’ relationship with his immediate family.
Some of the best spin-offs work because they can stand on their own without needing to be familiar with the original, which is the case with Young Sheldon. The series is a heartfelt and genuinely funny family comedy where the humor is based on the relationships developed through an excellent cast. Switching to a single-camera approach to Young Sheldon contributed to the series feeling like an authentic representation of growing up in the 90s, and the quality holds strong all the way up until its seventh-season finale.
7
‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ (1999–Present)
Nearing thirty years on the air, one of television’s longest-running spin-offs is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Spinning off from the popular Law & Order, the series takes viewers along as the detectives of New York City’s Special Victims Unit take on cases that involve sex based crimes. The series has featured various detectives over the years, but most viewers think of partners Elliott Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) as the marquee faces of the show.
When Law & Order: Special Victims Unit first premiered, it stood out in a crowded lineup of criminal procedurals with shocking stories about sexual assault and domestic violence, but the show also added a human element that was missing from some of its more cut-and-dry peers. The series explored more than the crime and who was responsible; rather, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit regularly dove into the impact the crime had on the victim, and the psychological roadmap that caused the perpetrator to commit their horrible act.
6
‘Daria’ (1997–2002)
No animated character had mastered the art of a sarcastic response like Daria Morgendorffer (Tracy Grandstaff). In her MTV show Daria, audiences saw the character move with her family from the Texas city of Highland to the new town of Lawndale. Attending High School with her popular younger sister, Quinn (Wendy Hoopes), Daria navigates the frustrating world of public education with her best friend Jane (Hoopes).
A spin-off from Beavis and Butt-head, Daria allowed MTV to connect with an underserved portion of its audience who saw little representation of their experiences on TV. Daria didn’t stake her emotional well-being on how popular she was, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t in need of friendship or desired a romantic partner. The series holds up remarkably well, and even though things like the current fashion have changed, the core message of Daria hasn’t lost any of its relevance.
5
‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ (1987–1994)
Image via Paramount
Whether it’s thought of as a spinoff or a sequel series, Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of the best pieces of science fiction on television. The series follows the exploratory mission of the USS Enterprise-D under the leadership of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in the 24th century. In the crew’s goal to discover new life in undiscovered reaches of space, they would encounter adventure and danger that required quick thinking to overcome.
The original Star Trek is an iconic science fiction series, but Star Trek: The Next Generation builds on the premise with fan-favorite new characters such as android Data (Brent Spiner) and Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). By shifting the focus away from the more action-oriented original series into a more thoughtful, character-driven narrative, Star Trek: The Next Generation set the tone for future installments of the franchise and created die-hard fans who followed along for all seven seasons.
4
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)
One of the best television dramas to never win an Emmy, Better Call Saul is a spinoff of top-tier quality. The series focused on the charismatic and morally flexible lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), going back to when he was still known by his real name, Jimmy McGill. Over six seasons, audiences were treated to the rise of Jimmy from a down-on-his-luck con man to a key figure in the criminal underworld of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Fans of Breaking Bad were excited to see a series based around Saul Goodman, but few were probably expecting to see a masterclass character study. Jimmy’s story never took the easy way out of making someone the villain or hero, but rather frequently allowed its characters to make decisions they thought were right in that moment. Odenkirk continued to outdo himself with his performance, and Jimmy’s relationship with Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) will be remembered as one of the television greats.
3
‘The Jeffersons’ (1975–1985)
The Jeffersons holds such a noteworthy position as one of the best sitcoms of the ’70s that it’s easy to forget it’s a spinoff. The comedy follows George (Sherman Hemsley) and Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) as they move to the Upper East Side of Manhattan after George’s dry cleaning business takes off. Episodes saw the married couple adjust to their new luxurious surroundings after a life of hard work and struggle.
George and Louise were recognizable characters on the game-changing sitcom All in the Family, but a spin-off that established the Jeffersons as successful business owners was an important and needed addition on television. Topics like racism and classism were explored through George and Louise’s experiences without losing the biting sense of humor the show was known for. The Jeffersons‘ combination of funny and fearlessness was a hit with viewers and carried the sitcom to an incredible 11-season run.
2
‘Frasier’ (1993–2004)
In Frasier, the smartest barfly in Boston, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), moves back to his hometown of Seattle. Although he’s still committed to mental health, Frasier takes a different approach to helping when he takes a job as a radio talk show host, counseling the many listeners who call into the show. When not in the studio, Frasier spends time reconnecting with his younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and his ex-cop father Martin (John Mahoney).
After eight seasons of being on Cheers, Frasier had gone through major life changes in front of the audience’s eyes, but the biggest were yet to come when the character moved home. By creating a complex family dynamic, Frasier could create noticeable long-term character arcs that were only enriched by some of the best casting ever done on a sitcom. Frasier was an awards favorite during the course of its time on NBC, and remains an example of how to build a sitcom around an already well-known character.
1
‘The Simpsons’ (1989–Present)
To call The Simpsons a successful spin-off is an understatement. With almost 40 seasons of the animated series produced, The Simpsons has forever established itself as one of the most important comedy series ever made. The day-to-day happenings of Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) and his family in their hometown of Springfield are known the world over, where the word “D’oh” is translated into multiple languages.
Anyone who tuned in to The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox would have probably never guessed the strange animated shorts would become a juggernaut of a comedy series. However, once the Simpsons clan received their first full-length episode with the Christmas special “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” there was no looking back. The Simpsons have now starred in more than 800 episodes, one theatrically released movie, and a Simpsons Movie sequel on the way.
The Simpsons
- Release Date
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December 17, 1989
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
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Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller
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Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)
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Julie Kavner
Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)
