While manyTV show spin-offsare loved by many, there are some that audiences have forgotten or have never heard of. There are plenty of notable spin-offs ofthe best TV shows of all timethat viewers remember, likeFriends’JoeyorBreaking Bad’sBetter Call Saul. These TVspin-offs are as good as their original shows, or sometimes even better. However, some spin-offs fall to obscurity, although the reasons for this often vary.
Unknown spin-offs are generally forgotten because they fail to live up to their source material, damage the series’ canon, or are simply unenjoyable. For some titles, it’s the case of being popular at the time of release, but are just no longer prominent nowadays. Whether they’re good, bad, or simply okay,audiences are typically unfamiliar with theseTVshow spin-offs.
Slippin' Jimmy
Cast
This animated series explores the early misadventures of young Jimmy McGill and his friends in Chicago. Styled after classic 70s-era cartoons, each episode pays homage to various film genres, including spaghetti westerns and silent comedies, creating a comedic backdrop for their escapades.
While many are familiar withtheBreaking BadspinoffBetter Call Saul, few are also familiar with the animatedSlippin’ Jimmy. The third entry to theBreaking Baduniverse focuses on a teenage Jimmy McGill in suburban Chicago, and the adventures he has with his best friend Marco. However, the reason whySlippin’ Jimmyis so unknown is becausethe overall tone of the show is wildly different toBetter Call SaulandBreaking Bad.
The show typically uses classic ‘70s cartoon tropes, but each episode is unique and takes inspiration from movie genres like Spaghetti Westerns and horror. Rather than Bob Odenkirk reprising his role as the titular character,The Goldbergs’Sean Giambrone voices Jimmy.
10 TV Spinoffs That Are As Good As Their Original Shows
Some great TV shows can capture lightning in a bottle on multiple occasions, as a few rare spinoffs find the success of the original series.
Slippin’ Jimmywas released alongsideBetter Call Saul’s mid-season 6 finale, so it makes sense that the short-lived show isn’t very prominent, as audiences were too busy with the exciting cliffhanger at the time. As a stand-alone,Slippin’ Jimmyis a simple and enjoyable watch, but the jarring difference compared to the other shows is too hard to ignore, which is probably why it has been forgotten about.
That ’80s Show
That ’80s Show (2002) is a sitcom that takes a nostalgic look at the 1980s through the lives of a group of friends in San Diego. The series, a spiritual successor to That ’70s Show, explores their relationships, careers, and everyday encounters with iconic ’80s culture, featuring Glenn Howerton as Corey Howard, a struggling musician, and Chyler Leigh as his punk-rock sister, Tuesday.
Audiences often forget that in theThat ‘70s and ’90s Shows’timeline, there is another canonical title,That ‘80s Show. The spinoff introducesIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton as Eric Foreman’s cousin, Corey. This is the only properconnection betweenThat ‘70s ShowandThat ‘80s Show, and the two characters sadly don’t cross paths at any point.That ‘80s Showonly has 13 episodes, and while it reuses the same format as its parent show, it fails to replicate the same charm and appeal.
Another reason whyThat ‘80s Showis a failure is because characters are in their mid-twenties rather than teenagers.
However, it’s likely that another reason whyThat ‘80s Showis a failure is becausecharacters are in their mid-twentiesrather than teenagers.The cast are all relatively big names now, so it’s surprising that the show hasn’t been revisited by viewers in recent years. For example,Grey’s Anatomy’s Chyler Leigh stars as punk rocker June Tuesday, Corey’s love interest. With a limited run-time and a lack of links toThat ‘70s Show, it’s a shame thatThat ‘80s Showhas been forgotten, but it’s not a shock, either.
Class
Class is a British science fiction drama series set in the Doctor Who universe. The show follows a group of students at Coal Hill Academy who must navigate the challenges of adolescence while defending against alien threats. Featuring Katherine Kelly as their mysterious teacher Miss Quill, the series explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and the burden of responsibility.
TheDoctor WhospinoffClassis aBritish sci-fi show many haven’t heard of, and those who are aware of it probably remember it for Peter Capaldi’s cameo in the first episode.Classis a fascinating concept, which combines the likes ofTorchwoodandSkinsand follows the lives of a group of students from Coal Hill Academy.
Ram, Matteusz, Fady, Sophie, and Tanya are all extraordinary humans, but Charlie and Miss Quill are aliens who force themselves to blend in with Earth’s population. Even thoughSteven Moffat’s failedDoctor Whospin-offisn’t the best installment in the franchise, it has a lot going for it.
Classhas an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
There’s a big focus on LGBTQ+ storylines, and the characters’ promising backstories are well explored inClass’ eight-episode run. However, the show isguilty of spending too much time on the teen drama side of things and not enough on sci-fi,something thatThe War Between the Land and the Seaneeds to learn from.
Young Americans
A spinoff of Dawson’s Creek, this drama explores themes of forbidden love, morality, social classes, and gender roles in a prestigious boarding school setting, where students navigate complex relationships and face personal challenges while forming bonds that transcend societal expectations.
Young Americansis a spinoff of the dramaDawson’s Creek, whichfollows Pacey’s childhood friend Will attending boarding school in Connecticut. Across eight episodes, audiences watch Will settle into his new life, all the while healing from his father’s abuse, dealing with imposter syndrome, and facing many moral dilemmas.
However, like many failed spin-offs,Young Americansis unknown to many because it doesn’t feature anyone else fromtheDawson’s Creekcast. There are plenty of other characters who would have been a better lead for a spinoff. While he isn’t a terrible character,Will only appears in a few episodes inDawson’s Creekseason 3, and he doesn’t make enough of an impression to justify his own spin-off.
Despite the lack of connections toDawson’s Creek,Young Americansstill works as an individual title. The show delves into topics of discrimination and classism beautifully, but it wasn’t enough to save it, even though it was one of the most popular WB shows at the time of airing.
The Golden Palace
Dorothy Zbornak remarries and moves away, so Sophia and her roommates Blanche Devereaux and Rose Nyland decide to invest in a hotel for sale in Miami. The place is called The Golden Palace.
The Golden Girls’ short-lived sequel,The Golden Palace, is a unique TV spin-off. While many spin-offs typically focus on one or two characters from the original show,The Golden Palaceseesthe return of all the Golden Girls, except for Bea Arthur’s Dorothy.
The Golden Palacefollows Rose, Blanche, and Sophia running the titular hotel in Miami, but with a lack of employees to help them, chaos ensues. While it is still semi-popular,The Golden Palaceisn’t as prominent asThe Golden Girls. It’s strange that more audiences aren’t familiar withThe Golden Palace, seeing as it doesn’t divert fromThe Golden Girlstoo much.
The Golden Girlscastmay be in a new location and are missing a member of the group, although Bea Arthur makes a two-episode guest appearance at the end of the season, their adventures are very much the same.Despite the strong ratings to begin with,The Golden Palacecouldn’t be saved,and so many are unaware of the vacation-themed spinoff.
Planet Sheen
This animated series follows Sheen Estevez, an eccentric character from the Jimmy Neutron universe, who accidentally crashes on a distant planet. As he navigates this alien world, Sheen encounters bizarre creatures and inhabitants, making adventurous and comedic attempts to return to Earth.
Even thoughThe Adventures Of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Geniusis one ofthe best Nickelodeon cartoons of all time, many have never heard of its spin-off,Planet Sheen.The show followsJimmy Neutron’s Sheen, who accidentally crashes on an alien planetand spends 26 episodes attempting to get back home. However, due to the show’s cancellation, viewers never see Sheen return to Earth. While Sheen is a great comic relief character, his gimmicks get old rather quickly.
Jimmy is an engaging protagonistbecause his characterization is layered, and his intelligence is useful when facing obstacles, which Sheen lacks.Planet Sheenmarks one ofNickelodeon’s lowest moments, and without a balance of varying characters, the show feels rather one-note. WhilePlanet Sheenis entertaining enough for kids, it isn’t very rewatchable, which is why it has been forgotten about by many.
AfterMASH
AfterMASH is a spin-off of the television series MAS*H, featuring Colonel Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy as they adjust to civilian life following the Korean War, working together at a stateside veterans' hospital.
Even thoughAfterMASHkilled theMASHfranchise, it’s odd that so many audiences are completely unaware of the spinoff.AfterMASHserves asa continuation ofMASH, set right after the end of the Korean War, and reunites audiences with Colonel Sherman T. Potter, Sergeant Maxwell Klinger, and Father John Mulcahy.
There are plenty ofMASHcharacters who don’t return for the sequel show, though. Despite the huge success of the parent show,AfterMASHis frequently forgotten about by viewers, even more so thanMASH’s other spin-offs,Trapper John, M.D.andWALTER. There are several reasons why viewers are unfamiliar withAfterMASH.
Every MAS*H TV Spinoff
Medical sitcom MAS*H was one of the most successful shows of all time, and it inspired a few spin-offs, including the infamous AfterMASH.
While there is still a focus on war, with the returning characters working together at a veteran’s hospital, a lot of storylines are wrapped up so suddenly that it’s hard to engage with them properly.The final episode, “Wet Feet,” has also never aired in the U.S.,so it makes sense that the show has vanished from viewers’ memories. TheMASHfranchise has yet to attempt another spin-off, but at this point, it’s unlikely that it’ll ever happen.
Getting Together
Getting Together is a television series that aired in 1971, following the lives of a songwriting duo, Bobby Conway and Lionel Poindexter, as they navigate the ups and downs of their burgeoning music career. Played by Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern, the show captures their journey of collaboration, friendship, and pursuit of success in the vibrant music industry, with occasional comedic and dramatic elements.
Getting Togetheris a‘70s sitcom that barely anyone remembers.The Partridge Family’s spinoffreintroduces audiences to songwriting duo Bobby Conway and Lionel Poindexterfrom the season 1 episode “A Knight in Shining Armor.” Across 14 episodes, the pair work towards achieving fame, while also trying to balance the trivial dramas of real life.
However,Getting Togethermakes a big spin-off mistake, which is why it’s so unheard of. Bobby and Lionel are established characters in themusical TV showThe Partridge Family, but they’re not particularly prominent. This makes it harder to invest in their story, especially when they are the only familiar faces.
The premise of the show is endearing enough, butit’s also too similar toThe Partridge Family,which makes it easy for it to blend into the background.Getting Togetheris a well-written show that uses traditional sitcom tropes for laughs, but it simply isn’t enough to make it memorable.
The Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen is a spin-off of The X-Files, focusing on the trio of conspiracy theorists and hackers known as The Lone Gunmen. John Fitzgerald Byers, Richard Langly, and Melvin Frohike navigate through covert missions and uncover government secrets, reflecting their skeptical view of authority. The series combines elements of drama, humor, and science fiction.
The X-Files’ Lone Gunmenare fan favorites, yet many don’t know about their titular spinoff.The Lone Gunmen’s reviews are generally positive, even years after its cancellation, but it’s not perfect, either. It is definitely memorable, however, which makes it even stranger thatThe Lone Gunmenis a relatively unknown spin-off.
The trio get wrapped up in a new and intriguing story with each episode, andThe Lone Gunmendoes a great job of staying true toThe X-Fileswhile also standing out by itself.
For example, in the first episode, the show semi-predicts the events of the World Trade Center. To this day, critics and audiences alike are still confused overThe Lone Gunmenending after 13 episodes. The trio get wrapped up in a new and intriguing story with each episode, andThe Lone Gunmendoes a great job of staying true toThe X-Fileswhile also standing out by itself.
It’s likely that many are unfamiliar withThe Lone Gunmenbecause of its short run, and if it had continued for longer, it could’ve been just as successful asThe X-Files.The X-Fileskills off the Lone Gunmenin the season 9 episode “Jumping the Shark,” which resolves the spin-off’s cliffhanger ending, but it also does a disservice to the characters and their show.
Mr. T and Tina
Mr. T and Tina is a 1976 American sitcom that aired briefly on ABC, featuring Pat Morita. A spin-off of Welcome Back, Kotter, the series is notable for being the first American sitcom to center on a character of Asian descent.
Welcome Back, Kotteris one of severalTV shows with more spin-offs than audiences realize, although its most forgotten title is undoubtedlyMr. T and Tina. The show follows live-in childminder Tina, who works for Japanese inventor Taro Takahashi, a character who only appears in one episode ofWelcome Back, Kotter, “Career Day.”
It’s incredibly difficult to find any footage ofMr. T and Tinaonline, but there are only five episodes, so it’s not surprising. Sadly,Mr. T and Tina’s best qualities are also its most damaging. The 1970s TV show is ahead of its time for featuring a predominantly Asian-American cast, but it also relies on harmful racial stereotypes.
The main issue, however, is thatit has essentially zero links toWelcome Back, Kotter.Takahashi is only a supporting character inWelcome Back, Kotter, and he has very little screen time, butMr. T and Tinabarely references it.Mr. T and Tinais unquestionably aspin-off that fails to live up to its original show, but it’s also possibly one of the worstTV show spinoffsof all time, too.
