List of television spinoffs
A spinoff in television is a new series containing characters or settings that originated in a previous series, but with a different focus, tone, or theme. For example, the series Frasier was a spinoff of the earlier series Cheers: the character Frasier Crane was introduced as a secondary character on Cheers, and became the protagonist of his own series, set in a different city, in the spinoff. Spinoffs are particularly common in sitcom. A related phenomenon, not to be confused with the spinoff, is the crossover.
Some spinoffs are "engineered" to introduce a new character on the original television series, just so that that character can anchor the new spinoff – that episode of the original series is often known as a "backdoor pilot". For example, the character Avery Ryan appeared in two episodes of the Las Vegas-based CSI: Crime Scene Investigation before the premiere of CSI: Cyber.[1]
A revival, a later remake of a preexisting show, is not a spinoff. This is the case in Doctor Who, where the 2005 series which begins with a new Doctor but maintains the existing continuity. An exception to this rule can be made to series such as The Transformers where the lines of continuity are blurred. If a television pilot was written but never shot, it is not considered a spinoff. When a show undergoes a name change, it is not necessarily a spinoff.
Neither is a reboot series, a term recently invented for motion pictures, which can also occur in television (e.g. The Battlestar Galactica series of 2003 is a reboot, not a spinoff of the 1978 version[2]). This is distinct from a revival in that there is little or no attempt to retain continuity, or casting, with the original. A recent example is the 1987 series Beauty and the Beast, rebooted as the 2012 The CW television series Beauty & the Beast,[3] which keeps only the main premise of a female law enforcement official aided by a man-beast, the New York City locale, and the names of the two main characters. The CW's Beauty & the Beast was later rebooted again as a Max series starting in 2023.
NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–present), which is the spinoff of NBC's Law & Order (1990–2010; 2022–present), is the longest-running spinoff series in American TV history; its 27th season premiered on September 25, 2025.
The following is an alphabetical list of television spinoffs by their respective parent series.
#
[edit]| Parent series | Spinoff series | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 9-1-1 (2018–present) | 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020–2025) | |
| 9-1-1: Nashville (2025–present) | ||
| 19 Kids and Counting (2008–2015) | United Bates of America (2012) | |
| Jill and Jessa: Counting On (2015) | ||
| 7 vidas (1999–2006) | Aída (2005–2014) | |
| 77 Sunset Strip (1958–1964) | Bourbon Street Beat (1959–1960) | |
| 16 and Pregnant (2009–2021) | Teen Mom (2009–2021) | |
| Teen Mom 2 (2011–2022) | ||
| Teen Mom 3 (2013) | ||
| 60 Minutes (1968–present) | 60 Minutes II (1999–2005) | [4] |
| 60 Minutes+ (2022) | [5] | |
| 39 and a Half (2008–2009) | 39 and Half Weeks (2019) | |
| The 20th Century Fox Hour (1955–1957) | Broken Arrow (1956–1958) | |
| 21 Jump Street (1987–1991) | Booker (1989–1990) | |
| 24 (2001–2010, 2014) | 24: Legacy (2017) | |
| No. 73 (1982–1988) | 7T3 (1988) |
A
[edit]B
[edit]C
[edit]D
[edit]E
[edit]F
[edit]G
[edit]H
[edit]I
[edit]J
[edit]K
[edit]L
[edit]M
[edit]N
[edit]O
[edit]P
[edit]Q
[edit]| Parent series | Spinoff series |
|---|---|
| Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (2003–2007) | Queer Eye for the Straight Girl (2005) |
| Queer Eye (2018–2026) |
R
[edit]S
[edit]T
[edit]U
[edit]V
[edit]| Parent series | Spinoff series |
|---|---|
| V (1983) | V: The Final Battle (1983) |
| V: The Series (1984–1985) | |
| The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017) | The Originals (2013–2018) |
| Legacies (2018–2022) | |
| Vampirina (2017-2021) | Vampirina: Teenage Vampire (2025–present) |
| VeggieTales in the House (2014–2016) | VeggieTales in the City (2017) |
| The VeggieTales Show (2019–2022) | |
| Vic Reeves Big Night Out (1990–1991) | Les Lives (1993) |
| Victorious (2010–2013) | Sam & Cat (2013–2014) |
| The Virginian (1962–1971) | Laredo (1965–1967) |
| Vision On (1964–1976) | Take Hart (1977–1983) |
| Viva La Bam (2003–2005) | Bam's Unholy Union (2007) |
| Voltron (1984–1985) | Voltron: The Third Dimension (1998–2000) |
| Voltron Force (2011–2012) |
W
[edit]X
[edit]| Parent series | Spinoff series |
|---|---|
| The X Factor (2004–2018) | The Xtra Factor (2004-2016) |
| The X Factor: Battle of the Stars (2006) | |
| The X-Files (1993–2002, 2016-2018) | Millennium (1996–1999) |
| The Lone Gunmen (2001) | |
| X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997) | X-Men '97 (2024–present) |
| The XYY Man (1976–1977) | Strangers (1978–1982) |
| Bulman (1985–1987) | |
| Xiaolin Showdown (2003–2006) | Xiaolin Chronicles (2013–2015) |
Y
[edit]Z
[edit]| Parent series | Spinoff series |
|---|---|
| Z-Cars (1962–1978) | Softly, Softly (1966–1969) |
| Zoom (1972–1978) | Zoom (1999–2005) |
See also
[edit]- List of American television series based on British television series
- Television shows that spun off from anthology series
- List of animated spinoffs from prime time shows
- List of television series revivals
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1970) and Groovie Goolies (1970).
- ^ Part of the series 2 Stupid Dogs (1993–1995).
- ^ a b c d e Japanese-exclusive series.
- ^ a.k.a. Behind the Music II: Road to Fame or Behind the Music 2.
- ^ Later retitled Kate Columbo, then Kate the Detective and Kate Loves a Mystery from its second season.
- ^ a b a. k. a. The Dick Powell Theater.
- ^ a b c Shared with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969–1970). Cite error: The named reference "Laff-A-Lympics" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Retitled Gadget Boy's Adventures in History from its second season.
- ^ Retitled Lego Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles from its second season.
- ^ Retitled Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past from its second season.
- ^ Part of the series Marsupilami (1993).
- ^ Legally a spinoff from the M*A*S*H feature film.
- ^ a b Featuring the first and second seasons of Richie Rich (1980–1984) and the 1980 Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo series (1980–1982) respectively.
- ^ Featuring the first season of Pac-Man (1982–1983), the first season of The Little Rascals (1982–1983) and the third season of Richie Rich (1980–1984) respectively.
- ^ Featuring Monchhichis (1983), the second season of The Little Rascals (1982–1983) and the fourth season of Richie Rich (1980–1984) respectively.
- ^ a b Featuring the third season of the 1980 Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo series (1980–1982) and The Puppy's New Adventures (1982) respectively.
- ^ Featuring the first seasons of The Scooby-Doo Show (1976–1978) and Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (1976–1977) respectively.
- ^ Retitled Scooby's All-Stars from its second season.
- ^ Became a standalone series from its third season.
- ^ a b c Part of the series Tarzan and the Super 7 (1978–1979).
- ^ Featuring the second season of Captain N: The Game Master (1989–1991) and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990) respectively.
- ^ Featuring the third season of Captain N: The Game Master (1989–1991) and Super Mario World (1991) respectively.
- ^ a b Featuring the third season of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1976–1977) and the first season of Jason of Star Command (1978–1979).
- ^ Became a standalone series from its second season.
- ^ Featuring the second season of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1976–1977) and The New Adventures of Batman (1977).
- ^ Retitled The Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show from its second season.
- ^ Retitled The Steve Allen Plymouth Show from the 1959–1960 season.
- ^ Retitled The Jack Paar Tonight Show from the 1959–1960 season.
- ^ a b Part of the series Wake, Rattle, and Roll (1990–1991). Cite error: The named reference "Wake, Rattle, and Roll" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Featuring the eponymous main series (1978), Galaxy Goof-Ups (1978), The Buford Files (1978) and The Galloping Ghost (1978) respectively.
References
[edit]- ^ Natalie Abrams (August 14, 2014). "Patricia Arquette returning to 'CSI' before 'CSI: Cyber' kicks off". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
Arquette previously appeared on CSI in a backdoor pilot episode for Cyber last spring.
- ^ Jeff Jensen (September 22, 2006). ""Battlestar Galactica": Inside TV's next great cult hit". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
...Sci Fi Channel's critically exalted reboot of the 1978–79 TV series about space-faring humans fleeing genocidal robots known as Cylons...
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (September 15, 2011). "CW To Reboot 1980s 'Beauty and the Beast'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- ^ Tribune, Chicago (1999-01-20). ""60 Minutes II": The spin-off of CBS's..." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
- ^ Petski, Denise (2022-01-13). "'60 Minutes+' Streaming Spinoff Canceled After One Season By Paramount Plus". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
- ^ Alex Farber (March 9, 2011). "BBC3 to air Being Human spin-off". Broadcast. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
Becoming Human, the online extension to BBC3 drama Being Human, is to reach its finale via a simulcast aired online and on the digital channel.
- ^ C. Molly Smith (March 10, 2017). "David Boreanaz reflects on Buffy: 'I was in the right spot at the right time'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, the spin-off.
- ^ James Hibberd (July 15, 2014). "ABC: Here's why 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' didn't work out". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee has a theory about why Once Upon a Time in Wonderland didn't work out. The network executive suggests the Once Upon a Time spin-off was undermined by its time slot.
- ^ Mathew Wace Peck (October 18, 2011). "BBC brings The Sarah Jane Adventures to a close". Digital Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
The Sarah Jane Adventures – which was created by Russell T. Davies (Torchwood) specifically for her – and its spin-off, Sarah Jane's Alien Files.
- ^ "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo! Premieres August 8 @ 10|9c". TLC. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2012.