For just about as long as we’ve had television, we’ve had spin-offs. Some of television’s best, most beloved shows owe their existence to a popular predecessor. A number of shows throughout television history have led to spin-offs, capitalizing on the show’s success. Most often, a spin-off takes a popular minor character and makes them the star of their own show, but spin-offs have also focused on characters' backstories, a show’s plot explored from a different place or point in time and more.And despite their roots in another show, spin-offs can manage to be something else entirely, holding their own and distguinishing themselves from where they began. Some grow into entire franchises.
Although some spin-offs have missed the mark and end up being shortlived, others have become wildly popular in their own right, with ratings and critical acclaim surpassing that of the original series. Sometimes, that means a spin-off outlives the original show and becomes a pop-culture touchstone all its own. Some spin-offs went on to become so popular and iconic, it’s easy to forget they are, in fact, spin-offs, whether a beloved sitcom or compelling drama. But no matter the genre, the best spin-offs all boast impressive viewership numbers, as millions of people tuned in every week to see what would happen next.
Average Viewers: 1 million
The animated sitcomDariapremiered on MTV in 1997 and focused on a smart, sarcastic teenager and her best friend as they navigate high school and all of its troubles, including Daria’s popular sister, Quinn, and the rest of the in-crowd. The series offered social commentary through the lens of Daria herself, who was originally a supporting character in another famous animated comedy by MTV,Beavis and Butt-Head.Dariaran for five seasonsbefore ending in 2002, and averaged between one and two million viewers, according to the bookPrime Time Animation: Television Animation and American Culture.
Dariais still considered a classic and is still adored by fans decades later, thanks largely to the character of Daria herself—an outsider who was proud of it. Despite her demeanor,it was hard not to like Daria, possibly even relate to her, as she commented on everything from her peers to life in suburbia. She is often listed as one of the best animated characters on TV, and the show itself has managed to remain relevant years after it ended.
Watch on MTV
9’The Colbert Report'
Average Viewers: 1.5 million
ComedianStephen Colbertsatirized conservative political pundits onThe Colbert Report, as he took on the persona of one to discuss the big news stories, interview politicians, welcome celebrity guests and more. The show aired four nights a week on Comedy Central from 2005 until 2014, for a total of 10 seasons and just over 1,400 episodes, with an average viewership of 1.5 million,according to Comedy Central. Colbert first launched the character onThe Daily Show, hosted byJon Stewart.
Colbert hilariously tackled the news and political topics of the time, always steadfastly in character with a massive ego, over-the-top patriotism and most importantly, a quick, scathing wit. The show’s best, most memorable moments came from interviews in which the subject wasn’t in on the joke, especially during his “Better Know a District” segment which featured a different member of Congress in each one.Colbert left an undeniable mark on pop culture, including by coining a new word, “truthiness,” introduced in the show’s premiere.
The Colbert Report
Watch on Comedy Central
8’Better Call Saul'
Average Viewers: 2.2 million
AMC’sBreaking BadprequelBetter Call Saulfollowed Walter White’s sketchy lawyer, Saul Goodman, before he became Saul Goodman. Set in Albuquerque in the early 2000s, the series showed the moral decline of lawyer Jimmy McGill, who began his career as a cash-strapped public defender. The series also explored his relationship with his brother, Chuck, and his romance with the ambitious and mostly by-the-book, not-as-morally-ambiguous Kim.Better Call Saulseries premiered in 2015 andended in 2022 after six seasons. It averaged 2.2 million viewers,according to AMC.
Better Call Saulhas often been regarded as not only one of the best spin-offs of all time,but one of the best television shows overall, possibly surpassingBreaking Baditself. The series was a slow-burn character-driven story, as Jimmy slowly found himself wrapped up in the criminal underworld while his honesty and morality slipped more and more each season. He was cunning and resourceful but often used those skills for his own benefit, no matter who got caught in the crossfire.
Better Call Saul
Watch on Netflix
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7’The Simpsons'
Average Viewers: 4 million
Long-running animated sitcomThe Simpsonsfollows a typical working-class American family as they live their lives in the small town of Springfield, with parents Homer and Marge and their children, studious Lisa, troublemaker Bart and baby Maggie.It has been airing on Fox for 35 seasons- since its premiere in 1989 - making it the longest-running animated show of all time. But it started as a sketch on the variety showThe Tracey Ullman Show. While ratings have fluctuated over the years, with a high of just under 28 million viewers, recent seasons have averaged 4 million viewers, according toForbes.
The Simpsonsis a pop-culture juggernaut,with characters instantly recognizable even to people who don’t watch the show,and it’s certainly had a long, successful life of its own beyond its early days onThe Tracey Ullman Show. With so many episodes, the family has faced just about every scenario imaginable, and the show has poked fun at a lot of things over the years, and it’s even beencredited with predicting the futuremore than a few times. The most recent season averaged just under 2 million viewers, but its highest-rated episodes have drawn as many as 30 million.
The Simpsons
The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
Watch on Fox
6’Law & Order: SVU'
Average Viewers: 9 million
Law & Order: SVU, a spin-off of the long-running police proceduralLaw & Order, features the detectives of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit investigating crimes of a sexual nature, as opposed to homicides. While the focus was on the crimes, the show’s plot also sometimes addresses the detectives’ personal lives and their relationship with each other. The series initially starredMariska HargitayandChristopher Meloni, but following Meloni’s departure, Hargitay became the main star.Law & Order: SVUpremiered in 1999 and has been airing on NBC for 25 seasons.
SVUhas been a massive success. The episodes often featurecompelling, albeit disturbing, cases, and they’ve kept viewers watching for over two decades,SVUhas surpassed the originalLaw & Orderin terms of how long it’s been on the air, but just barely, as the flagship series is entering its 23rd season.SVUalso has the honor of being the longest-running live-action scripted American primetime series. Across all seasons, the averageviewership is about 9 million, while at the peak of its popularity, it was drawingjust under 15 million viewers.
Law & Order: SVU
This series follows the Special Victims Unit, a specially trained squad of detectives in the New York City Police Department that investigate sexually related crimes.
Watch on Peacock
5’The Facts of Life'
Average Viewers: 15 million
For nine seasons, viewers tuned in to NBC each week to see housemother Mrs. Garrett and the girls at the Eastland School for Young Women, an all-girls boarding school in New York, in sitcomThe Facts of Life. The series tackled the common problems of teenage girls, from dating and body image to drinking and self-harm. It began in 1979 as a spin-off ofDiff’rent Strokesand ended in 1988 after airing over 200 episodes. It averaged 15 million viewers each week, according toClassic TV Guide.
The Facts of Lifewas beloved in its own right,not just as a spin-off of another classic show. The girls’ distinct personalities provided for plenty of both conflict and humor, particularly between the tomboy Jo and preppy Blair. The show was a huge hit for NBC and even outlastedDiff’rent Strokesitself to become television’s longest-running sitcom at the time, a record which has been beaten in the decades since.
The Facts of Life
Watch on Prime
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Average Viewers: 16 million
Police proceduralNCISfocuses on the team of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, dedicated to solving crimes involving members of the Navy and Marine Corps. Each member of the NCIS team brings their own expertise. The series premiered in 2003 and airs on CBS.It is a spin-off ofJAG, which introduced the characters of Gibbs and DiNozzo in a two-party story arc in Season 8.NCISis also the first in a series of five additional shows, each with the same premise but in a different setting.
NCISis among the longest-running shows on TV, with over 20 seasons and counting. And over those 20-plus years, it has boasted a faithful audience and has consistently ranked among the highest-rated shows on TV.According toThe Hollywood Reporter, recent seasons have averaged about 10 million viewers, while at the peak of its popularity, the series drew 21 million viewers,according toDeadline. With an interesting and likable cast of characters plus compelling cases, and a touch of humor in the midst of heavy plots,it’s no wonder NCIS has enjoyed such success.
3’The Jeffersons'
Average Viewers: 18 million
The Jeffersonspremiered on CBS in 1975 and was a spin-off ofAll in the Family,both shows among many created by sitcom kingNorman Lear.The series followed the well-off George and Louise Jefferson, former neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker, as they moved into a luxury apartment building with their son, Lionel, and navigated life with its other tenants. The show ran for 11 seasons, until 1985, and over 250 episodes, withan average of 18 million viewers across all seasons.
The Jeffersonsare among the few spin-offs which outlasted its predecessor, which made it that much easier to forget where it began. While bothAll in the FamilyandThe Jeffersonswere centered on family, particularly married couples, what madeThe Jeffersonsso fun to watch was George and Louise’s very different attitudes towards their money and status, as well as the actors’ chemistry with each other.
The Jeffersons
2’MAS*H'
Average Viewers: 16.6 million
The classical sitcomMAS*Hwas a spin-off from a movie of the same name, itself an adaptation of a novel, and followed a team of doctors during the Korean War. It ran on CBS for 11 seasons, from 1972 until 1983, and starred Alan Alda as Captain Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce. The series was known for its ability to balance comedy with serious, emotional plots, particularly dealing with the horrors of war.
Due to low ratings during its first season,MAS*Hwas at risk of being canceled, but viewership increased after it was moved to a different time slot. From then on, the show was consistently ranked among the Top 20 - and sometimes the Top 10 - shows in the Nielsen ratings, withan average viewership of 16 million people. It is still hailed asone of the best television shows of all time, and its finale wasthe most-watched series finale in television history, drawing in 105.9 million viewers,a majority of the people watching TV at the time, at 77%.
MAS*H is set in a mobile army hospital during the Korean War, following the lives of the doctors and nurses who must balance the grim realities of war with moments of humor and camaraderie. Led by the wisecracking surgeon Hawkeye Pierce and his colleagues, the show explores themes of friendship, sacrifice, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Watch on Hulu
1’Frasier'
Average Viewers: 24 million
SitcomFrasierfollowed therapist Dr. Frasier Crane as he moved from Boston to his hometown of Seattle in search of a fresh start after going through a divorce, where he lived with his father and imparted his wisdom upon the city through his radio talk show.Frasierwas a spinoff ofCheers, where the character first appeared as the love interest of Diane (Shelley Long). Frasier aired on NBC for 11 seasons andwas rebooted in 2023by streaming service Paramount+, with Frasier returning to Boston.
Frasierwas one of the most successful spin-offs in television history.Its theme song about “tossed salads and scrambled eggs” is still instantly recognizable, and it’s no wonder it got a reboot. And, of course, its focus on Frasier himself gave the character more life than he had onCheers, making him funnier as a result, as he moved from a minor love interest to the star of his own show. At the peak of its popularity,Frasierdrew in an average of 24 million viewers, according toThe Washington Post.
Dr. Frasier Crane, a celebrated radio talk show host, moves back to his hometown of Seattle after years of living in Boston. He lives with his father, Martin, a retired cop, and is frequently visited by his brother, Niles, and their eccentric housekeeper, Daphne. Each episode delves into Frasier’s attempts to juggle his career, love life, and the often chaotic, but always loving, relationships with his family and friends.
Watch on Paramount+
NEXT:‘Better Call Saul’ & 9 Other Spin-Offs That Are Better Than the Originals
