Spinoffs are always a risk. For every failed short-term flop like Joey or The Brady Brides, there’s a show that not only matches expectations but exceeds them, forging its niche in television history. Some of these shows became so powerful, it’s hard to remember that they ever existed as spinoffs in the first place. These are ten that didn’t just ride the coattails of their progenitors — they broke through, becoming icons unto themselves.
10. The Originals (The Vampire Diaries)
When The Vampire Diaries launched the Mikaelsons, viewers fastened onto their magnetic blend of danger, drama, and loyalty. That energy whirled into The Originals, which realigned focus from teen romance to darker, more adult storytelling against the atmospheric location of New Orleans. With supernatural politics, complicated family dynamics, and a darker tone, the show separated itself and wrapped on its terms, sidestepping the exhaustion that besieged its parent series.
9. Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Buffy was already popular, but Angel’s standalone path provided viewers with something darker and more sophisticated. Moving to Los Angeles, the spin-off adopted a noir atmosphere, exploring redemption, moral ambiguity, and complications of having a troubled history. With more developed character plots and darker subjects, Angel demonstrated it wasn’t merely surfing Buffy’s wave — for others, even surpassing it.
8. A Different World (The Cosby Show)
Denise Huxtable’s college escapade began, but soon enough, the spin-off became its own show with its cultural significance. With Debbie Allen at the helm, A Different World became must-see TV, addressing race, class, and social justice issues that The Cosby Show would never attempt. It was so ingrained that it encouraged a generation of Black students to attend HBCUs, demonstrating that its impact extended far beyond television.
7. The Good Fight (The Good Wife)
The Good Wife was prestige television, but The Good Fight went further still. Starring Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), the spinoff did well on streaming, liberated from network constraints. Its incisive political bite, edgy storytelling, and unflinching commentary on anything from Trump-era politics to made it have an air of urgency and relevance that very few dramas have managed.
6. Law & Order: SVU (Law & Order)
The original Law & Order was a cog, but SVU put the formula to a heavier emotional load. Under the leadership of Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson, the show tackled sensitive topics such as assault and domestic violence with both grit and empathy. Now the longest-running live-action primetime drama ever in U.S. television history, SVU has not only surpassed its parent series but has become a staple of contemporary TV.
5. The Jeffersons (All in the Family)
Spin-off of one iconic sitcom, The Jeffersons did some innovating itself. George and Louise Jefferson’s relocation to the Upper East Side of Manhattan provided television with its initial upper-strata Black family, defying stereotypes with cleverness and humor. Its social relevance and biting social commentary made it a success beyond a hit — it became a TV landmark.
4. Laverne & Shirley (Happy Days)
While Happy Days was already a powerhouse, Laverne & Shirley was soon a phenomenon. Focused on two blue-collar roommates with endless charisma, the spinoff dialed up physical humor and heart. Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams’ chemistry drove the show, and its silly but unforgettable chant — “Schlemiel! Schlimazel!” — is seared into TV lore.
3. NCIS (JAG)
Whereas JAG was good but niche, its naval-investigations spinoff blew up into one of television’s largest procedurals. NCIS combined crime-fighting with offbeat, charming characters and just a touch of military intrigue enough to captivate audiences across demographics. The series not only survived JAG but begat an expansive franchise of its own, solidifying itself as the flagship.
2. Frasier (Cheers)
Cheers was a cultural phenomenon, yet Frasier demonstrated that lightning could strike twice. After Dr. Frasier Crane relocated from Boston to Seattle, the spinoff replaced barroom repartee with intellectual sparring and family dysfunction. Its acerbic dialogue, flawless ensemble, and record 37 Emmys made it one of the most awarded sitcoms of all time.
1. The Simpsons (The Tracey Ullman Show)
It’s almost unbelievable, but television’s most popular animated family began life as fast-paced shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. What followed was the stuff of legend: The Simpsons became the longest-running American sitcom, a pop culture phenomenon, and one of the wittiest satirical voices in the media. It didn’t just eclipse its humble beginnings — it transformed television.
From cartoon icons to decade-spanning dramas, these spinoffs illustrate that sometimes the “second act” is the one that steals the scene.