The 10 best (and worst) spinoff shows of all time, ranked

Yes, the warning against “too much of a good thing” rings true, and some unfortunate spinoff shows are proof (stand down, AfterMASH). But on the other hand, more of a good thing can really hit the spot at times, with certain favorable sequel series (ahoy, NCIS!) carving out their own space in the entertainment industry. 

Read on to see if your favorite spinoff shows made our top 10 list — and whether the duds you remember are singled out for worst-of infamy.

The 10 best spinoff shows

10. A Different World (NBC, 1987–1993)

When The Cosby Show daughter Denise Huxtable went off to university, millions of viewers followed along as she found herself in, well, a different world at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU. As Denise, Lisa Bonet headlined the first season of this late ‘80s sitcom, which benefited from Debbie Allen’s influence as showrunner starting in season 2. Doing triple duty as producer, director, and actress (appearing as therapist Dr. Langhorne), Allen nudged A Different World away from nuts-and-bolts sitcom storylines to explore stories centered on sexuality, race, and more. 

Where to watch A Different World: Philo (seasons 3-6)

9. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC, 1999–present)

While mothership Law & Order is a classic case-of-the-week procedural, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is much more interested in the long-term arcs of detectives who investigate these heinous crimes. In particular, Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson, the heart and soul of the franchise, has risen through the ranks from detective to captain — a promotion she should’ve earned for dealing with Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) alone. 

Despite SVU’s shockingly high solve rate, one case remains uncracked: the will-they, won’t-they between Stabler and Benson. “All you need to know is Benson and Stabler love each other deeply,” Hargitay said in 2023. “It’s so deep! You know, the show is probably only gonna go another 23 years, so I think we should just wait and see!”

Where to watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Peacock

8. Angel (WB, 1999–2004)

If you typed “broody” into 1998’s newest internet search engine — I think it was called Noodle or Goggle or something? — chances are you’d come across a photo of David Boreanaz as Angel, your favorite vampire slayer’s favorite vampire boyfriend. The sexy, mysterious Angel appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer before a heart-wrenching breakup sent him packing to Los Angeles, where he set up shop as PI and ran afoul of a demonic law firm.

Angel tackled darker themes than its predecessor while still maintaining the quippy lightness that makes Joss Whedon’s masterpieces, well, masterpieces. (It also gave us puppet Angel, which should not be overlooked.) “If Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a show about becoming,” wrote EW’s Joshua Rivera, “then Angel is about something far more challenging: existing.”

Where to watch Angel: Hulu

7. Benson (ABC, 1979–1986)

This spinoff of Soap took Robert Guillaume’s beloved butler and put him in charge of the governor’s mansion, where he eventually ascended to the lieutenant governor’s chair. (Apologies for spoiling a 40-year-old show.) 

“When I got the role of Benson, I was not the happiest camper,” Guillaume said in a 2016 Entertainment Tonight interview. “I had reservations ‘cause you’re serving food, you’re serving a family and all that sort of thing, and it thrusts you back in time. It’s as though nothing has changed since 1800. But then the more I examined the role and read the script, I figured out a way to take some of the stench off the idea.” And thank goodness he did, as the role made Guillaume the first Black actor to win Emmys for a comedy series.

Where to watch Benson: Amazon Prime Video

6. The Good Fight (Paramount+, 2017–2022)

After stealing scenes for years as the imperious Diane Lockhart on The Good Wife, Christine Baranski took center stage in Paramount+’s primal scream of a legal show. The Good Fight directly reflected the bafflement and rage that Diane — and many of her viewers — felt as she watched Donald Trump assume the presidency and was forced to navigate the tumultuous times that followed.

Sure, the characters curse and cavort like they know there aren’t network TV restrictions, but beyond that, the storylines explicitly reflect the rage and disorientation of wealthy, educated liberals living through Trump’s first term, with storylines that tackle police brutality, serial sexual harassers, podcast bros, the long-rumored pee tape, and a heroine who spends a season microdosing. (Bonus points for sister spinoff show Elsbeth, the CBS legal dramedy that stars American treasure and Good Wife/Good Fight alum Carrie Preston.)

Where to watch The Good Fight: Paramount+

5. Laverne and Shirley (ABC, 1976–1983)

Calling all lovers of monograms and Milwaukee! Shotz Brewery bottle-cappers and odd-couple roommates Laverne and Shirley started as friends of Fonzie on Happy Days before landing their own ABC comedy. Set in the 1950s Midwest, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams brought a winning, working-girl bonhomie to the bachelorette lifestyle — and put a mark on TV wardrobes with their signature sweaters bearing curlicue initials. 

Not only did Laverne and Shirley give Marshall (A League of Their Own, Big) an early stab at directing, it also introduced audiences to the satisfying silliness of sing-shouting, “Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!”

Where to watch Laverne and Shirley: Pluto

4. NCIS (CBS, 2003–present)

Almost all of this JAG spinoff’s original ensemble has departed during its literal decades on air, but NCIS remains a ratings powerhouse. Under the steely gaze of Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has solved military-based crimes with a comforting mix of action and quips for so long that the characters don’t need to explain what “NCIS” stands for anymore.

The show has seen no shortage of shocking deaths and bittersweet departures, even weathering Harmon’s exit. (Replacing him with the equally silver — and equally foxy — Gary Cole definitely helped.) NCIS didn’t break Gunsmoke’s record as CBS’s longest-running scripted primetime series for nothing… 

Where to watch NCIS: Paramount+

3. The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975–1985)

Nobody made television like Norman Lear, and The Jeffersons might just be his crowning achievement. With its then-progressive depictions and storylines — an upper-class Black couple, a mixed-race pairing — and one of TV’s catchiest theme songs, the All in the Family spinoff broke barriers while attracting a massive and diverse audience.

“People give all the credit to The Cosby Show,” Isabel Sanford, who played Louise, told Entertainment Weekly in 2000. “But they forget that we did it first, a full 10 years before.” Timelessly funny, The Jeffersons still has sharp observations to offer about race, class, and gender in America today. 

Where to watch The Jeffersons: Tubi (seasons 5 and 6); Pluto (seasons 10 and 11)

2. Frasier (NBC, 1993–2004) 

When fussy psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) trades the friendly confines of his regular watering hole in Cheers for a new gig as a Seattle radio personality, audiences happily tucked into 11 servings — er, seasons — of tossed salad and scrambled eggs. 

As towering as Grammer’s comedic chops are, Frasier wouldn’t have become a primetime juggernaut without the ferocious talents of David Hyde Pierce as Frasier’s even fussier brother, Niles; John Mahoney as the blue-collar Crane patriarch Martin; Jane Leeves as Martin’s live-in caretaker Daphne; and Peri Gilpin as Frasier’s no-nonsense radio producer, Roz. (And yes, we’re politely pretending that the revival bears no relation to the OG.) 

Where to watch Frasier: Paramount+

1. Better Call Saul (AMC, 2008–2013)

Breaking Bad is a masterpiece. And how do you follow up a masterpiece? With another masterpiece, obviously. Better Call Saul equaled and at times even surpassed the show that launched it, showcasing the heartbreaking corruption of fledgling attorney Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) as he fights out from under his older brother Chuck’s (Michael McKean) shadow and struggles through a relationship with whip-smart striver Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn). 

The final season delivered, in the words of EW’s critic, a “breathtaking” achievement. We already knew how Saul Goodman’s story ended; what a privilege to see how the tragedy began. 

Where to watch Better Call Saul: Netflix

The 10 worst spinoff shows

10. Living Dolls (ABC, 1989)

Even baby-faced future Oscar winner Halle Berry couldn’t save this Who’s the Boss? spinoff, which finds Charlie Briscoe (Leah Remini) pursuing a modeling career with the help of agency owner Trish Carlin (Michael Learned). (The continuation comes from Charlie’s friendship with Alyssa Milano’s Samantha and Trish’s friendship with Judith Light’s Angela.) 

The series was canceled after 12 episodes, and as short as that run was, Living Dolls still outlasted other Boss spinoff attempts. A backdoor pilot starring Fran Drescher and Donna Dixon wasn’t picked up, and neither was a planned series focusing on Mona (Katherine Helmond) helping her brother run a Manhattan motel.

Where to watch Living Dolls: Fubo

9. Saved by the Bell: The College Years (NBC, 1993–1994)

Audiences decided they’d rather drop out and get stuck with the student loans than follow the Bayside High kids to college. Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Screech (Dustin Diamond), Slater (Mario Lopez), and Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen) were the only members of the original Saved by the Bell cast to enroll at Cal U, where the plot “cranks up the sex and stupidity quotients,” as EW’s critic wrote. 

Some of the storylines would’ve been at home in high school (Zack has to decide whether to cheat on his ethics midterm) and represent more mature themes (Kelly dates her professor). Kelly’s new gal pals were no replacement for Lisa (Lark Voorhies) and Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley) — and what is the lavishly mulleted former NFL player Bob Golic doing as a dorm advisor?

Where to watch Saved by the Bell: The College Years: Amazon Prime Video

8. Time of Your Life (Fox, 1999–2000)

Audiences failed to RSVP for Party of Five’s party of one spinoff featuring Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) on a quest to find her biological father in New York City. Time of Your Life had the network’s full promotional power behind it, with Fox Entertainment President Doug Herzog telling EW at the time, “Jennifer … Love … Hewitt … Those are three words I love to say.” 

But the show itself wasn’t around for a good time or even a particularly long time, getting axed after pilot reshoots and a shaky single season that bombed with critics. As EW’s Kristen Baldwin wrote, ”Bless her saucer-eyed, girlish-giggle-filled heart, but Miss Love Hewitt is just too darn earnest… to be bearable for a whole hour.” At least we got a pre-Alias Jennifer Garner out of it. 

Time of Your Life is not available to stream.

7. AfterMASH (CBS, 1983–1985)

The M*A*S*H franchise went from masterpiece to masterclass in how not to continue a successful series. AfterMASH displayed none of the sharp writing and innovative storytelling as it followed the post-Korean War exploits of Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan), Sgt. Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr), and Father John Mulcahy (William Christopher). 

Robert Thompson, then-director of the Center for Television Research at Syracuse University, told EW in a 1998 interview that creating a spinoff show as successful as its parent is “as rare as type AB negative blood in a remote field hospital,” particularly because AfterMASH failed to establish its own identity unlike, say, Frasier.

AfterMASH is not available to stream.

6. The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. (NBC, 1966–1967)

This female spin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. finds chic spy April Dancer (Stefanie Powers) heading out on missions with her posh British cohort (Noel Harrison). Critics at the time criticized Powers’ limited powers as an actress, and the outlandish plots didn’t do the show any favors. (April totes around a dog whose fleas carry an antidote to a slow-motion drug? I’ll take a dose of whatever those writers were having…) 

The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. bombed so hard that some observers held it responsible for Man’s cancellation the following year. Still, the premise holds promise — who’s up to try again in 2025?

Where to watch The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.: Amazon Prime Video

5. Baywatch Nights (Syndicated, 1995–1997)

Turns out, the beach is better in the sunlight. David Hasselhoff and company tried to make this after-dark Baywatch spinoff work, but turning frequently shirtless lifeguard Mitch into a second-shift detective wasn’t a natural progression for the character. Even more baffling was the introduction of the supernatural in season 2. (Save the vampires for The X-Files, and let the Hoff be a daywalker once more!) Despite the show giving Angie Harmon her first regular series role, “Baywatch Nights,” EW’s critic wrote in 1995, “is so clueless.”

Baywatch Nights is not available to stream.

4. Phyllis (CBS, 1975–1977)

The Mary Tyler Moore Show helped define the workplace comedy, and Cloris Leachman was a television legend. Yet sticking Leachman’s beloved character in her own sitcom didn’t generate the same success as sister spinoff Rhoda. Perhaps part of the problem was the downer premise: a broke Phyllis moves in with her San Francisco in-laws and struggles to find a job following the death of her dermatologist husband. (Laughing yet?) Although Leachman won a Golden Globe for her starring role in Phyllis, the show struggled with ratings and was canceled after its second season.

Phyllis is not available to stream.

3. Joanie Loves Chachi (ABC, 1982–1983)

Joanie may have loved Chachi, but audiences sure didn’t love this Happy Days spinoff that follows the pair (played by Erin Moran and Scott Baio) as they move to Chicago in pursuit of rock ‘n’ roll fame. The show featured musical performances in every episode, which didn’t produce the ratings spike that ABC was hoping for, leading to a cancellation 17 episodes into its second season.

Joanie Loves Chachi is not available to stream.

2. Joey (NBC, 2004–2006)

Joey got by with a little help from his Friends, but without them, his “how you doin’” charm wears thin, fast. Joey finds Matt LeBlanc’s Italian-American actor trying to make it big in Hollywood. LeBlanc himself knew that he was facing an uphill battle with a solo show, telling EW in 2003, “It shouldn’t try to be Friends. If people say, ‘It’s no Friends,’ I’ll say, ”Well, that’s a good observation. No s— it’s no Friends!”

Despite the addition of the wildly talented Drea de Matteo as Joey’s sister, Jennifer Coolidge as his agent, and Paulo Costanzo as his nephew, audiences said, “It’s no Friends,” and the show was canceled after two seasons.

Joey is not available to stream.

1. The Brady Brides (NBC, 1981)

You’d be forgiven for not remembering this Brady Bunch spinoff existed, but it did. Oh, it did… Marcia (Maureen McCormick) and Jan’s (Eve Plumb) double wedding launches this 10-episode misfire that was originally intended as a reunion movie before it expanded. “The Brady Girls Get Married” was chopped into three parts, leaving the remaining seven episodes to explore the ups and downs of married life for these cohabitating newlyweds. Jan paired off with an older, conservative professor and Marcia wed a laid-back toy salesman, but audiences failed to turn in for the inevitable clashes.

The Bradey Brides is not available to stream.