Top 25 Best TV Spin Offs in 2024

Following up a genre defining show is no easy feat, and that show being Star Trek makes all the harder. The Next Generation was the first live action Star Trek spin-off and if it wasn’t successful then we wouldn’t be seeing the continued shows we do today. The Next Generation was a chance to capture a new generation of fans and capitalize on the success of the original show. Capitalize they did getting wide success across 7 seasons and 178 episodes.

There were even four separate films made for the show that were all released in theaters. It could be argued that The Next Generation is the reason why we have all the movies and shows of Star Trek.

Dexter’s Laboratory like many other hit Cartoon Network shows of the late 90’s were a by-product and spin offs of one show. That show was a  Hanna-Barbera short film anthology series called What a Cartoon!. The show consisted of 22 minute episodes that featured three seven minute animated shorts. It was originally created as a way to allow animators and writers to take back creative control of animation.

Dexter’s Laboratory was a huge success and was easily a classic that would go on to influence the future direction and animation style that all Cartoon Network shows would have.

The Powerpuff Girls like Dexter’s Laboratory came from the anthology show What a Cartoon! and if Dexter’s Laboratory wasn’t the top show at Cartoon Network then it was The Powerpuff Girls. The Powerpuff Girls had a similar impact and importance to Dexter’s Laboratory’s but The Powerpuff Girls legacy may last a bit longer as it’s had a movie with a theatrical release and has recently been revived.

Adventure Time! is somewhat of a modern classic in kids animation. Finn the Human and Jake The Dog have become household names and icons in the animation industry ever since Adventure Time! First aired in 2010. The show was originally a short film that aired on Nicktoons on a show called Random! Cartoons that acted as an anthology series. The episode titled Adventure Time aired in 2007 and while the design of the characters isn’t the same the episode does act as a pilot to Adventure Time! which debuted three years later. 

These days we all fondly remember  Hanna-Barbera Cartoons for their wide variety of amazing cartoon characters and cartoon shows. Huckleberry Hound, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones just to name a few, and even Yogi Bear.

Yogi Bear originally appeared as a supporting character on The Huckleberry Hound Show and quickly became a beloved character on the show and eventually began to outshine the title character Huckleberry Hound. They gave Yogi his own show and it outperformed The Huckleberry Hound Show and was widely more popular.

If you grew up in the early 2000’s and watched Cartoon Network then you’ve likely heard and watched quite a bit of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy but did you know it was a spinoff. Billy and Mandy were originally a side segment on the show Grim and Evil which was about a whole slew of characters including the three titular characters from Grim Adventures. Grim and Evil only aired two seasons before it was canceled. Grim Adventures began airing solo episodes alongside Grim and Evil and aired from 2001 to 2007 and was a staple of Cartoon Networks programming for nearly its entire run. 

It even won two Emmys for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 2006 and 2007.

It’s very common for shows, specifically anime like Dragon Ball to have many different iterations across many different names but the wide critical success and fan appreciation of Dragon Ball Z is great to ignore on this occasion. 

The original Dragon Ball ended in 1989 and Dragon Ball Z aired less than ten days later. There was a time jump of five years but aside from that it picks up pretty much right where Dragon Ball left off. DBZ ran for 291 episodes before it ended in 1996. There have been other continuations of the series but n9one has been as successful or loved as Dragon Ball Z.

Before his time on The Late Show Stephen Colbert played an exaggerated stereotype of a right wing republican on the comedic news show The Colbert Report. It was hailed for its intelligent approach to news and its cleverly written humor. 

But even before that Colbert played the same character on The Daily Show as a foil to The Daily Show‘s John Stewart. The character was beloved and it eventually launched Stephen Colbert’s wider career and got him The Late Show on primetime television.

It’s hard to claim that any show could outshine Batman: The Animated Series as it made a huge impact on Batman as a character but Batman Beyond aired right alongside the many DC superhero shows of the time. 

It held its own against established and beloved characters and stories while it was coming with new characters and villains for a new Batman in the future. It’s a cult classic and had tons of moments that would become classic Batman moments and it even spawned its own comic series.

No we’re not talking about the cartoon or famous sitcom, we’re talking about the more dramatic netflix series starring Kiernan Shipka as the titular character Sabrina the Witch. It was originally conceived as a spinoff of Riverdale, the CW show based on characters made famous by Archie Comics. The show was passed by CW but was picked up as a netflix series.

Riverdale has gotten heavy criticism for its often cringeworthy writing, over the top performances, and awkward dialogue and while Chilling Adventures takes a similar approach it was received far better than Riverdale by critics.

Alvin and the Chipmunks made a good name for themselves in the 80’s with their high pitched singing and  crazy antics and adventures but it was nearly 20 years prior in the 60’s that the Chipmunks had their first show. The Alvin Show had one season from 1961-1962. It did poorly against other cartoons at the time and was canceled. The Chipmunks were in a very similar form to the one they had in the 80’s and very little was changed. The show aired 7 seasons and they made multiple movies based on the show. 

I guess signing chipmunks was a little ahead of audiences in the 60’s.

While the show featuring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell doesn’t have much in common with famed sketch comedy show “All That” it is officially considered a spin off of the show. It sees a lot of the same stars making appearances and playing similar characters.

The show only lasted for 4 seasons but it had a lasting impact on audiences as its still what Kenan Thompson is best known for despite being a longstanding member on the cast of SNL.

While this spin off isn’t a tv show the movie is based off of a skit on All That that features Kenan and Kel so we’re making an exception on this one. Much like the similar spin off Kenan and Kel this movie stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Kel is the main star here as his character plays a moronic fast food employee.

Similarly to Kenan and Kel it’s what the two actors are best known for and as the actors have rekindled their relationship later in life there are plans to make a sequel in the coming years.

One is a genius, the other is insane. The story of Pinky and The Brain revolves around two experiment rats trying to take over the world. The characters are famous and icons in Warner Brothers animation but before we were dancing to the sound of their own theme song we watched them on an equally famous animated show, The Animaniacs. 

Pinky and the Brain won multiple daytime Emmys and the characters still make occasional cameos in mainstream adult animation like The Simpsons. There are even talks to revive the series for streaming.

Before Saved by the Bell became synonymous with the early 90’s the characters got their start in the Disney show Good Morning, Miss Bliss. The show centered around a 6th grade teacher. The show got one season and was canceled shortly after it aired its 13th episode. Despite the original show’s lackluster performance there were some elements that worked and they completely overhauled the show shifting focus to the kids of the class and aging the students to 8th grade instead.

Just like that, Saved by the Bell was born and was widely successful, getting four seasons and a couple of movies. I think they made the right call

The Jeffersons wasn’t the first spin off of the show All in the Family but it was the longest running and more successful spin off that All in the Family spawned. The show focused on the lives of an African American family living in Manhattan. The show never really found a comfortable time slot but despite that it lasted for 11 years and was widely popular.

It was in the top 30 and top 10 best rated shows for the majority of the time it was on air but it was abruptly canceled after the 11th season and most of the cast didn’t find out until they heard the news from the paper or friends.

Yet another show that was a spinoff of Happy Days this features the reappearance of the titular characters and their adventures in the late 1950’s. The show aired after Happy Days and stayed on the air for 8 seasons. While it was airing it was the number one show on air for two seasons and outperformed Happy Days both by critics and in ratings. 

After its fifth season the show started to wain off in popularity and never quite regained its former popularity but it doesn’t change the impact it had on television. It did air as reruns throughout the late 70’s and early 80’s before eventually going off the air after the end of its 8th season. 

NCIS has had dozens of its own spinoffs and the main show has been running for, let me check, 20 years now so it’s hard to believe that the show was a spinoff of anything. People often forget that this hit procedural crime drama was actually a spin off of legal military drama JAG.

No matter how you feel about largely procedural shows it’s hard to argue with the results of making NCIS as a spinoff. 

This show revolves around the loving Winslow family that appeared as characters in the less famous sitcom Perfect Strangers. While the early seasons were mostly about the main family and their relationships with each other the show gained mainstream popularity for Steve Urkel. Yes, that one. 

Steve Urkel was originally supposed to be a one off character but became a recurring character. Towards the end of the show episodes almost entirely revolved around Urkel and his adventures. Whether people were into the classic family love or the suspender wearing nerd the show was a huge hit. Outliving and outperforming Perfect Strangers.

While the Simpsons have solidified their spot as America’s favorite cartoon family and while it’s difficult to imagine a time without the show they were at one point just a smaller part of a variety sketch show. Matt Groening, who created the Simpsons, originally made the family for a series of short clips and sketches for the The Tracey Ullman Show. It was a variety and sketch comedy show in the 80s and the Simpsons had some of their very first adventures there before getting their own prime time show. 

After dozens of seasons, episodes still airing, movies, merchandise, and even a theme park land we’d say the spinoff was a good idea.

Everyone loves the feel good comedy of the alien Mork (played by a young Robin Williams) and Mindy (played by Pam Dawber). We all know and love Robin Williams’ amazing and groundbreaking performance as Mork from Ork but the start of the show wasn’t the first time we saw the alien. We first met Mork in the episode titled My Favorite Orkan from the hit show Happy Days. The episode was such a hit that they made a spinoff with the character albeit with a tamer sense of humor.

The show is largely remembered for being one of Robin Williams breakout hits and his comedic style brought the show multiple daytime Emmy nominations.

Yes, the cynical teenage girl with a dry wit was once a recurring character on the show Beavis and Butthead before she got her own show that lasted for 5 seasons in the 90’s and early 2000’s. It wasn’t worked on by the creators of beavis and butthead but he did allow the network to make the show. 

It gained a cult following and became a well respected and praised show for its interesting characters, unique charm and wit, and clever writing. Daria has even been placed in top 50 cartoon characters by magazines.

Yes, it’s technically a reboot of a spinoff but we say that’s enough to make it on the list. She-Ra is originally a spinoff character from He-Man and the Masters of The Universe. She got her own show in 1985 and that show was rebooted in 2018 as a Netflix series. 

It was hailed by critics for its intelligent writing, diverse cast, and complex character relationships. It was nominated for multiple Daytime Emmys and won multiple Media awards. 

Everyone loves the Rugrats, it’s an animation classic. It is a widely beloved show about the misadventures of a bunch of brave babies. The original show ended in 2004 but in 2001 they did a Rugrats special named All Growed Up for the tenth anniversary of the show that showed what the babies would be like ten years after the end of the show. The special was the highest rated episode of the show, kids even had parties to watch the episode with friends. Naturally Nickelodeon Studios wanted to capitalize on the success of the special and in 2004 All Grown Up aired as a continuation of the special. 

It dealt with typical pre-teen/teen drama issues like fitting in, school, and puberty. While the show didn’t do as well as hit shows Spongebob Squarepants and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and had mixed reviews it was among the networks top shows for its entire run of 5 seasons and was featured in several “hit episodes” compilation DVDs for the network.

You knew we had to say it at some point, so here it is. Frasier is now a favorite binge worthy tv show that stands right along household rerun favorite shows like The Office and even Friends but it was at one point a spinoff. Frasier originally showed up as a side character in the show Cheers, he was a fan favorite of the show and eventually became one of the show’s main characters. Cheers would eventually end but Fraser lived on in the show we love now. 

Frasier was a hit and lasted 11 seasons before they ended the show. For a while many still held Cheers in higher regard but the resurgence of Frasier on streaming services has reintroduced a whole new generation of Frasier lovers.

Enjoyed this list? Check out 25 Nearly Forgotten Movies and TV Shows That Deserve Reboots.