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30 Forgotten TV Spinoffs You Won’t Believe Existed
Some spinoffs of television shows become hits, but many others disappear. I'm exploring 30 forgotten TV spinoffs that most people don't realize existed. As a movie and television show aficionado, I chose shows I barely remembered. They're in alphabetical order for convenience. Many came from The Most Popular All-Time TV Shows.
1. – "704 Hauser"
Only five episodes of this "All in the Family" spinoff were ever aired. It shared the lives of Ernie and Rose Cumberbatch, the new owners of Archie Bunker's house. Despite being created by Norman Lear, the show didn't catch on.
- Years on the Air: 1994
- Starring: John Amos, T. E. Russell, Maura Tierney, and Lynnie Godfrey
2. – "A Man Called Hawk"
Following the end of "Spenser: For Hire," Spenser's right-hand man returns to his hometown, Washington, D.C. There, he continues his style of vigilante justice righting the wrongs that have happened to people in the city.
- Years on the Air: 1989
- Starring: Avery Brooks, Angela Bassett, Moses Gunn, and Lorraine Toussaint
3. – AfterMASH
Even today, "M*A*S*H" remains a highly celebrated show about the realities of the Korean War. "AfterMASH" continued to look at the lives of doctors after they returned home. The show couldn't top the competition "The A-Team" provided and was cancelled rather than trying another time slot.
- Years on the Air: 1983 to 1985
- Starring: Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr, William Christopher, David Ackroyd, and Rosalind Chao
4. – Baywatch Nights
"Baywatch" led to a spinoff where Sergeant Garner Ellerbee forms a detective agency. After switching to a sci-fi theme in the second season, while attempting to boost ratings, the change failed to draw more viewers.
- Years on the Air: 1995 to 1997
- Starring: David Hasselhoff, Angie Harmon, Gregory Alan Williams, Eddie Cibrian, and Donna D'Errico
5. – "Beverly Hills Buntz"
When "Hill Street Blues" ended, Norman Buntz quit the police force and became a private investigator in California. This dramedy spinoff focused on his cases.
- Years on the Air: 1987 to 1988
- Starring: Dennis Franz, Peter Jurasik, and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
6. – "Billy"
With Howard Hesseman leaving in the final season of "Head of the Class," Billy Connolly took over. The Scottish actor gained enough attention that he landed a spinoff where he moved to California and marries a single mom to get a green card, but immigration is hot on his tail.
- Years on the Air: 1992
- Starring: Billy Connolly, Marie Marshall, and Johnny Galecki
7 – "Booker"
"21 Jump Street" introduced the team of young cops who pose as students to bust crime in high schools. It was a launching point for Johnny Depp's career. It also led to the spinoff of Dennis Booker's character as he shifts from police work to an insurance claims investigator. The show wasn't a hit and ended up cancelled after one season.
- Years on the Air: 1989 to 1990
- Starring: Richard Grieco, Carmen Argenziano, and Marcia Strassman
8 – "CSI: Cyber"
"CSI" has had several spinoffs in other cities, but there was another show that time has forgotten. In this spinoff, a cybercrime unit helped solve crimes. Poor viewership proved it wasn't appealing to viewers.
- Years on the Air: 2015 to 2016
- Starring: Patricia Arquette, James Van Der Beek, Peter MacNicol, and Ted Danson
9. – "Day by Day"
"Family Ties" introduced Stephen's old friend, Brian Harper, who's a successful stockbroker and married to a lawyer. He and his wife were the focus in the long-running show's spinoff. After the Harper's second child is born, Brian and his wife quit their jobs and open a daycare.
- Years on the Air: 1988 to 1989
- Starring: Douglas Sheehan, Linda Kelsey, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Courtney Thorne-Smith
10. – "Deadline"
"Law & Order" has created several successful spinoffs over the years, but few people remember "Deadline." This spinoff followed a tabloid reporter's work for the "New York Ledger." Poor ratings led to the show being cancelled after five episodes.
- Years on the Air: 2000
- Starring: Oliver Platt, Bebe Neuwirth, Tom Conti, Lili Taylor, and Hope Davis
11. – "Empty Nest"
This spinoff of "The Golden Girls" had a longer run than other shows, but it's easily forgotten. A widowed doctor's daughters move back home to help out. The show did well with frequent appearances from the widower's neighbors, Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia. But, Kristy McNichol's mental health struggles led her to leave the show. The introduction of a third daughter only lasted one season and ratings fell.
- Years on the Air: 1988 to 1995
- Starring: Richard Mulligan, Kristy McNichol, Dinah Manoff, David Leisure, and Park Overall
12. – "The Finder"
Special Agent Seeley Booth's ("Bones") Army pal, Major Walter Sherman suffered a traumatic brain injury during the Iraq War. That left Walter able to uncover things that others have failed to find. Sadly, the show was pulled before all episodes aired.
- Years on the Air: 2012
- Starring: Geoff Stults, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mercedes Masohn, and Maddie Hasson
13. – "Flo"
Following her departure from "Alice," Flo leaves Mel's Diner to take a new job in Houston, Texas. Along the way, she stops in her hometown and purchases an old saloon. Despite landing three Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, the show couldn't draw enough viewers away from "Little House on the Prairie."
- Years on the Air: 1980 to 1981
- Starring: Polly Holliday, Jim B. Baker, and Geoffrey Lewis
14. – "The Golden Palace"
The ladies of "The Golden Years" warmed our hearts and still delight viewers today. After the show ended, Blanche, Sophia, and Rose purchased a Miami hotel and tried to make a go of it in a forgotten television show sequel that didn't last.
- Years on the Air: 1992 to 1993
- Starring: Betty White, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Don Cheadle, and Cheech Marin
15. – "Joey"
Joey from "Friends" moved from New York to Los Angeles to continue acting. The spinoff's success was short-lived when it went up against "American Idol" and was subsequently canceled.
- Years on the Air: 2004 to 2006
- Starring: Matt LeBlanc, Andrea Anders, Jennifer Coolidge, Paulo Constanzo, and Drea de Matteo
16. – "Just the Ten of Us"
Coach Lubbock made several appearances in "Growing Pains." Mike and Carol's high school teacher moves to California to take a job in an all-boys Catholic school, uprooting his wife and eight children.
- Years on the Air: 1988 to 1990
- Starring: Bill Kirchenbauer, Deborah Harmon, Heather Langenkamp, Jamie Luner, Brooke Theiss, JoAnn Willette, Matt Shakman, and Heidi Zeigler
17. – "Living Dolls"
In "Who's the Boss," Tony's daughter Samantha wants a modeling career. However, her friend visits and gains the attention of the modeling agency's owner. In addition to owning the agency, Trish is Angela's friend and takes on a motherly role to her models. Despite a solid cast, the spinoff of "Who's the Boss" flopped.
- Years on the Air: 1989
- Starring: Michael Learned, Leah Remini, and Halle Berry
18. – "The Lone Gunman"
In "The X-Files," FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder receives help from a team of conspiracy theorists. That team was the focus of a single-season television show spinoff. The series focused on conspiracy theories like a catastrophic event orchestrated by the government to blame another country's terrorist group.
- Years on the Air: 2001
- Starring: Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Zuleikha Robinson, and Stephen Snedden
19. – "Mission: Magic!"
The immensely popular 1970's comedy "The Brady Bunch" spawned an animated series, "The Brady Kids." In that show, the Brady children end up on a magical island where they meet wizards Marlon and Miss Tickle. Miss Tickle reappeared in another spinoff "Mission: Magic!" This animated show featured singer Rick Springfield as an enchanted gramophone. He'd invite students in "The Adventurers Club" and their teacher, Miss Tickle, on journeys to magical lands.
- Years on the Air: 1973
- Starring: Rick Springfield, Lola Fisher, Howard Morris, Erika Scheimer, and Lane Scheimer
20. – "Models Inc."
Aaron Spelling's "Beverly Hills, 90210" led to the equally successful "Melrose Place." However, "Melrose Place" also had a spinoff, the lesser-known "Models Inc." "Models Inc" featured Amanda's mother, who owns a bustling model agency. Poor ratings led to its demise.
- Years on the Air: 1994 to 1995
- Starring: Linda Gray, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Cassidy Rae
21. – "Mrs. Columbo"
The crime drama "Columbo" had a long run from 1968 to 1978, and it returned for several TV specials between 1989 and 2003. After its initial end in 1978, NBC ordered a spinoff featuring Mrs. Columbo. Fans didn't like it, so they changed the name to "Kate the Detective," hoping ratings would improve without the "Columbo" aspect. That plan failed.
- Years on the Air: 1979 to 1980
- Starring: Kate Mulgrew
22. – Perversions of Science
"Tales from the Crypt" was a popular horror anthology show from 1989 to 1996 hosted by the Cryptkeeper, a Muppet-like corpse. Its sequel, "Perversions of Science," focused on science-fiction and was hosted by a robot.
- Years on the Air: 1997
- Starring: Maureen Teefy
23. – "Ravenswood"
In a spinoff of "Pretty Little Liars," Caleb Rivers heads to Ravenswood, Pennsylvania, to be with his girlfriend. He meets Miranda on the bus, and she ends up helping Caleb's girlfriend escape her uncle. There, Caleb and Miranda find tombstones of themselves and stumble across the town's curse. Low ratings led to its cancellation.
- Years on the Air: 2013 to 2014
- Starring: Tyler Blackburn and Nicole Gale Anderson
24. – "The Ropers"
This is the first of two spinoffs from the immensely popular "Three's Company." Their landlords, the Ropers, were so popular with fans that instead of forgetting about them, they retired and moved to Cheviot, where they must fit in with their new community. The show did well until the network moved it to a new time slot, which ruined its ratings.
- Years on the Air: 1979 to 1980
- Starring: Norman Fell and Audra Lindley
25. – "Three's a Crowd"
John Ritter's long-running success playing Jack Tripper on "Three's Company" continued in the short-lived sequel "Three's a Crowd." At the end of "Three's Company," Jack proposes to Vicky, but she's hesitant. Instead, he moves into her apartment above his restaurant, a building purchased by Vicky's father, who is determined to break them up.
- Years on the Air: 1984 to 1985
- Starring: John Ritter, Mary Cadorette, and Robert Mandan
26. – "Time of Your Life"
After "Party of Five" ended, Bailey's girlfriend Sarah leaves for New York City to learn more about her birth parents. The show only lasted one season before it was cancelled.
- Years on the Air: 1999 to 2000
- Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jennifer Garner
27. – "Tom Swift"
The CW's modern "Nancy Drew" saw the character as a bit more grown-up and facing creepier mysteries than Carolyn Keene's books or Pamela Sue Martin's 1970's TV portrayal of Nancy Drew. In one episode, she solves a mystery for a rich inventor, Tom Swift. He ended up in a spinoff of that episode, though it was short-lived with just 10 episodes.
- Years on the Air: 2022
- Starring: Tian Richards and Ashleigh Murray
28. – "Top of the Heap"
This "Married With Children" spinoff focused on Al Bundy's childhood friend, Charlie, and Charlie's son, who work in a run-down apartment building in Chicago. Al and his family make crossover appearances in some episodes.
- Years on the Air: 1991
- Starring: Matt LeBlanc, Joey Lauren Adams, and Joseph Bologna
29. – "The Tortellis"
After the popular sitcom "Cheers" ended, fans followed Frasier to his new life in Seattle in the popular show "Frasier." Carla's (Rhea Perlman) ex-husband got a spinoff called "The Tortellis." It focused on the lives of Nick, his wife, and Anthony, Carla and Nick's son.
- Years on the Air: 1987
- Starring: Dan Hedaya, Jean Kasem, and Timothy Williams
30. – "TV Funhouse"
Several animated short segments gained popularity on "Saturday Night Live," which led to the creation of a weekly show titled "TV Funhouse." Each week Doug (Doug Dale) and his Anipals joined guests like Ana Gasteyer, John Ritter, Tim Meadows, and Joe Walsh as they explored a chosen topic. "TV Funhouse" was short-lived but fun while it lasted.
- Years on the Air: 2000 to 2001
- Starring: Doug Dale, Robert Smigel, Jon Glaser, Dino Stamatopoulos, Tommy Blacha, and David Juskow