The 10 Best Spin-Off Shows of All Time, Ranked

Image via AMC Published Jul 20, 2026, 1:12 PM EDT Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows. In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA. Sign in to your Collider account There’s an inherent danger with any spin-off of a popular television show, as it can often be challenging to replicate a series that was popular for very specific reasons. Television shows are generally successful if they combine multiple cast members and storylines, but isolating just one of them can be more limited in storytelling. Television fans need to look no further than the Friends offshoot Joey or the Bones tie-in series The Finder to see how wrong spin-offs can go. However, television spin-offs can succeed if they do enough to differentiate themselves from their predecessors in terms of narrative, tone, and dramatic intent. Theoretically, a great spin-off series should be able to please both longtime fans of the original work and those experiencing the story and characters for the first time. Here are the best television spin-offs of all time, ranked. 10 'Laverne & Shirley' (1976–1983) Spin-off of 'Happy Days' (1974–1984) Image via ABC Laverne & Shirley was a natural expansion of the Happy Days universe that managed to more than surpass any expectations of what Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams could do in their own series. While Happy Days was ostensibly a coming-of-age story aimed at adolescent viewers who could relate to the young characters, Laverne & Shirley was an earnest celebration of female friendship. Considering that female representation both behind and in front of the screen was severely lacking when the series first debuted, Laverne & Shirley was ahead of its time. Laverne & Shirley proved to be just as funny as Happy Days, yet never felt like it was negating the authentic, heartfelt nature that had helped to make the original series so popular. Considering that the two shows aired around the same time, television comedy buffs had a real treat when new episodes of both sagas aired. 9 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' (1999–Present) Spin-off of 'Law & Order' (1990–Present) Image via NBC Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is the rare television spin-off series that managed to surpass its predecessor in terms of cultural influence. The original Law & Order was a groundbreaking drama series that lionized the procedural format long before the notion of “prestige television” became popularized in the early 21st century. However, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was arguably the grittier, more emotionally rich, and consistently shocking series that has managed to retain its consistency of quality for several decades. The success of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit can be largely attributed to the charisma of Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, both of whom have done a great job at consistently developing their characters over the course of many seasons. Dips in quality were to be expected within any show that has run for this long, but Law & Order: Special Victims Unit never featured performances that were less than excellent. 8 'The Jeffersons' (1975–1985) Spin-off of 'All in the Family' (1971–1979) Image via CBS The Jeffersons served as one of the most successful spin-offs of All in the Family, but quickly proved to be far more daring and controversial than its predecessor. While All in the Family was a fairly standard depiction of “family values,” as was common within sitcoms in the 1970s, The Jeffersons examined the reality of race relations in the United States. Although it never sacrificed its enduring sense of humor and strong ethical value, The Jeffersons was willing to bridge difficult conversations about such controversial topics as mental health struggles, alcoholism and addiction, police brutality, and representation for the LGBTQIA community. Few comedy shows have aged as well as The Jeffersons, as, like many of the shows produced by Norman Lear, it provided a perfect time capsule of a specific point in American history. Generations of underrepresented groups felt “seen” on television for the first time as a result of The Jeffersons. 7 'Maude' (1972–1978) Spin-off of 'All in the Family' (1971–1979) Image via CBS Maude was a star-making series for Bea Arthur, who had a few guest appearances on All in the Family before she was deemed popular enough to get her own spin-off series. Like The Jeffersons, Maude was ahead of its time when it came to discussing controversial topics and pushing progressive themes; the series openly argued for women’s liberation and the advocacy of civil rights. Any series with such prominent political intentions may have risked irritating the audience, but Maude was so remarkably funny that it never felt like it was homework. Maude was a quintessential series within the development of New York City as a prominent location in sitcoms and featured standout appearances by many of the Big Apple’s most prominent landmarks. Subsequent comedy shows set in New York, such as Friends, Seinfeld, and 30 Rock, were all derived from the influence that Maude had. 6 'Frasier' (1993–2004) Spin-off of 'Cheers' (1982–1993) Image via NBC Frasier had the unenviable task of trying to live up to the legacy of Cheers, but managed to become an all-time great comedy series in its own right. Kesley Grammer’s Dr. Frasier Crane was sent back to his home in Seattle and paired off with his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce), who also worked as a psychiatrist. Longevity is a hard task when it comes to sitcoms, but Frasier managed to retain a consistent level of quality for nine seasons. The enduring popularity of Frasier also led to a continuation starring Grammer, demonstrating the character’s lasting appeal beyond the original series. The Frasier reboot is among the rare comedy legacy programs that have acknowledged that the main characters have aged since the original and subsequently adapted to modern views and the development of technology. Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would BeYour Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back. 🎖️Rambo 🍸James Bond 🏺Indiana Jones 🔧John McClane 🎭Ethan Hunt FIND YOUR PARTNER → 01 You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you. ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged. NEXT QUESTION → 02 You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission. AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method. NEXT QUESTION → 03 You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of. ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead. NEXT QUESTION → 04 The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are. AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week. NEXT QUESTION → 05 How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability. APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership. AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters. ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had. ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up. NEXT QUESTION → 09 Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together. AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked. NEXT QUESTION → 10 It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one. AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been. REVEAL MY PARTNER → Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse. RamboYour partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know. James BondYour partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing. Indiana JonesYour partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them. John McClaneYour partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay. Ethan HuntYour partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 5 'The Colbert Report' (2005–2014) Spin-off of 'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart' (1999–Present) Image via Comedy Central The Colbert Report was a genre-bending revitalization of the talk show format that allowed Stephen Colbert to have more freedom than he had ever been allowed on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Colbert played a fictionalized version of himself that appeared to be a hardcore right-wing pundit intended to satirize media figures like Bill O’Reilly and Tucker Carlson. The Colbert Report was able to utilize satire to get viewers engaged with the political process, and often found a way to explain complex dynamics in a manner that was comprehensible for less savvy viewers. In addition to politics, Colbert was able to add commentary on popular culture, celebrities, and odd news stories. Unfortunately, Colbert’s more recent entry into traditional late night with The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has proved to be disappointing, as it lacked the edge and creativity of The Colbert Report. 4 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (1987–1994) Spin-off of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' (1966–1969) Image Via Paramount Domestic Television Star Trek: The Next Generation expanded the Star Trek mythology in a compelling way that guaranteed the saga’s success as one of the most prominent science fiction franchises of all time. The original Star Trek series, while groundbreaking in many ways, was canceled before it had the opportunity to realize its potential. However, Star Trek: The Next Generation was given the chance to develop a unique story over the course of seven seasons, adding a more thoughtful and introspective depiction of both Starfleet and the Federation. Star Trek: The Next Generation added some of the greatest science fiction characters ever, with Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard cited as the most beloved captain in the saga’s history. Stewart and the other remaining cast members reprised their roles in four spin-off films, as well as the Paramount Plus sequel series Star Trek: Picard. 3 'Better Call Saul' (2015–2022) Spin-off of 'Breaking Bad' (2008–2013) Image via AMC Better Call Saul proved to be the rare prequel series that deepened its predecessor, as Vince Gilligan’s spin-off series explored the tragic circumstances that led Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) to become the malicious, dishonest lawyer that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) meet in the middle of the second season of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul proved to be a Shakespearean tragedy equal to Breaking Bad, utilizing a clever non-linear format to serve as both a flashback and a continuation. Odenkirk delivered a transformative performance as an eminently hateable character that viewers couldn’t help but root for at times; although Better Call Saul featured some of the most shocking moments in the history of dramatic television, it also retained the pitch-black sense of humor that had made Breaking Bad such a phenomenon in the first place. 2 'Angel' (1999–2004) Spin-off of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997–2003) Image via The WB Angel was a notable shift in tone compared to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which perfectly suited the darker demeanor of the titular character. The spin-off series follows the titular vampire Angel (David Boreanaz) in the aftermath of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which he traveled to Los Angeles to start his own independent detective agency to fight demons. Angel was a stark dark fantasy that was deeply indebted to its noir influences, yet the redemptive character arc added the same earnest sense of heart that had made young viewers fall in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the first place. Although it would occasionally break format with some strange episodes that were more overtly comedic in nature, the serialized nature of Angel’s narrative progression allowed it to reach more profound truths about the conflict between good and evil. 1 'The Simpsons' (1989–Present) Spin-off of 'The Tracey Ullman Show' (1987–1990) Image via FOX The Simpsons is a groundbreaking achievement in comedy, animation, and the television medium, so it's easy to forget that the series originated as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. However, The Simpsons quickly grew into a cultural phenomenon in its own right; by the mid-1990s, the series dominated popular culture with characters, locations, running gags, and catchphrases that were widely recognizable. Amazingly, The Simpsons is still going strong after several decades on the air. Although some hardcore fans may argue that the show’s first ten seasons were its “Golden Age,” modern episodes of The Simpsons are still more creative, heartfelt, and gut-busting funny than a majority of what else is on the air. With tons of merchandise, tie-in material, and even a cinematic entry, The Simpsons is one of the greatest achievements in the history of culture, even if The Tracey Ullman Show has faded into obscurity. The Simpsons Release Date December 17, 1989 Network FOX Cast Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice) Julie Kavner Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)