PRIME TIME SPIN-OFFS

In the listing below, the spin-off series appears first, with the series from which it was spun off listed second.

The Adventures of Champion from The Gene Autry Show
AfterMASH from M*A*S*H
*The Andy Griffith Show from The Danny Thomas Show
Angel from Buffy, The Vampire Slayer
Baywatch Nights from Baywatch
Benson from Soap
Beverly Hills Buntz from Hill Street Blues  
The Bionic Woman from The Six Million Dollar Man  
Blansky Beauties from Happy Days (according to Solomon D. - if you have a comment, please email me)
Booker from 21 Jump Street
The Brady Brides from The Brady Bunch
Bret Maverick from Maverick
*Buddies from Home Improvement
Checking In from The Jeffersons
The Colbys from Dynasty
Daria from The Beavis & Butt-head Show
*Diagnosis Murder from Jake and the Fatman
A Different World from The Cosby Show
*Dirty Sally from Gunsmoke
*Empty Nest from The Golden Girls
Enos from The Dukes of Hazzard
The Facts of Life from Diff’rent Strokes
Family Matters from Perfect Strangers
Fish from Barney Miller
Flo from Alice
Frasier from Cheers
*Getting Together from The Partridge Family
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. from The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Gloria from All in the Family
The Golden Palace from The Golden Girls
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from The Andy Griffitb Show
Good Times from Maude (**)
Grady from Sanford and Son
Green Acres from Petticoat Junction
Highlander: The Raven from Highlander
*Honey West from Burke’s Law
Hotel Malibu from Second Chances
The Jeffersons from All in the Family
Jesse Hawkes from High Mountain Rangers
Joanie Loves Chachi from Happy Days
*The Joey Bishop Show from The danny Thomas Show
*Just the Ten of Us from Growing Pains
Knots Landing from Dallas
*Laverne & Shirley from Happy Days
*The Law and Harry McGraw from Murder, She Wrote
*Law of the Plainsman from The Rifleman
*Living Dolls from Who’s the Boss?
Lou Grant from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
A Man Called Hawk from Spenser
*Maude from Al1 in the Family
Mayherry R. F. D. from The Andy Griffith Show
*Melrose Place from Berverly Hills, 90210
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo from B.J. & the Bear
*Models, Inc. from Melrose Place
*Mork & Mindy from Happy Days
Open House from Duet
*Out of the Blue from Happy Days (***)
Pete and Gladys from December Bride
Phyllis from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Prisoner from Secret Agent
*Promised Land from Touched by an Angel
Redigo from Empire
Rhoda from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
*Richie Brockelman, Private Eye from The Rockford Files
The Ropers from Three’s Company
*Roxie from Kate & Allie
The Sandy Duncan Show from Funny Face
Sanford from Sanford and Son
The Sanford Arms from Sanford and Son
*Sarge from Ironside
The Simpsons from The Tracey Ullman Show
The 64,000 Challenge from The $64,000 Question
Sons of Thunder from Walker, Texas Ranger
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from Star Trek: The Next Generation
Surfside Six from Bourbon Street Beat
Tabitha from Bewitched
Three’s a Crowd from Three’s Company
Time of Your Life from Party of Five
*Top of the Heap from Married... with Children
*The Tortellis from Cheers
Trapper John, M.D. from M*A*S*H
Vinnie & Bobby from Top of the Heap
*Wanted: Dead or Alive from Trackdown
Woman of the House from Designing Women
Young Maverick from Maverick
*Xena: Warrior Princess from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Zorro and Son from Zorro

These “semi-spin-offs” based on occasional characters and one-time guests are indicated by an asterisk (*).


(**) Good Times from Maude :

According to Solomon D., Good Times was not a spin-off from Maude, contrary to what most people think.

- On the True Hollywood Story it was said that in the Fall of 1971, Mike Evans and Eric Monte approached Norman Lear about a show about a black family who lived in a Chicago Housing Project. So that was exactly one year before the Sitcom Maude was debuted on CBS. The scripts were being modified from 1971-1974.

- Good Times was already created before Maude even existed.  The show was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans so the pilot was written but they were trying to sell the it.    

- Good times first aired on February 1, 1974. Florida's last appearance on Maude was February 5, 1974 and spinoffs never aired before the character being spinned off leaves the parent show.

- In the September 1975 issue of Ebony (page 34), Executive Producer Alan Manings stated that Good Times really wasn't a spinoff because they changed the Florida Evans Character. On Maude, the Florida Evans character was married to Henry Evans with 3 kids who lived in New York.  On Good Times, Florida Evans was married to James Evans with 3 kids who lived in a housing project in Chicago.   So she had the same on both shows but it was clearly two different characters. 


(***) Out of the Blue from Happy Days :

According to Solomon D., Out of the Blue was not a spin-off from Happy Days.

Out of the Blue premiered in September of 79. Two weeks later, the show crossed over with Happy Days as an attempt to launch the show which was brand new at the time. The character Random from Out of The Blue appeared on Happy Days for the first time in 79 and was never seen before that crossover episode. Out of the Blue also crossed over with Mork and Mindy as another attempt to boost ratings in the very first episode.   

If you want to join the argument or add one about another show, please email me at frank@bibler.net


If I have forgotten one, please e-mail me.


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Last Updated : May 29, 2003
By Frank BIBLER
Email: frank@bibler.net