Top 5 TV show spinoffs

Tv spinoffs are known to be cursed, in that they never do well. Here are the top five spinoffs that not only have made it but are hugely popular!

5. “Family Guy” follows Peter Griffin the patriarch of the dysfunction Griffin family consisting of wife Lois, Daughter Meg, sons Chris and Stewie, and dog Brian. This show also centers around Peter Griffin and his friendships with Joe Swanson, Glen Quagmire, and Cleveland Brown. In 2009 Fox picked up a very popular spinoff called “The Cleveland Show” following Cleveland Brown and son Cleveland Jr. as they moves across the country. Here, Cleveland gets remarried to Donna Tubbs who has two children of her own, a daughter named Roberta and a son named Rollo. This show follows in Family Guy’s footsteps in that it follows the family life and friendships of Cleveland Brown.

4. The Carol Burnett Show/ Mama’s Family

The Carol Burnett Show is a variety sketch comedy show. One of the sketches called “The Family” was the source of the spinoff “Mama’s Family”. The show is centered around Mama Thelma Harper (played by Vicki Lawrence) and her family. There is her spinster sister Fran (played by Rue McClanahan) and her children Vint (Ken Berry), Ellen (Betty White) and Eunice (Carol Burnett). Vint, who is recently divorced, has two children Sonia and Buzz who also live with him in Mama’s basement. He falls in love with neighbor Naomi (who Mama doesn’t necessarily like). There is also neighbor Iola. In the second season, Vint’s children are gone and Eunice’s son, Bubba, moves in. This show ran for 6 years before it was canceled.

3. Beverly Hills 90210/ Melrose Place/ 90210

Beverly Hills 90210 centers around the culture shock of Minnesota twins Brandon (Jason Priestly) and Brenda (Shannon Dougherty) Walsh as they move to Beverly Hills. The show follows the siblings and their friends through high school, college, and emergence into the real world. The show continues on even after the 2 main characters leave the show.

This wildly popular show had two spinoffs. The first was “Melrose Place” which starred Grant Show as Jake who appeared for a multi-episode run at the end of “Beverly Hills 90210” second season as Kelly's love interest, and a friend of Dylan's. This series follows a group of friends who live in the same apartment complex.

The second spinoff is “90210” follows a family from Kansas whose father gets a job at West Beverly Hills High School. The show centers around daughter, Annie, and adoptive son, Dixon, as they make a new life and friends, one of which is none other than David Silver and Kelly Taylor’s sister Erin Silver. A few of the original “Beverly Hills 90210” cast make guest appearances.

2. Diff’rent Strokes/ The Facts of Life

Diff’rent Strokes follows the lives of two young African American brothers, Willis and Arnold, who are taken in by a wealthy businessman, Philip Drummond. The show also features the family’s housekeeper Mrs. Garrett, who is the source of the series spinoff into “The Facts of Life,” when she became the house-mother for a dormitory at an all-girls private school.

1. Cheers/ Frasier

Cheers takes place at a bar in Boston, Massachuesettes and follows the friendships of the workers and patrons that gather there. One of those patrons is psychiatrist Frasier Crane who is the source of the spinoff “Frasier.” The interesting thing was that Kelsey Grammer was only supposed to appear as a bit character to throw a wrench in between Diane and Sam’s love interest on Cheers but he ended up becoming one of the central characters and starred in the most successful spinoff in history. “Frasier” follows Dr. Frasier Crane back to his home town of Seattle Washington to care for his aging father and to host a call-in radio show. Almost all of Cheer’s major and minor characters have made a guest appearance on Frasier.

Don't see your favorite spinoff listed? Feel free to mention it below!