Given a choice, Hollywood will always choose a proven, established idea over something new. Sometimes this leads to overdone, repetitive franchises, and other times it leads to new and interesting avenues for our favorite characters. As Rosario Dawson puts a new spin on the Star Wars universe in Ahsoka, we thought it was time to take a look at some of TV’s most memorable spinoffs.
Ahsoka Tano first appeared in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Her new live-action series—starring Rosario Dawson—is a continuation of the character’s arc from Star Wars: Rebels and The Mandalorian.
What made A Different World so good was that it felt like something new. The Black college experience was never given the celebration that it received here. The show actually changed lives for its viewers.
Kids nowadays may know the classic comedy for the theme and GIFs, but The Jeffersons was a game-changer that I personally think surpassed its predecessor All in the Family. I know that’s blasphemy to some TV experts, but I said what I said.
Harriet Winslow was originally introduced as the elevator operator who worked with Larry and Balki on Perfect Strangers, but Jo-Marie Payton was so awesome, we had to know more about Harriet’s life.
The Good Fight asks the question: What if you took all the best characters from the critically acclaimed drama The Good Wife and gave them real world cases and stories? The answer is a captivating series that’s even better than the original. Also, Audra McDonald doesn’t miss.
Benson was originally the butler on the bonkers comedy Soap. When he left to work for the governor, the character became the centerpiece of his own show. The brilliant Robert Guillaume made Benson iconic and so much more than a butler.
The CW’s The Flash was born out of Arrow, but became a bigger deal than it’s comic book predecessor. Bringing Jesse L. Martin and Candice Patton into the DC Comics’ hero’s mythology changed the superhero world. When we Iris wrapped up her hair before going to bed without having to explain it to her husband, it set the internet on fire.
Running for 24 seasons and over 500 episodes, SVU is the undisputed champion of the Law & Order world. Who knew Ice T would become so essential to the show’s longevity?
Despite how Game of Thrones mishandled its Black characters, we still had high hopes for House Velaryon in the prequel spinoff House of the Dragon. Unfortunately, our previous concerns were confirmed.
Let’s be honest, The Vampire Diaries didn’t do right by Bonnie Bennett. However, The Originals’ New Orleans setting made its culture and history crucial to the supernatural mythology of the universe’s vampires, werewolves and witches.
Yes, I’m cheating a little by adding this movie to the list, but it’s based on a hilarious TV sketch, so it definitely qualifies. With Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell working on a sequel, you should refresh your memory on the first film.
It’s an extremely high degree of difficulty to make a spinoff that’s just as good as the brilliant movie it’s based on. Daveed Diggs’ Andre Layton is a captivating leader, while the drama’s haves and have nots atmosphere feels frighteningly familiar, You should absolutely check out the original movie and Season 1 on Prime Video.
Other than the title and the Texas high school football focus, there’s not much connection between the movie and TV series. But Friday Night Lights is one of the best TV series of the last 20 years and if you haven’t binged it yet, what are you waiting for?
Oh, I’m sorry, did you not randomly burst into perfectly choreographed song and dance numbers at your high school? And yes, Janet Jackson did join the show for a short stint before her music career took off.
The Moesha spinoff set a totally different tone from the Brandy-led series, giving viewers a new look at Kim and Nikki Parker. They were so much more than Moesha’s comedic sidekicks.