# Spin offs that are diff. genre from orig show - like Lou Grant **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651 "2007-12-03T13:27:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/1 "2007-12-03T13:27:26Z")
What other spin offs were a different genre than the show they spinned off from, like ‘Lou Grant’, a dramatic show that was a spin off from the comedic ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’? ‘Lou Grant’ was a little before my time, did it ever have guest stars from Mary Tyler Moore? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/2 "2007-12-03T13:45:45Z")
The Perry Mason radio show was originally a soap opera about a lawyer/detective. When TV came along, the soap opera was spun off (including cast) as **The Edge of Night** and, soon after, the detective part was put on TV without soap opera. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/3 "2007-12-03T14:07:10Z")
**Trapper John, M.D.** was obviously spun off from **M.A.S.H.** , and was a dramatic series rather than a comedy. **AfterM.A.S.H.** wasn’t much of a comedy, either, but I’m not sure that was intentional. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/4 "2007-12-03T14:13:42Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] **AfterM.A.S.H.** wasn’t much of a comedy, either, but I’m not sure that was intentional. [/QUOTE] Damn, beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/5 "2007-12-03T14:19:03Z")
**Fernwood 2 Night** was a parody talk show that was kind of a spinoff of **Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman** , a parody of soap operas (they were both set in the same fictional Ohio town). So, both parodies, but different formats. I think there may have been some characters that appeared on both, but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/6 "2007-12-03T14:56:40Z")
[QUOTE=h.sapiens] **Fernwood 2 Night** was a parody talk show that was kind of a spinoff of **Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman** , a parody of soap operas (they were both set in the same fictional Ohio town). So, both parodies, but different formats. I think there may have been some characters that appeared on both, but I’m not sure. [/QUOTE] That reminds me of the Captain RibMan comic, a parody of comics (like _The Tick_ in the main character’s cluelessness.) Then he got his own “advice” column in which he answered questions in his own inimitable style. Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/7 "2007-12-03T15:22:59Z")
I felt _Frasier_ had a different feel than _Cheers_. _Joey_ was a nice departure from the good writing and completmentary acting as seen in _Friends_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/8 "2007-12-03T16:35:29Z")
I thought about _Fraiser_ being a different type of sitcom than _Cheers_. And _A Different World_ was definitely different than _The Bill Cosby Show_. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/9 "2007-12-03T17:25:22Z")
Restaurant hour-long drama \*\*Tattingers \*\* morphed into half-hour sitcom **Nick and Hillary**. Hour-long scream fest of righteousness \*\*The Practice \*\* spun into hour-long Shatner and Spader chewing goof-fest \*\*Boston Legal \*\* designed to give David Kelley free therapy. I’d definitely say the shows are different genres - straight drama to comedy-drama (emphasis on the comedy). Hour-long \*\*Hercules: The Legendary Journeys \*\* spawned children’s show **Young Hercules** Anthologies? **Love, American Style --\> Happy Days**. **Tracey Ullman Show --\> Simpsons** I wonder if cartoon spin-offs count? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/10 "2007-12-03T18:15:38Z")
Carol Burnett Show —\> Mama’s Family ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-offs-that-are-diff-genre-from-orig-show-like-lou-grant/428651/11 "2007-12-03T18:19:54Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] **Trapper John, M.D.** was obviously spun off from **M.A.S.H.** , and was a dramatic series rather than a comedy. [/QUOTE] Officially, [“Trapper John, M.D.”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066026/) is derived from the film [MASH](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066026/), not the t.v. show [“M_A_S\*H”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068098/photogallery). This was verified in a court decision over intellectual property rights. Stranger