# Spinoff of a spinoff **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467 "2026-01-08T11:57:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/21 "2026-01-09T06:20:52Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Beavis and Butthead → Daria / King of the Hill. Daria is a spin-off, but I’m pretty sure King of the Hill isn’t. I mean, Hank and Tom Anderson are pretty similar but they are different characters. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/22 "2026-01-09T07:35:48Z")
Big Bang Theory → Young Sheldon → George and Mandy’s First Marriage ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/23 "2026-01-09T08:29:33Z")
_Love, American Style_, _Happy Days_, _Joanie Loves Chachi_ ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/24 "2026-01-09T08:48:36Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > They took place in the same “universe,” and shared some secondary characters and locales (particularly the latter two), but I’m not sure if they were spin-offs, so much as “sister shows.” Yeah; the presence of Munch doesn’t make _L&O: SVU_ a spin-off of _Homicide: Life on the Street._ ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/25 "2026-01-09T09:12:34Z")
BTW: While we are talking terminology, would you consider _Xena: Warrior Princess_ a spin-off of _Hercules_? or is it that the episodes of _Hercules_ featuring the character _Xena_ (IIRC, there are 3, and they are non-consecutive, buy they have just a one-episode break-- they are A, B & D, in a row, in other words, which does not make her a regular character, and do have a story arc) form a 3-part, backdoor pilot? To me, spin-offs, and backdoor pilots are entirely different, and a series can’t be both, but maybe other people feel differently. Also, I have heard the term “continuation” for series that pick up where another left off. _The Connors_ is a “continuation,” not a spin-off, of Roseanne. _AfterMASH_ was a continuation, not a spin-off of MASH, and _Archie Bunker’s Place_ was a continuation, not a spinoff of _All in the Family_, I’m not really sure what the requirements for “continuation” as opposed to “spinoff” are, other than that the first series has to be finished. I’m also not sure what percentage of the cast has to continue (or “characters,” maybe, not “cast”) to make the distinction. Not sure what to call _Lou Grant._ ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/26 "2026-01-09T09:44:33Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Not sure what to call _Lou Grant._ How about “unique”? Lou was a secondary character in a half-hour sitcom set in Minneapolis. Then, he became the main character in an hour-long drama set in Los Angeles. That doesn’t often happen, that a sitcom character becomes a dramatic character. But it works in Lou Grant’s case. I suppose that it helped that Lou’s Minneapolis and prior past continued. As far as the LA Tribune was concerned, Lou did indeed have a past in the news, in a Minneapolis TV station. But he got his start in print journalism, as Charlie Hume knew. It’s complicated, but the writers were able to port the gruff and grumpy Lou from a sitcom about a single girl, into a drama about a gruff and grumpy city editor for a major newspaper. But it worked. That’s why I’d suggest Lou Grant is unique. I cannot imagine other contemporary sitcom characters getting their own drama shows. Richie Cunningham as an investigative reporter? Venus Flytrap as a music producer? Balki Bartokomous (“Perfect Strangers”) as a UN interpreter? No character could translate over from comedy to drama as easily as Lou Grant could. The fact that he did, IMHO, makes him unique. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/27 "2026-01-09T12:28:32Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > That’s why I’d suggest Lou Grant is unique. I give you [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapper\_John,\_M.D](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapper_John,_M.D). ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/28 "2026-01-09T13:11:50Z")
_Happy Days_ really isn’t a spinoff of _Love, American Style_. LAS had no recurring characters, it was an anthology show that also served as a vehicle for pilots, like HD. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/29 "2026-01-09T13:13:05Z")
Trapper John MD had a different actor playing the main character. The conditions in the OP called for the same actor to continue in the same role in the spinoff. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/30 "2026-01-09T13:15:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The conditions in the OP called for the same actor to continue in the same role in the spinoff. I wasn’t replying to the OP, I was replying to **Spoons** comment about the Lou Grant character being unique. ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/31 "2026-01-09T13:22:09Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Big Bang Theory → Young Sheldon → George and Mandy’s First Marriage As I mentioned in my first post, this doesn’t meet the criteria I am looking for. Same characters, different actors. The shows I was wondering about are the ones who had a regular character/actor that appeared in multiple shows, maybe even multiple seasons, who got their own show, then a show spun off of that show. With some of the answers mentioned, the 1st spinoff was a one time appearance on a show (pilot show) then spun off, not a regular or semi regular character. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/32 "2026-01-09T13:50:13Z")
The Brady Brunch → The Brady Brides → The Bradys (This is more continuation rather than spin off) Dr Who → The Sarah Jane Adventures → Sarah Jane’s Alien Files (this is more of a clip show, not really a new series) The Kids of Degrassi Street → Degrassi Junior High → Degrassi High → Degrassi: The Next Generation → Degrassi: Next Class (I don’t know enough about these to know if they are really spin offs, continuations, or just a rename) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/33 "2026-01-09T14:54:00Z")
Do shows like _NCIS_ and _Mork and Mindy_ count as spin-offs? The characters in the new series appeared in only a single episode of the original series. Those characters were not series regulars (like Frasier was on _Cheers_) or even recurring guest characters (like Maude was on _All of the Family_) . ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/34 "2026-01-09T15:02:41Z")
Disney had a series titled _Good Morning, Miss Bliss_ about a class of junior high students. The series only lasted a single thirteen-episode season but three of the student characters were then placed in a new series, _Saved by the Bell_, as high school students. After four years, the characters graduated to college and the new series was _Saved by the Bell: The College Years_. Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Dustin Diamond played the same characters in all three series. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/35 "2026-01-09T15:12:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Do shows like _NCIS_ and _Mork and Mindy_ count as spin-offs? There is a concept of a backdoor pilot, where a regular episode of series is used to introduce a character or set of characters for their own spin-off. Mork on Happy Days was version of that, although the spin-off (Mork and Mindy) hadn’t really been fully proposed yet. The NCIS spin-offs were planned all along. The characters were introduced with the spin-off shows already fully planned. My favorite failed backdoor pilot was Gary Seven from the Star Trek TOS episode Assignment: Earth. Whether these are true spin-offs is up to the reader. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/36 "2026-01-09T15:22:22Z")
Similar to the Star Trek discussion I am unclear how _The Muppet Show_ and the following shows featuring The Muppets would be classified. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/37 "2026-01-09T15:33:33Z")
The Shari Lewis Show → Lamb Chop’s Play-Along → The Charlie Horse Music Pizza ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/38 "2026-01-09T15:41:32Z")
> [@digs](#): > > _Love, American Style_ → _Happy Days_ → _Mork and Mindy_ Amd Mork spun off _Out of the Blue_, a failed sitcom about a wannabe angel in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/39 "2026-01-09T15:47:57Z")
I remember a backdoor pilot in an episode of The Brady Bunch. The funny thing is that when we saw that episode in the 1970s we recognized it as a backdoor pilot. I don’t know how we even knew that term back then. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467/40 "2026-01-09T21:56:26Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > The Kids of Degrassi Street → Degrassi Junior High → Degrassi High → Degrassi: The Next Generation → Degrassi: Next Class (I don’t know enough about these to know if they are really spin offs, continuations, or just a rename) Those are just continuations or sequels. I wouldn’t really call them spinoffs, it’s all the same story in order. Characters who were kids in the first series were then parents and teachers in the later ones, played by the same actors. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinoff-of-a-spinoff/1026467.md?page=3)