I watched this episode of Gunsmoke the other day…
http://cialab.ee.washington.edu/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/TopTen/w10.html
The character was Sgt O’Rourke. Just had a differant name. Look at his pic on that page.
Made me wonder…just what was the first true spinoff?
The Jeffersons?
I suspect F-Troop wasn’t really a spinoff of Gunsmoke, but it was in any case preceded by The Andy Griffith Show, which was (believe it or not) a spinoff of The Danny Thoomas Show/Make Room for Daddy.
I don’t know if that’s the first spinoff, but it’s the earliest one I know of.
My vote for the first would be for “Pete and Gladys” from “December Bride” about 1955. Pete, as played by Harry Morgan, was a very popular character in the original series and then was spun off with the new show.
Of course the whole concept was done regularly on radio before that.
I didn’t know about the Danny thomas/Andy Griffith connection, but long before the Jeffersons, Green Acres begat Petticoat Junction.
You’ve got it backwards – Petticoat Junction was on TV before Green Acres. Actually, I don’t think either “spun off” the other (in the sense that on was “tried out” on the other’s show) – they were just set in the same TV universe, like Batman and Green Hornet.
TV Time is right about this being done earlier on radio, but the only example I can recall is a connection between The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet.
FWIW, there were lots of unsuccessful spin-off attempts, too. Rod Serling tried to spin a “Mr. Bemis/Bevis” series off of The Twilight Zone. The “Gary Seven” episode of Star Trek was an attempt to spin off a series by Roddenberry.
Don’t doubt the Danny Thomas/Andy Griffith link – I recall it clearly, but it was highlighted again when A&E’s Biography covered Andy Griffith. And this spinoff preceded either Petticoat Junction or Green Acres – but not Pete and Gladys/December Bride.
[OP** sidetrack}
I’d wondered this for awhile:
Was “Gomer Pyle, USMC” a spin-off of “Mayberry, RFD/The Andy Griffith Show” or was it a series based on “No Time For Sargents” (the play/movie with Andy Griffith) using the character from MRFD/TAGS - an awful lot of similarities between the two. Or both?
(And which name was first - “Mayberry, RFD” or “The Andy Griffith Show”?)
[/OP sidetrack]
** I apologize for the inadvertant pun, but since we were taking about “The Andy Griffith Show”…
“No Time For Seargents” was originally a book by Mac Hyman, which begat the play and movie. It was also turned into a very short-lived TV show, which “Gomer Pyle” was intended to compete with. “Gomer Pyle” proved the more popular show.
Speaking of Harry Morgan (and I sort of was), his show with Jack Webb, “Dragnet” had a 60s spin off, “Adam 12” but as was mentioned, this was well after the 50s.
Cal, the radio programs that came to my mind were, Fanny Brice’s Baby Snooks starting on “Allen’s Ally” and then going to her own show. I seem to remember that “The Great Gildersleve” started as a character on another show, “Fibber MaGee and Molly?” before going on. I also think the Senator Foghorn (Claghorn?) character also had his own radio program for a while after he started on “Allen’s Ally.”
Mayberry RFD was the spin off with Ken Berry after Andy quit.
TV
I don’t have any reference materials here, but back in pre-historic TV (the 50s), spinoffs weren’t all that unusual.
In addition to Pete and Gladys (previosuly mentioned) the Goldbergs begat the unlamented Mrs. G Goes to College. Cheyenne begat Sugarfoot. And lest we forget, The Honeymooners was a spinoff from Jackie Gleason’s variety show.
I’m not sure you could say they competed – they weren’t on TV at the same time. NTFS was first, Gomer Pyle years later. I recall watching the latter when it was new, but I don’t think there was an overlap.
IIRC, Andy Griffith starred in the movie NTFS, which heightens the similarity. (Was Don Knotts in it, too?)
“Gomer Pyle, USMC” was indeed a spin-off of “The Andy Griffith Show” complete with reference in TAGS to Gomer going off to join the Marines. BTW, “Mayberry, RFD” was an inferior sequel to TAGS, after all the good characters left.
In the Danny Thomas Show, Danny is stopped driving through Mayberry for speeding or some other traffic violation and is brought into court by Sheriff Andy Taylor who also seems to be the presiding judge in the town. Sheriff Andy is much more of a doofus in this show than he ever would be in TAGS, where he became the friendliest, least intimidating law enforcement authority ever.
As for spinoffs, they probably predate Shakespeare’s re-use of Falstaff in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” after he was in “Henry IV” (or was that the other way around?)
NTFS (the TV series) and Gomer Pyle both appeared in 1964 according to http://www.imdb.com:
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0057776
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0057752
NTFS, Starring Sammy Jackson, lasted only the one year - Gomer Pyle ran until 1970. I stand by the statement that “Gomer Pyle” was intended originally as a competetive knockoff.
No one mentioned The Jetsons! Spun off the Flintstones of course.
I realize I mentioned a one time appearence in the OP…but, is a spinoff from a one time appearence? Or is it an established character moving outside the original series?
I believe Star Trek is the show with the most spinoffs. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
I don’t think we’ll ever be able to get a satisfactory answer about which came first “Gomer Pyle” or “No Time for Sergeants”. You can probably find producers or writers for the shows who will claim that theirs was in development first.
Both shows premiered in 1964, the same year that “The Addams Family” and “The Munsters” both had their premieres.
Finding similar ideas in TV shows is far from unusual.
I think the Advisory Board should look into the “Gomer Pyle” vs. “No Time for Sergeants” dilemma.
How about “The Honeymooners”, which was originally a sketch on “The Calvacade of Stars” in 1952? Then, Jackie Gleason got his own show, and it was featured there. Then, it became its own show.
Knockoffs:
I’d call “The Munsters” the knockoff for the same reason as “Gomer Pyle” - “The Addams Family” was derived from the Charles Addams cartoons, like “No Time For Seargents” was drawn from the book, play and movie. The derivative work, based on the other medium, probably comes before the competetive clone by the other network, otherwise they would want the cachet associated with the established title.
Now, as to which of “Mr. Terrific” and “Captain Nice” is the knockoff - THAT I refuse to speculate on. Much to my shame, for some reason I can recite the theme song from “Mr. Terrific”.
CalMeacham:
He was indeed.
Reeder:
As of this writing, you’re wrong. Star Trek has had four spinoffs:
[List=1]
[li]Star Trek (the animated series)[/li][li]Star Trek: The Next Generation[/li][li]Star Trek: Deep Space Nine[/li][li]Star Trek: Voyager[/li][/List=1]
When Enterprise debuts this fall it will be five.
At least one show has Star Trek beat for spinoffs: Love, American Style. It spawned ten that I know of:
[List=1]
[li]Happy Days[/li][li]Laverne and Shirley[/li][li]Mork and Mindy[/li][li]Out of the Blue[/li][li]Joanie Loves Chachi[/li][li]Fonz and the Happy Days Gang[/li][li]Laverne and Shirley with the Fonz[/li][li]Blansky’s Beauties[/li][li]Laverne and Shirley in the Army[/li][li]Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour[/li][/List=1]
Whew! (I love the IMDB!) Leaving out the animated series you’ve still got six. Star Trek has a long way to go to match that.
CalMeacham
Love American Style was an ensemble show. Doesn’t fit the mold. Where is the connection to Love American style? Most of those you mentioned aren’t connected at all. Just offsprings of the later shows.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Happy Days spun off Laverne & Shirley. (LaVerne DiFozio was the Fonz’s girl friend for a while) Mork & Mindy was a spin off from Happy days too. (There was an episode where the Fonz met up with an alien - Mork) Joanie loves Chachi is a third spin off from Happy Days. (Joanie is Ritchie’s sister and Chachi is the Fonz’s nephew - as I recall who wasn’t in the series until shortly before it went off the air)
Fonzie & Happy days gang - “An animated series based loosely on the TV show “Happy Days”.” (IMDB)
Laverne and Shirley in the Army is based on the LaVerne and Shirley show and is set 2 years after the other show ended.
also… Don’t forget that Star Trek also spawned an animated show in 1976.