# Which TV property has the most spinoffs/in-universe franchise shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [September 2, 2024, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652 "2024-09-02T22:24:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 3, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/21 "2024-09-03T02:00:15Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > (and there may be more) Torchwood ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/22 "2024-09-03T02:21:28Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Enterprise** _ I’ve seen, definitely should have been on the list. The others you mention I’ve either not seen or have never even heard of. Of the ones named by Telemark, only Enterprise and Strange New Worlds are full-episode, live-action series, and are currently available for viewing. Starfleet Academy is live-action, but its initial season is currently in production (scheduled to premiere in 2025 or 2026). Lower Decks and Prodigy are animated series, and Short Treks is an anthology series of shorter stories (10 to 20 minutes) – some are live-action, some are animated. Other than Enterprise, the rest on Telemark’s list (along with Discovery and Picard) are all primarily shown on the Paramount+ streaming service (or its predecessor, CBS All Access). ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/23 "2024-09-03T03:26:37Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > There’s _Maude_, too. You lose points for not having used the phrase ‘[And then there’s Maude](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9NY8R-LmIw)’ ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/24 "2024-09-03T03:32:43Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Anybody mentioned [JAG](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAG_(TV_series)#:~:text=JAG%20furthermore%20spawned%20the%20hit,were%20produced%20over%2010%20seasons.) yet? JAG is part of the vast Bellasarioverse, apologies to all who are unable to escape TVTropes: > **[Bellisarioverse](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Bellisarioverse)** > > The "Bellisarioverse" is an umbrella term for 12 shows primarily on CBS that all link together, starting with JAG and spanning over twenty years of continuity. It is named after Donald P. Bellisario, the creator of JAG, which later became popular … ---
**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:** [September 3, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/25 "2024-09-03T03:32:49Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > The [Tommy Westphall universe](https://thetommywestphall.wordpress.com/the-master-list/) Your level of Hell is ready for you-Please follow me to the elevator and we’ll be on our way. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/26 "2024-09-03T03:37:44Z")
According to IMDB, Doctor Who (on Disney+) is a whole different series! ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/27 "2024-09-03T04:26:53Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > **Mork and Mindy** wasn’t really a spin off, it was just using Happy Days as a launch pad for a completely unrelated show. But if you go with that, all those series could be a spin-off from **Love American Style**. By sheer coincidence, I was reading the Wikipedia page for the Mork episode of **Happy Days** a few days ago. It said that the idea for a Happy Days episode involving an alien came first (inspired by the success of Star Wars) and only after Robin Williams was cast (after Roger Rees quit!) did they come up with the idea of a spin-off. Also, the **Love, American Style** segment was a previously rejected TV pilot that they were repurposing; it wasn’t created just as a segment of **Love, American Style**. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/28 "2024-09-03T05:58:18Z")
This seems a good thread to recognize when a spinoff isn’t a spinoff. See, there’s a thing in standard actors’ union deals where if a show is successful and achieves certain performance thresholds (number of episodes or seasons typically), actor compensation goes up. Makes sense, right? Disney (because of course it’s fuckin Disney) found a loophole. If they had a hit show, they’d let it run two or three years, and then cancel it. But then they’d hire all the same cast and crew and make a “spinoff” that’s the same show again with a new title and a new coat of paint. Hence, _[The Suite Life of Zack & Cody](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Suite_Life_of_Zack_%26_Cody)_ runs three years, and then gets canned and morphs immediately into _[The Suite Life on Deck](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Suite_Life_on_Deck)_ which is just the same show with the same leads transplanted onto a boat. And Disney gets six years of a sitcom without having to pay the cast a six-year salary. If you’ve ever wondered why these kid sitcoms had all these short runs of similar shows under derivative titles recycling cast members as the same characters, now you know. And I would ask, for the purpose of this thread, whether these fake spinoffs should be counted as actual spinoffs, considering the business fiction that caused them to exist, or acknowledged as all basically the same show, artificially divided. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/29 "2024-09-03T06:03:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Star Trek: The Old Show Is that really what some call it? To me it was always: - Star Trek: The Original Series. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/30 "2024-09-03T06:06:04Z")
Whoosh! ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/31 "2024-09-03T10:21:43Z")
Seems like cheating 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/32 "2024-09-03T10:23:32Z")
Wow. I intended to include that one; I certainly watched it. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/33 "2024-09-03T10:50:35Z")
While it started as a movie Star Wars has had loads of TV shows: - Droids - Ewoks - The Clone Wars - Rebels - Resistance - The Bad Batch - Visions - Tales - Young Jedi Adventures - Clone Wars - Blips - Forces of Destiny - Galaxy of Adventures - Roll Out - Galaxy of Creatures - Galactic Pals - “Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies” - Fun with Nubs - The Mandalorian - The Book of Boba Fett - Obi-Wan Kenobi - Andor - Ahsoka - The Acolyte - Skeleton Crew - Jedi Temple Challenge ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/34 "2024-09-03T13:32:48Z")
Lego versions, too. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/35 "2024-09-03T14:36:19Z")
I know that CSI doesn’t have enough franchises to compare with Star Trek or Law & Order, but I have a question. The original CSI was in Las Vegas. And then there were spin-offs for Miami and NY and a couple other locations…but now there is a CSI: Vegas, right? So, is that different from CSI: TOS? How do we count that one? ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/36 "2024-09-03T14:57:14Z")
I would consider it a spin-off of the original series, rather than a remake (as I have heard some call it). As I remember (because I’m too lazy to look it up) when CSI: Vegas started the premise was that Gil Grissom was called put of retirement to deal with an old case, which was used as a springboard to introduce a new cast. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/37 "2024-09-03T15:16:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Wikipedia mentions seven spinoffs of _Happy Days_. > > > [@](#): > > > > _Happy Days_ resulted in seven different spin-off series, including two that were animated: _[Laverne & Shirley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laverne_%26_Shirley),_ _[Blansky’s Beauties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blansky%27s_Beauties),_ _[Mork & Mindy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mork_%26_Mindy),_ _[Out of the Blue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Blue_(1979_TV_series)),_ _[Joanie Loves Chachi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanie_Loves_Chachi),_ _[The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fonz_and_the_Happy_Days_Gang)_ (animated), and _[Laverne & Shirley with The Fonz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mork_%26_Mindy/Laverne_%26_Shirley/Fonz_Hour#Laverne_&_Shirley_with_The_Fonz)_ (animated). > > I only remember _Laverne & Shirley_, _Mork & Mindy_, and _Joanie Loves Chachi_, but those three sprang easily to mind. I may be the only person alive who remembers _Out of the Blue_. It was very short-lived (12 episodes produced, only 8 ever aired). It was about a guardian angel named Random, played by stand-up comedian Jimmy Brogan. There is actually controversy as to whether it should count as a spin-off of _Happy Days_, because its first episode had already aired, a week before the _Happy Days_ episode which supposedly “introduced” the character of Random. Even if we accept that the _Happy Days_ episode was intended to be seen first, this makes it more of a backdoor pilot than a true spin-off. And that’s more than you probably ever wanted to know about _Out of the Blue_. Some Random facts, if you will. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/38 "2024-09-03T17:31:45Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I may be the only person alive who remembers _Out of the Blue_. It was very short-lived (12 episodes produced, only 8 ever aired). It was about a guardian angel named Random, played by stand-up comedian Jimmy Brogan. I remember it, but only because Jimmy Brogan’s cousin was a classmate of mine (we were freshmen in high school at the time), and the cousin talked about it constantly, and encouraged all of us to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/39 "2024-09-03T17:35:09Z")
At least Jimmy Brogan went on to a fairly successful, if not hugely visible, career, as a writer for Jay Leno, and a warm-up comedian for several sitcoms. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652/40 "2024-09-03T17:37:41Z")
I watched the pilot, mainly because they said Robin Williams was going to be in it. He popped in as Mork for maybe a minute and then popped out again. I never watched any of the other episodes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-property-has-the-most-spinoffs-in-universe-franchise-shows/1006652.md?page=3)