The 20 Greatest Television Spin-Offs (Part Two: Top 10)

The second part of our spin-off countdown comes at ya like Cleopatra.

Let us know your thoughts, did we miss anything that deserved to be among the elite?

10. Knowing Me, Knowing You (1994-95)
Original Show: On The Hour/The Day Today.

Having started life as a character featured on BBC Radio 4’s On The Hour, and transferred to television with The Day Today, Alan Partridge was given his own vehicle in 1994, with this spoof chat show.

Steve Coogan masterfully portrays the hapless presenter, whose desperate attempts to curry favour with his guests inevitably backfire.

9. Happy Days (1974-84)
Original Show: Love, American Style.

Based in the 1950s and 60s, no show has spawned as many spin-offs as Happy Days, which was itself born of another show.

More than ten years on air ended when the diminishing value of the classic sitcom slumped to its nadir.

The beginning of the end came when Fonzie jumped over a shark on water skis, thus coining the term ‘jumping the shark’, used in modern vernacular to describe a TV programme in decline.

8. Absolutely Fabulous (1992-2012)
Original Show: French and Saunders.

Moreish for its uncensored mischief and satirical humour, 'Ab Fab'  featured Eddie and Patsy, two hard-drinking, drug-taking, selfish middle-aged women.

Their cruel humour zones in on the hypocrisy of modern day society, much to the chagrin of Eddie's conservative daughter, Saffron.

7. CSI Miami (2002-12)
Original Show: CSI.

A Florida team of forensics investigators use cutting-edge scientific methods and old-fashioned police work to solve crimes.

Horatio Caine (David Caruso) leads the way with understated brilliance, and as tough an act to follow as CSI was, its Miami successor was retrospectively the superior series.

6. A Different World (1987-93)
Original Show: The Cosby Show.

A Different World followed the student life of Denise Huxtable, played by the captivating Lisa Bonet, as she ditched the comfort of the Cosby bosom to attend Hillman College.

Bonet lasted one season before eloping with Lenny Kravitz and becoming pregnant in real life.

Her departure, and that of a young Marisa Tomei, didn’t harm the show, with four superior seasons preceding a flat finale.

5. Sesame Street (1969-present)
Original Show: Sam and Friends.

A long-time favourite of children and adults, Sesame Street bridges many cultural and educational gaps and has to date aired 4,591 episodes over the course of more than half a century.

Big Bird leads a cast of characters teaching children numbers, colours and the alphabet.

Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch and Grover are just a few of the other furry friends involved in the show, set on a city street full of valuable learning opportunities.

4. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-94)
Original Show: Star Trek

Featuring a bigger and better USS Enterprise than its parent series, TNG is set 78 years after the original, in the 24th century.

In place of Captain James Kirk, the less volatile and more mature Captain Jean-Luc Picard — played by ultra smooth thespian Patrick Stewart — heads the crew of various humans and alien creatures in their adventures in space, aka: the final frontier.

3. Better Call Saul (2015-)
Original Show: Breaking Bad.

Breaking Bad scamp and ex-conman, Jimmy McGill, showcases his shifty prowess as an attorney in this phenomenal Netflix spin-off, navigating through a series of trials and tribulations.

Gradually evolving into alter ego Saul Goodman, level-headed partner Kim Wexler is dragged , while old BB favourite Mike Ehrmantraut adds comforting familiarity to the show, which is set for its sixth season in 2022.

2. Frasier (1993-2004)
Original Show: Cheers.

While many of Cheers’ spin-offs were tacky cash-ins, Frasier had the staying power and depth of cast to last for 11 years, before waving adieu on its own terms.

Kelsey Grammar plays radio psychiatrist Frasier Crane, whose charm and sophistication adroitly dovetail with the rest of the ensemble, most notably brother Niles, who often steals the show courtesy of the excellent David Hyde Pierce.

1. The Simpsons (1989-present)
Original Show: The Tracey Ullman Show.

The law of diminishing returns has perhaps never been as evident as with The Simpsons.

Beginning life as a series of short sketches produced by Matt Groening based on his own family, the concise animations soon extended into 25-minute weekly cartoons.

Its 1990s pomp ran through seasons four to eight, with everything beyond season 20 (there have now been 33 seasons) has been increasingly unrewarding.

Forget that for a moment though, The Simpsons revolutionised the cartoon comedy genre, and richly deserves its place atop the pile.