We’re as sad about “Breaking Bad” coming to an end as the next TV website, but that doesn’t mean we think that a Saul Goodman spinoff is a good idea.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the end has to be the end. I’m Franchise Fred. I think every story should continue indefinitely. However, spinning off a beloved TV series with a supporting character isn’t exactly the same thing. It can work, but when it doesn’t it can be ugly. They can’t all be “Frasier,” “The Jeffersons” or “A Different World.”
Here are some of the worst TV spinoffs ever conceived, many of which you’ve probably already forgotten. But the past is prologue for TV, and we’re likely to see more bad spinoff ideas in the future.
The Top 10 TV Spinoffs That Never Should Have Happened
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Joey (2004)
I’m going to go a little easy on this “Friends” spinoff. I got a lot of good laughs out of “Joey” living the life of a Hollywood actor, still a ladies man. I thought they surrounded him with great characters to counterpoint his charm.
But let’s be realistic, I know “Joey” is not looked upon highly. They tried and tried to shape it into something that could live up to “Friends” but eventually put it out of its misery during the second season.
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The Tortellis (1987)
Nick Tortelli was a funny character on the occasional episode of “Cheers.” As the star of his own show, not so much. You see, not every “Cheers” spinoff was gold.
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Beverly Hills Buntz (1987)
Did you know there was a spinoff from “Hill Street Blues?” I didn’t either. It sounds amazing. Buntz (Dennis Franz) quits the police force and moves to Beverly Hills to become a PI, and now it’s a half hour dramedy. Franz would eventually play a cop again in "NYPD Blue"; which worked out well for him.
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Baywatch Nights (1995)
Okay, admittedly this was not exactly spun off from a highbrow source. However, it turns out, that once these people put their clothes back on, there wasn’t much of a show left.
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The Lone Gunmen (2001)
So you’ve got a long running hit show about serious extraterrestrial investigations. How do you extend it? Take the three goofiest guest stars and give them a wacky crime solving series. Worst of all, this killed any hope for “Cigarette Smoking Man: The Series.”
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I Love New York (2007)
It’s bad enough we have “Flavor of Love” but at least I get that. Take a kooky star and do a dating show, it writes itself. But now we have to have the star bachelorette of that show do her own dating show?
I actually know way too much about “I Love New York,” including one suitor who gave New York chocolate that was so melted it looked like diarrhea (her words, not mine.)
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Booker (1989)
What do you do when you’re too old to go undercover in high school? Spin-off your “21 Jump Street” character as a private investigator. This was the last we saw of Richard Grieco’s officer Dennis Booker. Not even a cameo in the 21 Jump Street movie. Even Johnny Depp came back for that!
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AfterMASH (1983)
“M*A*S*H” already outlasted the war in which it was set, so what’s one of TV’s most beloved shows to do when it finally ended? Beat it into the ground, of course. “AfterMASH” had Potter, Klinger and Father Mulcahy continuing medical practice at a veteran’s hospital.
The first season did well and earned an Emmy nomination and a Peabody Award, but the second season was clobbered by “The A-Team.” TV Guide ranked it the seventh worst show ever made.
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Joanie Loves Chachi (1982)
“Happy Days” launched two great spinoff series: “Laverne & Shirley” and “Mork & Mindy.” Then it launched a notorious failure in “Joanie Loves Chachi.” Taking two characters out of a currently successful series already suggests diminishing returns. This spinoff pushed its luck by having Joanie and Chachi form a rock band and play a new song every week.
Actually, if iTunes existed back then, it could have been the first “Glee.” It wasn’t though, and Joanie and Chachi eventually made it back into “Happy Days.”
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Top of the Heap (1991)
This was hardly a spinoff of “Married with Children.” Charlie (Joseph Bologna) and Vinnie (Matt LeBlanc, second appearance on this list) showed up in one episode, then got their own show? Charlie and Vinnie were trying to get rich, or something. It just shows you can’t stick a bad sitcom in the middle of a classic and pass it off. They further tried to spin-off “Vinnie & Bobby” which I don’t even remember existing.
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Dishonorable Mentions
“The Colbys (pictured),” “Just the Ten of Us,” “The Cleveland Show,” “The Finder,” “Enos,” “Time of Your Life”
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Near Miss: Everybody Loves Robert (2005)
This show actually didn’t get made, but it came close. They were going to spinoff Brad Garrett’s character from “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Actually, that had to have been better than “Til Death.” I don’t think the title was ever confirmed, but come on, what else were they going to call it?
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Forgiven: Saved By the Bell: The College Years (1993)
I actually thought this was a great idea, and I liked the show, but it only lasted 13 episodes so my love wasn’t enough to get Zack Morris past freshman year.
