A spin-off is a TV show featuring a character from a previous show, with new stories. Frasier is a successful example from Cheers. Spin-offs can be any genre, but sitcoms are popular. Remakes are not spin-offs. The Archies had twelve spin-offs, and American Idol had three.
In television, a spin-off is a show featuring a character from a previously produced show. The character is taken away from the original concept and given a new spin on life, so to speak. One could even say that in spin-offs, the writers invent new stories for familiar characters. A spinoff can be of any genre such as a variety show, soap opera, cartoon, or reality show, but situation comedies or sitcoms seem to be especially popular for spinoffs.
The situation comedy Frasier is an example of a very successful spin-off. It is derived from the hugely successful Cheers and features the pompous psychologist, Dr. Frasier Crane, who was one of several regulars at the Cheers bar owned by the main character, Sam Malone. The success of Cheers was phenomenal and its star, Ted Danson, was said to be the highest paid television actor during Cheers’ time in its prime. Cheers ran for eleven years, from 1982 to 1993, but Frasier, with Kelsey Kramer reprizing his character as Dr. Frasier Crane, also enjoyed eleven years, from 1993 to 2004. The Frasier show focused on new life of Dr. Crane in Seattle as a psychologist with a radio show.
Sometimes, spin-offs air during the run of the original show. For example, the 1960-1968 sitcom The Andy Griffith Show led to the Gomer Pyle spin-off USMC from 1964 to 1969 and Mayberry RFD from 1968 to 1971. It is important to note that remakes of the shows are not the same as spin off. An example of a British show that was remade for an American audience was 1973’s Man about the House which was remade as 1977’s Three’s Company.
The 1968 children’s program The Archies, based on the popular comic strips, had twelve different spin-off programs. All of these twelve shows featured characters from the Archie comics. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was probably the most popular of these. The reality show American Idol debuted in 2002 and was so successful that it spawned three spin-offs. These are: American Juniors, American Idol Christmas, American Idol Extra and American Idol Rewind.
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