Best TV Spinoffs By cdu827  [28 more lists]

'The Jeffersons' simply must be included in any list that covers the best-ever TV spin-offs. This CBS sitcom was a spin-off of 'All in the Family,' created by TV wizard Norman Lear. 'The Jeffersons' ran from January of 1975 until June of 1985, solidifying its place in TV sitcom (and spin-off) history. Just in case you don't remember (we don't blame you, this was a long time ago), Louise 'Weezie' Jefferson (Isabel Sanford), first appeared on 'All in the Family' when she and her husband, George (Sherman Hemsley), moved into Archie Bunker's Queens neighborhood. Eventually, the Jeffersons moved on up to New York's Upper East Side - and the rest is history.

'Law & Order' has had many spin-offs - most of them not so memorable. One, however, shines like a beacon of crime-drama spin-off goodness: NBC's 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.' Yes, 'Law & Order' might be gone now, but 'SVU' lives on. In 1999, 'Law & Order: SVU' premiered - and now, the series is heading into its 13th season. After countless 'Law & Order' spin-offs ('Criminal Intent,' 'Law & Order: LA'), only one remains - and evne that's a bit questionable, as the show is losing some of its major cast members, including Christopher Meloni, aka Detective Elliot Stabler. Mariska Hartigay, aka Detective Olivia Benson, will also play a lesser role, and B.D. Wong, aka forensic psychiatrist Dr. George Huang, is also leaving the show. Yikes! Can 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' keep its ratings? That remains to be seen, but either way, there's no denying that 'SVU' was THE most successful 'Law & Order' spin-off.

CBS' 'All in the Family' gave birth to the wildly popular spin-off 'The Jeffersons,' but it also birthed a second successful sitcom. Yes, and then there's 'Maude.' 'Maude,' starring Bea Arthur, debuted in 1972 and ran for six seasons. Maude Findlay was Edith Bunker's ultra-liberal, extremely outspoken cousin - and naturally, Archie couldn't stand her.

This best TV spin-offs list does include several prime time soaps, filled with drama - including 'Melrose Place.' NO list of spin-offs would be complete without it. In 1992, 'Beverly Hills 90210' creator Darren Starr took a gamble - betting that audiences who loved 'Beverly Hills' would also love a spin-off. That gamble paid off: 'Melrose Place' ran for seven seasons. 'Melrose' was the much nastier cousin of '90210,' without question. Heather Locklear's turn as the ridiculously ruthless Amanda Woodward is unforgettable! 'Melrose Place' also gave birth to a spin-off, 'Models Inc.' - which didn't fare so well (it only ran for one season). And in 2009, The CW began airing an updated 'Melrose Place.' Again, it bombed - only lasting for a single season.

'Laverne & Shirley' is just one of TWO successful sitcoms that were spin-offs of 'Happy Days.' Creator Garry Marshall definitely had the magic touch when he decided to give Fonzie's buddies, Laverne De Fazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) their very own show. The comedy flowed, and the audiences loved the pair: 'Laverne & Shirley' aired from 1976 until 1983.

Now, we mentioned two successful shows that spun off of 'Happy Days.' The other? 'Mork & Mindy!' Yes, the show that introduced the world to the wackiness of Robin Williams debuted in 1978, running for four seasons. Mork from Ork was featured on 'Happy Days,' as a goofy alien who tries to abduct Richie Cunningham. Fonzie saves the day (of course). Mork was such a lovable, funny character that Garry Marshall decided to take a chance, giving him his own series - and the rest is TV history!

Ah, the prime time soap - what would the late 70s and early 80s have been without it? In an effort to capitalize on the crazy popularity of 'Dallas,' CBS opted to spin-off the show into 'Knots Landing.' Ewing middle son Gary (Ted Shackleford) married Valene (Joan Van Ark), and he and ""Val"" left the Southfork Ranch for greener pastures. Eventually, Ewing matriarch Miss Ellie bought the couple a California house, and 'Knots Landing' was born. Love it or hate it, you cannot deny that 'Knots Landing' is among the most successful spin-off shows ever - it ran for 14 seasons!

Most people don't realize ""Family Matters"" was a spin-off of another popular TGIF line-up show, ""Perfect Strangers."" It's true! Harriette Winslow had been the elevator operator at the Chicago Chronicle, the newspaper where Balki and his Cousin Larry worked. Once ""Family Matters"" started as a series, it was explained that Harriette transitioned to a new job as Head of Security, which is why she stopped hanging out with the guy from Mypos. Also interesting: Steve Urkel, by far the series' most memorable and beloved character, was not originally a part of the show's regular cast, but was introduced halfway through the first season. (His alter-ego Stefan Urkquelle and cousin Myrtle Urkel didn't arrive until much later.)

It's rare enough when a successful TV show spins off one additional show - but two? That's exactly what happened with 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show.' In 1974, CBS created 'Rhoda,' a sitcom spin-off from 'Mary Tyler Moore' that focused on Mary Richards' bestie, Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper). 'Rhoda' ran for five seasons. 'Lou Grant,' which followed the exploits of Mary's former TV news producer-turned-print-editor, Lou (Ed Asner), premiered in 1977 and ran until 1982, picking up more than a dozen Emmy awards along the way.

In 1987, NBC opted to spin-off 'The Cosby Show.' Definitely a huge risk - but it worked. The sitcom 'A Different World' ran for six seasons. While it started out focusing on eldest Huxtable Denise (Lisa Bonet) and her experiences away at college, when Bonet left, 'A Different World' went in...well...a different direction, focusing primarily on Whitney Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and her boyfriend Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). Who can ever forget Whitney? And the show's featured some up-and-coming BIG names who were either regular cast members or who made guest appearances, including Marisa Tomei, Loretta Devine, Sinbad, Jada Pinkett, Diahann Carroll and yes, even Tupac Shakur!