When “Star Trek” first premiered in 1966, few imagined that it would grow into a massive media franchise. Over the half century since, six television spinoff series were produced, including “Star Trek: Discovery,” which began airing this past September and already has an avid following. The show’s first season finale will air Sunday, Feb. 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
In the neverending search for successful television content, networks often expand on current lucrative shows with spinoff series. Just as “Discovery” followed “Star Trek: The Original Series,” “Frasier” followed “Cheers,” and “Joey” followed “Friends.”
Many spinoffs become successful and beloved in their own right, while others fail miserably. 24/7 Wall St. has identified the 27 best spinoff series based on IMDb user ratings, many of which have gone on to eclipse the series that birthed them.
Click here to see the best TV spinoffs.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
27. Dragon Ball Super
> Years on air: 2015-
> Predecessor: Dragon Ball
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10
> Awards: N/A
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26. Batman Beyond
> Years on air: 1999-2001
> Predecessor: Batman: The Animated Series
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10
> Awards: 5 wins & 14 nominations.
25. Daria
> Years on air: 1997-2001
> Predecessor: Beavis and Butt-head
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10
> Awards: 3 nominations.
24. Stargate: Atlantis
> Years on air: 2004-2009
> Predecessor: Stargate SG-1
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10
> Awards: Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 19 wins & 38 nominations.
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23. Wanted: Dead or Alive
> Years on air: 1958-1961
> Predecessor: Trackdown
> IMDb rating: 8.2/10
> Awards: N/A
22. Degrassi High
> Years on air: 1987-1991
> Predecessor: Degrassi Junior High
> IMDb rating: 8.2/10
> Awards: 10 wins & 13 nominations.
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21. Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge
> Years on air: 1994-1995
> Predecessor: The Day Today
> IMDb rating: 8.2/10
> Awards: 2 wins & 2 nominations.
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20. Beast Wars: Transformers
> Years on air: 1996-1999
> Predecessor: The Transformers
> IMDb rating: 8.2/10
> Awards: 1 win & 1 nomination.
19. Ashes to Ashes
> Years on air: 2008-2010
> Predecessor: Life on Mars
> IMDb rating: 8.2/10
> Awards: 6 wins & 23 nominations.
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18. The Andy Griffith Show
> Years on air: 1960-1968
> Predecessor: The Danny Thomas Show
> IMDb rating: 8.3/10
> Awards: Won 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations.
17. The Originals
> Years on air: 2013-
> Predecessor: The Vampire Diaries
> IMDb rating: 8.3/10
> Awards: Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 6 nominations.
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16. Phoenix Nights
> Years on air: 2001-2002
> Predecessor: That Peter Kay Thing
> IMDb rating: 8.4/10
> Awards: 5 wins & 8 nominations.
15. Boston Legal
> Years on air: 2004-2008
> Predecessor: The Practice
> IMDb rating: 8.4/10
> Awards: Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 65 nominations.
14. I’m Alan Partridge
> Years on air: 1997-2002
> Predecessor: Knowing Me, Knowing You… with Alan Partridge
> IMDb rating: 8.5/10
> Awards: 5 wins & 6 nominations.
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13. The Colbert Report
> Years on air: 2005-2015
> Predecessor: The Daily Show
> IMDb rating: 8.5/10
> Awards: Won 7 Primetime Emmys. Another 17 wins & 88 nominations.
12. The New Batman Adventures
> Years on air: 1997-1999
> Predecessor: Batman: The Animated Series
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Awards: 6 wins & 10 nominations.
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11. Endeavour
> Years on air: 2012-
> Predecessor: Inspector Morse
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Awards: 3 nominations.
10. The Bugs Bunny Show
> Years on air: 1960-1975
> Predecessor: Looney Tunes
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Awards: N/A
9. Black Adder the Third
> Years on air: 1987
> Predecessor: The Black Adder
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Awards: 3 wins & 6 nominations.
8. Justice League
> Years on air: 2001-2004
> Predecessor: Batman: The Animated Series
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Awards: Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 9 nominations.
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7. The Legend of Korra
> Years on air: 2012-2014
> Predecessor: Avatar: The Last Airbender
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Awards: 27 wins & 41 nominations.
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6. Star Trek: The Next Generation
> Years on air: 1987-1994
> Predecessor: Star Trek: The Original Series
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Awards: Won 18 Primetime Emmys. Another 17 wins & 61 nominations.
5. Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
> Years on air: 2010-2016
> Predecessor: Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
> IMDb rating: 8.7/10
> Awards: N/A
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4. Brass Eye
> Years on air: 1997-2001
> Predecessor: The Day Today
> IMDb rating: 8.7/10
> Awards: 3 nominations.
3. Dragon Ball Z
> Years on air: 1996-2003
> Predecessor: Dragon Ball
> IMDb rating: 8.7/10
> Awards: N/A
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2. Better Call Saul
> Years on air: 2015-
> Predecessor: Breaking Bad
> IMDb rating: 8.7/10
> Awards: Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 16 wins & 100 nominations.
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1. Blackadder Goes Forth
> Years on air: 1989
> Predecessor: The Black Adder
> IMDb rating: 8.8/10
> Awards: 3 wins.
Detailed findings and methodology:
Television spinoffs generally follow a side character from the parent series or concentrate on a specific story line from the original series. While there are some notable exceptions on the list – such as “The Colbert Report,” which is based on a character that Stephen Colbert developed on “The Daily Show” – the majority meet these criteria.
Spinoffs of children’s shows are particularly popular and extremely successful. Children are drawn to the familiar. A number of such spinoffs appear on the list, including “Degrassi High,” “Beast Wars: Transformers,” and “The Bugs Bunny Show.”
While not all spinoffs are produced for children, one-third of those listed are animated. Animated shows generally aren’t restricted to keeping the same actors, and characters are not subject to aging as those in live action shows.
Spinoffs are also very popular overseas, especially in the United Kingdom. This is represented in the list, as eight of the 27 best spinoff shows come from the UK. Six of these are comedies, which frequently share characters with their parent shows.
To determine the best television spinoff shows, 24/7 Wall St. created a list of the top-rated spinoffs on the Internet Movie Database with at least 1,000 IMDb user ratings. To be considered a spinoff, a show must be connected to its original series through shared characters or a shared universe that is unique to the original. Series that are based on segments from variety or sketch shows – such as “The Simpsons,” which first appeared on “The Tracey Ullman Show” – were excluded from consideration. Rebooted versions of series – such as the episodes of “The Twilight Zone” that aired during the 1980s and then 2000s – were also excluded. Award wins and nominations come from IMDb.
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