Most great (or at least successful shows) have had as spinoff or two spun from them. Unfortunately, they are almost uniformly insulting to humanity.
Take, for example, these five forgotten fiascos... which we've brought back full force just when you had finally gotten over the painful experiences you had watching them the first time around...
5. A Man Called Hawk. This definitely has kitsch factor going for it-- otherwise, it would be far and away our #1 choice. This 1989 masterpiece, a spinoff of Spenser For Hire, has easily the most unintentionally hilarious opening credit sequence in television history. That's enough to earn it a place on our very short list...
4. The Tortellis. Remember Dan Hedaya? He was in the Usual Suspects and some other popular films, for one thing. Another thing: he played the absentee husband to Carla on Cheers... for six episodes. Not too long after, executives decided they needed to start spinning off their hit show for George Wendt and Kelsey Grammar vehicles (who woulda thunk that they'd have such hits?) One of their less-inspired ideas was this show, seen here in a bumper from its early days.
3. After M*A*S*H. Christ Almighty, hadn't this show been around long enough? After more than a decade on the air, M*A*S*H concluded in 1983 with one of the best and most-watched shows in television history, a finale so powerful and satisfying that even Hollywood would know to let it go out in style... oops. The next thing you know, After takes up where the original left off, set after the war in a veteran's hospital but it's really not the same without the blood and gallows humor. Or Alan Alda and his space alien voice.
2. Joey. A stiff, overrated primetime soap opera-comedy goes off the air as the #1 show... what do you do next? Apparently, find the third wheel character and expand his role into a whole new series. (Hey, it worked for Frasier, right?) It's even worse than you imagined when you heard they were doing it:
1. Saved By The Bell: The College Years. Say what you will about Saved By The Bell's original run (we'll say: worst long-running "comedy" ever, bar none), it couldn't have been as awful as this. Could it?
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