3 TV Shows That Were Originally Planned To Be Spinoffs (But Became Completely Separate Series)

Spinoffs are always a gamble. Most of the time, you have a hit show and decide to expand its universe, but the result ends up being underwhelming. Supporting characters who worked perfectly in the original lose their charm, the storylines get predictable, and the audience quickly realizes they’re basically watching a copy. But not all spinoffs follow that pattern. Sometimes, a show starts tied to a popular series and, along the way, discovers it has a life of its own (and occasionally, even bigger success than the original). And sometimes, what was supposed to be just an extension ends up being way more interesting than you expected and deserves to be seen as its own thing. This is about planning a spinoff, but recognizing that it’s going to do way better if it ends up not being one.

Here are three TV shows that should have been simple spinoffs but transcended that format and became completely separate series.

1) Parks & Recreation

The Office is still widely praised today, so a spinoff wouldn’t have been surprising. And that’s exactly what was planned – or at least, that was the idea. Parks & Recreation aimed to replicate the success formula of the office comedy, but it quickly moved beyond that, managing to create something entirely its own. At the heart of the story is Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) a relentlessly ambitious public servant dealing with the bureaucracy and chaos of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The thing is that she’s not just a “female Michael Scott;” she’s determined, annoyingly optimistic, and somehow makes you root for a parks department no one in real life would care about.

The humor in Parks & Recreation is absurd, but never dumb, and the supporting characters are so distinctive that it’s impossible to think of the show as a mere derivative. Every episode tops the last, nailing political satire, hitting emotional beats, and delivering situations so ridiculous you forget the show was ever tied to The Office. The beauty is that it found its own voice, and even if you’ve never watched the office comedy, it works perfectly – and that’s a huge achievement.

2) Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Lawmen: Bass Reeves is the kind of spinoff that seems to refuse being just an extension of another series. Originally tied to 1883 and, by extension, the Yellowstone universe, the show decided to tell the story of the first African-American federal marshal in the Old West on its own – and that’s exactly what makes it stand out. Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) isn’t just a Western hero; he’s a man dealing with violence, prejudice, and a system seemingly designed to take him down (and that alone makes it remarkable that this was even considered a spinoff). It’s classic Western with social tension, but written and executed far more intelligently than most.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves turns its protagonist into the centerpiece of a story that deserves to exist independently of any larger universe. The series mixes action and drama with moments that make you realize how extraordinary Reeves actually was (almost impossibly so), and yet, here he is, carrying the entire show. It might sound cliché, but this is a production that proves some stories just don’t work as side projects; they need to be told on their own, for real. Period.

3) MobLand

Ever heard of MobLand? It was planned as a spinoff of the crime drama Ray Donovan, but it quickly broke away and became its own series – and honestly, that was the best decision they could’ve made. The story follows Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy), a “fixer” who keeps London’s powerful Harrigan family in check while managing tensions with the rival Stevenson family, and trying to stay alive as chaos erupts all around him. The result is pure, sophisticated crime. You don’t need to know Ray Donovan at all; you jump in, understand the dynamics, and get invested without ever feeling like you’re missing anything.

MobLand thrives on constant internal and external conflicts, and the best part is that it keeps that “crime with brains” vibe without ever feeling pretentious. You get the characters, the stakes, and you still get to enjoy all the violence and manipulation. By the end of the day, you’re watching a show that’s genuinely independent, completely capable of standing on its own – and it does that exceptionally well.

Do you think any of these shows ended up outshining the ones they were supposed to be spinoffs of? What other series do you think managed to break free and stand on their own? Let us know in the comments!

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