7 Worst TV Spin-Offs That Embarrassed The Original Show

Some TV shows would have been better without continuing in these disappointing and embarrassing spinoff series. If a TV series reaches huge success during its run, it’s no surprise that studios would want to capitalize on this by continuing the story in follow-ups and sequels. Sometimes, these spinoff series have been brilliant, such as in the cases of Better Call Saul, Gen V, The Originals, Torchwood, and more. Other times, however, spinoffs have failed their parent show and been poor representations of the original story.

The likes of How I Met Your Mother, The Golden Girls, Heroes, and Friends are some of the best TV shows in history. Unfortunately, their spinoffs failed to live up to their impact and success. Over the years, the creatives and studios behind these shows, and more, have delivered some of the worst spinoffs that have tainted the name of the original projects, and have produced some stories we’d much rather forget.

7) How I Met Your Father (2022-2023)

The popular How I Met Your Mother ran for nine seasons between 2005 and 2014, becoming one of the most memorable and beloved sitcoms in history. However, its spinoff, How I Met Your Father, struggled to meet its success. HIMYF starred Hilary Duff as Sophie Tompkins, who similarly recounted the meeting of her kids’ father to them in the future. Unfortunately, the dated nature of the nostalgia in the series, a lack of substantial character development, and an inconsistent humor made How I Met Your Father disappointing and led to the series cancellation after two seasons.

6) The Golden Palace (1992-1993)

Throughout the ’80s and early ’90s, Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty were regulars on the small-screen as the Golden Girls, and the series came to a natural end in 1992. The Golden Palace failed to live up to the impact of its parent show. The spinoff saw Rose (White), Blanche (McClanahan), and Sophia (Getty) take over a Miami hotel, but the absence of Dorothy (Arthur), the reliance on the old formula, the lack of character development beyond the premiere, and poor production doomed The Golden Palace, so CBS cancelled it after just one season.

5) That ’80s Show (2002)

Some would argue that That ’80s Show isn’t actually an honest-to-goodness spinoff of That ’70s Show, which ran successfully for eight seasons between 1998 and 2006. However, with many of the same creative team, and with similar themes and storylines explored, That ’80s Show certainly lived in the shadow of its more-successful predecessor. Characters had no chemistry with each other, there was a clear over-reliance on nostalgia, the humor was inconsistent and forced, and the characters weren’t relatable or natural, meaning audiences always felt at a distance. That ’80s Show just didn’t work, and was cancelled after only 13 episodes.

4) Saved By the Bell: The College Years (1993-1994)

The huge success of teen sitcom Saved by the Bell led to two spinoffs premiering in 1993. While Saved by the Bell: The New Class ran for seven seasons until 2000, Saved by the Bell: The College Years only ran for 19 episodes. The College Years followed Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), and Screech (Dustin Diamond) to college. Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen) joined them from the original show, but the lack of more original cast members was the main reason that audiences failed to fall in love with The College Years, culminating in its hasty cancellation.

3) The Carrie Diaries (2013-2014)

Focusing on Carrie Bradshaw during her junior year of high school in 1984, this Sex and the City spinoff faltered under its wild shift in tone. Audiences fell in love with the mature and relatable nature of Sex and the City, but The Carrie Diaries transplanted Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie, now played by AnnaSophia Robb, into a teen comedy-drama that alienated many viewers. The CW cancelled The Carrie Diaries after two seasons, with its anachronisms, choppy writing, disconnection from the parent show, and over-reliance on its teen comedy tropes leading to its ultimate demise.

2) Heroes Reborn (2015-2016)

Heroes is one of the most critically-acclaimed and interesting superhero TV shows ever, especially its first season, which premiered in 2006. The series dwindled over its four-season run, however, leading to its cancellation in 2010. In 2015, however, Heroes Reborn promised to reignite interest in the series, but this didn’t happen. Instead, Heroes Reborn focused more on its visual effects and melodrama than developing unique and relatable characters like its predecessor. The lack of original characters and a disappointing and convoluted narrative marked Reborn’s end, but a new Heroes spinoff, Heroes: Eclipsed, could legitimize the spinoff.

1) Joey (2004-2006)

Everybody knows Friends as one of, if not the, most iconic, popular, and influential sitcoms in TV history, focused on the lives of six friends in their 20s living in New York City. The show came to a natural and hugely-emotional end in 2004 when Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (the late Matthew Perry) moved out of the city, but Joey Tribbiani’s (Matt LeBlanc) story didn’t end there. 2004’s Joey spinoff saw the titular Days of Our Lives actor move to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career, but this separated him from the friends we fell in love with, gave the show a disconnected and inauthentic feeling, and transformed Joey into a mopey character, rather than the dependable womanizer from Friends. We would happily forget Joey ever hit our TV screens.

What are your least favorite TV spinoffs? Let us know in the comments!

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