Spin-offs that surpass the original

the purple tin

Cheers was a great sitcom but Frasier at its peak was on a whole other level.


Any other examples?

pixelburp

DS9 was a better Star Trek & better TV show in general than Next Generation; better stories, and had better characters (and actors) and dynamics that resulted in some genuinely good arcs, friendship and rivalries.

banie01

Does BSG count?
I know it's a reboot, but if one buys the whole "this has all happened before and will again" premise surely it counts?

Actual accepted spinoffs.
The Simpsons
Keenan & Kel
Pinky & The Brain
Alan Partridge
Phoenix nights

Penn

Angel imo was a better show than Buffy The Vampire Slayer. BTVS is iconic and had a lot of the best and most memorable episodes, but Angel overall had the best characters, character arcs and acting, while also having some amazing standalone episodes.

Hailey Cometh

Joey

the purple tin

Hailey Cometh wrote: »

Joey

scooby77

NCIS (from JAG)

Tom Mann Centuria

The Finder was better than Bones (even though it got cancelled more or less straight away)

lertsnim

Mork and Mindy was much better than Happy Days

ixoy

'Legends of Tomorrow' is much more enjoyable than 'Arrow'.
'Xena: Warrior Princess' over 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'.

The Satanist

The Ali G show, a spin off from the 11 O'Clock Show.

Martin Lanigan

the purple tin wrote: »

What you talkin bout, Willis?

Penn

ixoy wrote: »

'Legends of Tomorrow' is much more enjoyable than 'Arrow'.

I'd even put The Flash ahead of Arrow, as bad as The Flash can and has been a lot of the time.

gazzer

Penn wrote: »

Angel imo was a better show than Buffy The Vampire Slayer. BTVS is iconic and had a lot of the best and most memorable episodes, but Angel overall had the best characters, character arcs and acting, while also having some amazing standalone episodes.

Totally agree. 2 of my favourite ever shows and while BTVS had some amazing episodes Angel definitely beats it.

Hodors Appletart

Better Call Saul

JP Liz V1

Boston Legal (The Practice)

KungPao

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

Better Call Saul

Go on outta that.

BB is on another level.

the purple tin

the purple tin wrote: »

Cheers was a great sitcom but Frasier at its peak was on a whole other level.


Any other examples?

I clicked into this thread to say Frasier.



I find Law and Order: SVU much more compelling than Law and Order, though often the plots and procedure can be silly.

Badly Drunk Boy

Bracken had great potential but it was no Glenroe!

Penn

KungPao wrote: »

Go on outta that.

BB is on another level.

Yeah as much as I do enjoy Better Call Saul and think it's fantastic, Breaking Bad is just one of the greatest of all time and I can't see how BCS could ever reach that status (especially since we know where most of the characters end up).

Skerries

pixelburp wrote: »

DS9 was a better Star Trek & better TV show in general than Next Generation; better stories, and had better characters (and actors) and dynamics that resulted in some genuinely good arcs, friendship and rivalries.

DS9 only got good in the last few seasons IMHO

gmisk

The good fight possibly better than the good wife?
Both pretty excellent though

KungPao

Penn wrote: »

Yeah as much as I do enjoy Better Call Saul and think it's fantastic, Breaking Bad is just one of the greatest of all time and I can't see how BCS could ever reach that status (especially since we know where most of the characters end up).

I really like BCS, watched them all and look forward to more.

But with Breaking Bad I was on the edge of my seat. With BCS, it's always going to be a bit meh. The new characters to that world are good, but even then you know they will die/move on/become irrelevant, unless Gilligan has some serious **** up his sleeve.

Odd one, but if you are a fan of Grand Theft Auto you'll get it. Breaking Bad is Vice City (i.e. the original epic), Better Call Saul is Vice City Stories...great to be back in the old town and see some old faces again, and new ones too, but let's be honest, as good as it is, it's a notch or two below the original.

I have watched all seasons of BB three times, and will watch again. BCS is a once only job.

Bandana boy

Saul is way way better than breaking
First 2 season of breaking where poor to average, only getting good in season 3 Saul has been quality every season

Skerries

Bandana boy wrote: »

Saul is way way better than breaking
First 2 season of breaking where poor to average, only getting good in season 3 Saul has been quality every season

meh!

s7ryf3925pivug

blackadder 2, 3 and 4

Dank Janniels

The Blues Brothers was originaly a SNL sketch

JP Liz V1

gmisk wrote: »

The good fight possibly better than the good wife?
Both pretty excellent though

Both started off well and then went downhill imho

I am waiting on a Eli spin off that would be Gold :P;)

overit2020

Penn wrote: »

Angel imo was a better show than Buffy The Vampire Slayer. BTVS is iconic and had a lot of the best and most memorable episodes, but Angel overall had the best characters, character arcs and acting, while also having some amazing standalone episodes.

100% agree. Angel was for a more mature audience. The darker, more adult, themes were better in general.

ziedth

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Both started off well and then went downhill imho

I am waiting on a Eli spin off that would be Gold :P;)

I think the Good Wife was stronger at the start but Dipped more rapidly and lower than the Good Fight. TGW pips it as it had stronger supporting characters

Homelander

I'm not sure Better Call Saul surpasses Breaking Bad exactly, but it's unbelievably good and an excellent companion to BB.

Unlike El Camino, which was completely unnecessary and added nothing meaningful whatsoever.