Mine is longer than your's...papa

[Doctor Menard]

Interesting, in the course of TV shows which spun off other TV shows, it would seem that the original show would have been the more successful of the two; but that is not necessarily the case for all such shows.

Soap (4 seasons) spun off Benson (7 seasons)

Love, American Style, which ran for 5 seasons from 1969-1974, was an anthology show. One story they presented in their anthology series was 'Love and the Happy Days', which starred Ron Howard and Anson Williams in the roles they would later reprise in the series spun off from that, more expanded, which was Happy Days and ran for 11 seasons (well beyond its death) from 1974 to 1984.


What other TV shows were spin offs that outlasted the original series, or were even expanded from an anthology series and had a successful run beyond the series from which it came?

[lester1/2jr]

I didn't realize benson had spun off from soap.

[Doctor Menard]

I didn't realize benson had spun off from soap.

The only character from Soap to transition to Benson was Benson himself, sans the gray hair.

Although the actress Inga Swenson transitioned from Soap to Benson, she played the completely unrelated character of Gretchen Kraus on Benson; her original character on Soap was Ingrid Svenson (boy, I'll bet they tried long and hard for that name ), and she was Corinne Tate's biological mother on Soap.

The rationale for the crossover was that Governor Gatling was Jessica Tate's cousin, and I guess she must have recommended her own butler for his head of household affairs.

Jessica Tate did make an occasional guest appearance on Benson, but I can't recall if anybody else from Soap did.

[Raffine]

Technically, The Jeffersons (11 seasons) outdid its parent show All in the Family (9 seasons). If you count Archie Bunker's Place I think they are tied.

Were there more seasons of Lou Grant than The Mary Tyler Moore Show? That was a really unusual situation: a dramatic hour program spun off from a 30 minute sitcom.

Lou Grant was a great show, by the way. I'd just about forgotten about it...

[Rattrap007]

This thread title is completely misleading. I thought it was about something entirely different....

[Doctor Menard]

This thread title is completely misleading. I thought it was about something entirely different....

You obviously don't know me too well.

Don't worry; you'll learn.

[ghouck]

I was mis-led also. Since it was Menard starting it, I figured out it was about POLICE RECORDS, since that's the ONLY thing he has that's longer than anyone else's. 

All in all though, I've thought of MANY spin-offs, but none that outlasted. This is kinda a tough one.

"Facts of life" was a spin-off of "Diff'rent Strokes" that outlasted it's 'parent' show by a year it looks like.

Happy Day's 11 season sparked 5 spin-offs, totaling 15 seasons, but none went over 8 seasons (Laverne and Shirley).

[Rev. Powell]

I thought FRAZIER outlasted CHEERS, but research showed they tied at 11 seasons.

[Dave M]

The Honeymooners started as a skit on The Jackie Gleason Show. I'm not positive which show ran longer though.

[Doctor Menard]

The Honeymooners started as a skit on The Jackie Gleason Show. I'm not positive which show ran longer though.

That reminds me of probably one of the most successful shows ever which spun off of a show that not many remember.

The Simpsons was originally a cartoon skit on the Tracy Ullman Show which ran for something like 3 seasons. The Simpsons is currently in its 20th season.

[Allhallowsday]

There aren't many... I thought "Good Times" (5 seasons) outlasted "Maude" (6) but IMDB says not.  It's interesting that "Maude" was a spinoff of "All In The Family". 

"Lou Grant" lasted 5 seasons (I liked that show) but "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" lasted 7. 

[Jim H]

Xena is a spinoff of Hercules - but they tied at 6 seasons. 

Another possibility is Transformers.  The spinoff Beast Wars and its direct continuation, Beast Machines, lasted 5 seasons.  Original show ran 5 (though, I think it may have run longer in Japan). 

The original Alvin and the Chipmunks show was just one season.  The followup 80s show was like 4 or 5 seasons.

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law has run longer than the original.  Same deal with Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and the original cartoons.

Facts of Life ran longer than Diff'rent Strokes

Saved by the Bell ran MUCH longer than Good Morning, Miss Bliss

I believe She-Ra ran one season longer than He-Man.  Both have a huge episode count for how long they ran though.

Viva La Bam has run longer than Jackass.

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest did better than the original series.

Zoboomafoo ran longer than Kratt's Creatures.

Kung Fu: The Legend Continues ran a season longer than Kung Fu

The animated Mr. Bean got more episodes than the live action version.

The Munsters Today has more episodes than the Munsters.

My Little Pony and Friends had more eps than My little Pony Tales

Family Matters ran longer than Perfect Strangers

The Price Is Right's current incarnation has run WAY longer than the original.  That's more of a sequel though.

Project Runway has surpassed Project Greenlight

Sam and Friends is the progenitor of the other muppet shows, which were much more popular.  Sesame Street, Muppet Babies, and The Muppet Show.

Several Scooby Doo spinoffs have run longer than the original.

Sealab 2021 has run much longer than the original.

ALL the Star Trek spinoffs did much better than the original, discounting the Animated Series.

What-a-Cartoon Show was Cartoon Networks deliberate attempt to make animated characters snipoff, as it was a short showcase.  Johnny Bravo, Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, and the Power Puff GIrls all ran longer than the original show.

Most of these I got from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_spin-offs.

Sorry, excited about Christmas and couldn't sleep!