Too bad TV networks just can't leave good enough alone.
I'll nominate a couple:
The Roepers. A spin-off of Three's Company. So bad you probably don't even remember it. The gist: Stanley and Helen move into a new apartment complex and deal with another batch of (what else?) wacky neighbors.
Joanie Loves Chachi. Happy Days was great. Joanie and Chachi...weren't. Interesting side note: The show's premier episode actually hit No. 1 on the charts in Korea, where "chachi" means "penis."
For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.
After MASH was such a letdown.
Star Trek Voyager & Enterprise
Go Gators!
Trapper John, M.D. Wasn't that one?
It wasn't funny (it was a drama), it wasn't the same guy....I still don't get that one.
The Brady Brides
School's out. What did you expect?
Good one.Originally Posted by pedro
For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.
My buddy Joe dressed up as Mrs. Roeper for halloween one year. It was awesome.
School's out. What did you expect?
I'm totally with you on Voyager -- a complete let down in every way imaginable from the very entertaining "The Next Generation" and the amazing "Deep Space 9." The characters were bland as could be and the plots were all recycled garbage.
As an interesting aside, the guy who is now running the new Battlestar Galactica on the Sci Fi Channel is a Trek alum who was basically outvoted on everything he wanted to do with Voyager and, for that and other reasons, left Paramount to do this project for Sci Fi. Apparently, a lot of what he wanted to do with Voyager is being done on this show instead (ship, all alone in uncharted space, trying to return to some far off destination). Given the quality of this new show, the persons in charge would've been well served to let him have his way.
Enterprise I had much less of a problem with -- it took a while to find it's legs as a show, but I thought the 3rd season was reasonably entertaining and the 4th season was fantastic. But then they cancelled it, as networks do with most programs I find enjoyable.
For "Worst Spin Offs," I've got no choice but to go with "Daria" from the immortal (and endlessly funny) "Beavis & Butt-Head." Of course, nothing could touch the brilliance that was those two.
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I liked Enterprise, it was a pretty decent show that didn't get the full chance to develop. Voyager on the other hand...
that was a remarkably painful show.
along with that, my nominees off the top of my head would be:
Joey. frankly to me, he was the least interesting character on Friends, and the one least likely to be able to make it without the others.
the spin-off for Cheers. no, not Frasier, The Tortellis. Dam Hedaya was better than that.
Flo
Gloria
Joey
Fish
Enos
W*A*L*T*E*R
.
here's a pretty good list
Number 10
The Tortellis (1987)
During the free-spending '80s, Brooklyn actor Dan Hedaya made six well-received appearances on Cheers as Carla's deadbeat husband Nick. Network executives figured that was good enough to give him his own series and Hedaya quickly wasted a year of his life with The Tortellis.
The short-lived spinoff showcased Nick as a TV repairman who was forced to cope with his overbearing sister-in-law moving into his home.
Worst moment: During its mercifully brief time on air, The Tortellis featured two separate episodes revolving around Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley impersonators.
Number 9
Joey (2004-?)
During its decade of brilliance, Friends had several elements working in its favor: 1) its ensemble cast, 2) its trendy New York setting, and 3) the hilarious chemistry between Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry. Therefore, it's hardly surprising that when producers had the chance to create a spinoff series, they: 1) dropped the ensemble, 2) moved it to Hollywood, and 3) teamed LeBlanc up with a whiney no-name actor.
In Joey, LeBlanc leaves his friends behind to fulfill his dream of becoming a superstar in Tinsel Town. It's hard to predict how long the show will last, but in a world in which According to Jim is still on the air, anything is possible.
Worst moment: Giving Joey a steady love interest. Hopefully, producers will wake up to the fact that what makes the "Italian Stallion" fun are his inextinguishable womanizing ways.
Number 8
The Ropers (1979-1980)
Remember that crusty old landlord from Three's Company? Back in 1979, he got his own show! Starring Norman Fell and Audra Lindley, The Ropers needlessly documented the lives of Stanley and Helen as they moved into a new apartment complex and dealt with another batch of (what else?) wacky neighbors.
To its credit, the show featured a younger (but just as bald) Jeffrey Tambor before he went on to fame in The Larry Sanders Show and Arrested Development.
Worst moment: During the second show, Norman Fell spent the entire episode in his underwear after getting locked out of the house. The episode continues to ruin appetites across America as it airs in syndication.
A spinoff that almost ruined the memory of one of the best shows of all time, the TV show with the worst title in the history of TV and more..
Number 7
Three's A Crowd (1984-1985)
Yet another Three's Company spinoff, this show actually had something working in its favor: the original program's star. John Ritter reprised his role as Jack Tripper and along the way picked up a new apartment, a new girlfriend and a meddlesome future father-in-law.
Keeping John Ritter was a nice touch, but failing to cast Suzanne Somers' sweater kittens proved to be the show's undoing.
Worst moment: Writers dedicated an entire episode during the 1985 season to the topic of trash rate increases. Somehow, that's not what we have in mind when we tune in to watch trashy TV.
Number 6
Mona
What do you get when you give an over-the-hill Broadway actress her very own sitcom? Thankfully, nothing. The early returns from Mona, in which the feisty Who's The Boss? matriarch ran her own hotel, were considered so subpar that the sitcom never saw the light of day.
Who's The Boss? eventually had more luck with three other spinoffs, including Charmed Lives (1986) and Living Dolls (1989), as well as a German incarnation called Ein Job frs Leben (1992). We're guessing that's German for "Tony Danza blows."
Worst moment: Its inception.
Number 5
After M*A*S*H (1983-84)
How do you ruin one of the most highly regarded shows in the history of television? The answer is simple: You take three of its least beloved characters and put them in a Missouri veteran's hospital.
That was the idea behind After M*A*S*H, the brutal spinoff that featured Colonel Potter, Sergeant Klinger and Father Mulcahy getting on with their post-war lives. Ultimately, this is a show that would have been best left M.I.A..
Worst moment: In an attempt to create an intriguing love interest, producers included Klinger's Korean war bride, Soon-Lee.
Number 4
Jake and the Fatman (1987-1992)
A spinoff of the highly popular show Matlock, Jake and The Fatman told the story of a chubby district attorney and his very "special" assistant. In Hollywood, fat people are usually either funny or lovable, but this show was definitely the exception.
Worst moment: The brainstorming session in which the show's unfortunate title was chosen. Apparently, Jake and the Vertically Challenged Man was unavailable.
A bad show that had so many terrible spinoffs we lost count, Baywatch minus the boobs and the worst spinoff in history... Next >>
Number 3
Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993-2000)
Generally, when you make a deal with the devil, he allows you only one wish. Therefore, you'll understand our confusion over how Dustin Diamond managed to play Screech in not only Good Morning, Miss Bliss but also its subsequent spinoffs, Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, and Saved by the Bell: Beating a Dead Horse.
In The New Class, Screech graduated to become Mr. Belding's personal assistant as a new group of students made their way through the halls of Bayside High School.
Worst moment: Take your pick; when you combine recycled old gimmicks with teen angst, there's no telling how low you can go.
Number 2
Baywatch Nights (1995-1997)
Is the beach really hotter at night? That's what producers of Baywatch Nights promised when they created a spinoff of the world's most popular soft-core soap opera. The show starred holdovers Sgt. Garner Ellerbee (Gregalan Williams) and Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff) as they headed their very own detective agency.
On the positive side, Baywatch Nights featured fewer men in Speedos. Unfortunately, it also featured a lot less of Pamela Anderson and her wonderful flotation devices.
Worst moment: The show was such a flop after its first season that producers switched from a detective to a science fiction format, replacing Garner Ellerbee with a paranormal expert. Ratings still stunk, but at least it featured women with three boobs.
Number 1
Joanie Loves Chachi (1982-1983)
It was a good thing that Joanie loved Chachi, because television viewers certainly didn't. A spinoff of Happy Days, the short-lived show featured the Fonz's little cousin trying to make his way in the world.
The show's premier episode actually hit No. 1 on the charts in Korea, where "chachi" means "penis." You know, we always suspected Scott Baio was a bit of a dick.
Worst moment: The theme song. Scott Baio and Erin Moran sounded like a pair of alley cats in heat as they serenaded each other every week during the show's opening credits.
School's out. What did you expect?
There's something magic in the way you hold me with your eyes... You loooook at meeeeee....Worst moment: The theme song. Scott Baio and Erin Moran sounded like a pair of alley cats in heat as they serenaded each other every week during the show's opening credits.
Great list! Forgot about Fish and Enos.
For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.
That's Ron Moore, he was only on Voyager for a matter of weeks before he realized that they didn't want to do anything new, just same ole same ole and he wisely got out of dodge, Braga and Berman were more interested in playing it safe and lame then you know doing something good.As an interesting aside, the guy who is now running the new Battlestar Galactica on the Sci Fi Channel is a Trek alum who was basically outvoted on everything he wanted to do with Voyager and, for that and other reasons, left Paramount to do this project for Sci Fi. Apparently, a lot of what he wanted to do with Voyager is being done on this show instead (ship, all alone in uncharted space, trying to return to some far off destination). Given the quality of this new show, the persons in charge would've been well served to let him have his way.
Enterprise I had much less of a problem with -- it took a while to find it's legs as a show, but I thought the 3rd season was reasonably entertaining and the 4th season was fantastic. But then they cancelled it, as networks do with most programs I find enjoyable.
For "Worst Spin Offs," I've got no choice but to go with "Daria" from the immortal (and endlessly funny) "Beavis & Butt-Head." Of course, nothing could touch the brilliance that was those two.
Have to disagree about Daria, it was a good show, it wasn't supposed to be like B&B, then it was by a completely different writing staff.
Go Gators!
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