The Spinoff Decade Got Weird
The 1980s gave us some legendary television, but it also gave networks a dangerous idea: if viewers liked one character, surely they wanted an entire show about them. Sometimes that worked. Other times, America got 13 episodes, a catchy theme song, and a show nobody mentioned again. How many of these do you remember?
Moviepix, Getty ImagesHappy Days Stars Henry Winkler and Ron Howard
The Fonz And The Happy Days Gang
Yes, Fonzie had a cartoon. Better yet, he traveled through time with Richie, Ralph, a futuristic girl named Cupcake, and a dog called Mr. Cool. Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, and Don Most even voiced their characters. Somehow, Happy Days became Saturday-morning science fiction.
Screenshot from The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, Paramount Television (1980–1981)
Flo
Polly Holliday's scene-stealing Flo was so popular on Alice that CBS gave her a show in 1980. Flo returned to Texas, bought a rundown bar, and renamed it Flo's Yellow Rose. It actually survived 29 episodes, which feels downright impressive compared with some shows coming later.
Screenshot from Flo, Warner Bros. Television (1980–1981)
Enos
Apparently, somebody watched The Dukes of Hazzard and decided sweet-natured Deputy Enos Strate belonged in Los Angeles. Enos followed him after he joined the LAPD, trading Hazzard County dirt roads for big-city crime. Sonny Shroyer got 18 episodes before Enos headed back home.
Screenshot from Enos, Warner Bros. Television (1980–1981), Modified
Texas
Even daytime soaps got into the spinoff craze. NBC launched Texas from Another World in 1980, moving Iris Wheeler to Houston and surrounding her with a fresh collection of wealthy schemers and romantic disasters. It lasted more than two years, yet today even devoted soap fans can overlook it.
Screenshot from Texas, NBC (1980–1982), Modified
Checking In
Florence Johnston leaving George Jefferson's apartment sounded like a promising idea. Marla Gibbs took Florence to Manhattan's fictional St. Frederick Hotel, where she became executive housekeeper. Four episodes later, Checking In was canceled. Florence simply returned to The Jeffersons, with the hotel conveniently said to have burned down.
Screenshot from Checking In, CBS (1981)
The Brady Brides
Marcia and Jan Brady got married, bought a house with their husbands, and tried sharing it together. What could possibly go wrong? The Brady Brides grew out of the 1981 reunion project The Brady Girls Get Married, but the sitcom portion disappeared almost as quickly as Peter Brady's famous voice change.
Screenshot from The Brady Brides, NBC (1981)
Laverne & Shirley In The Army
Because apparently regular Laverne & Shirley wasn't chaotic enough, Hanna-Barbera enlisted them in the Army. Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams initially voiced their animated counterparts, who served under a commanding officer who happened to be a pig. This was an actual Saturday-morning television program.
Screenshot from Laverne & Shirley in the Army, Paramount (1981-1982)
Joanie Loves Chachi
This one is probably the best-known show on our forgotten list, though plenty of people remember the title more than the actual episodes. Joanie and Chachi left Happy Days for Chicago and chased musical success. After 17 episodes, Erin Moran and Scott Baio headed back to Milwaukee.
Fotos International, Getty Image
Gloria
Archie Bunker's daughter finally got her own series in 1982. Sally Struthers returned as Gloria Stivic, now separated from Mike and raising Joey while working around a veterinary clinic. Surprisingly, Gloria ranked reasonably well, but CBS still ended it after a single season.
Screenshot from Gloria, CBS (1982–1983)
Gilligan's Planet
Getting off the island apparently wasn't enough. In Gilligan's Planet, the castaways built a spaceship and accidentally stranded themselves on another planet. Most of the original cast provided their voices. If that sentence sounds like something invented during a fever dream, welcome to Saturday morning in 1982.
Screenshot from Gilligan's Planet, Warner Bros. Discovery (1982-1983)
AfterMASH
MASH* had one of television's most famous finales, so naturally CBS asked, "What happens Monday?" AfterMASH reunited Colonel Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy at a veterans' hospital after the Korean War. It managed 31 episodes, but recreating the magic of the 4077th proved impossible.
Screenshot from AfterMASH, CBS (1983–1985), Modified
The Dukes
In 1983, Bo, Luke, Daisy, Boss Hogg, and Rosco became cartoons. The Dukes sent the characters on an around-the-world automobile race, with the Duke family farm at stake. Several original actors voiced their characters, making this forgotten animated detour surprisingly connected to the live-action series.
Screenshot from The Dukes, Warner Bros. Television (1983)
Three's A Crowd
After Three's Company ended, Jack Tripper wasn't finished. John Ritter returned in Three's a Crowd, where Jack ran a restaurant and lived with girlfriend Vicky while dealing with her interfering father. ABC gave it 22 episodes before finally closing the door on the franchise.
Screenshot from Three's a Crowd, ABC (1984-1985)
The Colbys
ABC wanted Dynasty to become even bigger, so it launched another fabulously wealthy family. The Colbys boasted Charlton Heston, Barbara Stanwyck, Ricardo Montalbán, and several familiar Dynasty faces. Despite the star power and expensive production, the lavish spinoff ended after 49 episodes.
Screenshot from The Colbys, Warner Bros. (1985–1987)
The Tortellis
Before Frasier, Cheers tried spinning off Carla's sleazy ex-husband Nick Tortelli. He and wife Loretta moved to Las Vegas, bringing their chaotic family along. NBC aired just 13 episodes in 1987. Considering Cheers later produced one of television's greatest spinoffs, everybody apparently agreed to forget this rehearsal.
Screenshot from The Tortellis, Paramount Television (1987)
Beverly Hills Buntz
Dennis Franz took his morally questionable Hill Street Blues cop Norman Buntz to Beverly Hills and became a private investigator. The strange part was the tone: Beverly Hills Buntz turned a gritty police-drama character into the center of a half-hour comedy-drama. Only nine of its 13 episodes aired.
Screenshot from Beverly Hills Buntz, NBC (1987-1988), Modified
The Law And Harry McGraw
Before Jerry Orbach became permanently associated with Law & Order, he played private investigator Harry McGraw on Murder, She Wrote. CBS decided Harry deserved his own series, pairing him with attorney Ellie Maginnis. Jessica Fletcher's occasional helper proved considerably less unstoppable without Jessica Fletcher.
Screenshot from The Law and Harry McGraw, Walt Disney Television (1987–1988), Modified
Roxie
Now we're getting seriously obscure. Andrea Martin starred in Roxie, a Kate & Allie spinoff about a programmer working at a struggling New York television station. CBS aired exactly two episodes in April 1987. Four additional episodes were produced but never broadcast. That's elite-level forgotten television.
Screenshot from Roxie, Reeves Entertainment Group (1987), Modified
ALF: The Animated Series
ALF wasn't satisfied with dominating prime time. His animated prequel took viewers to Melmac before the furry alien crash-landed on Earth. Paul Fusco continued voicing ALF, but the Tanner family was nowhere around. Somehow the cartoon lasted two seasons and produced 26 episodes.
Screenshot from ALF: The Animated Series, NBC (1987–1989)
Just The Ten Of Us
Remember Coach Graham Lubbock from Growing Pains? ABC apparently hoped you really did. Bill Kirchenbauer's recurring character moved his enormous family to California for Just the Ten of Us. Unlike many shows here, it lasted 47 episodes and helped form ABC's early Friday-night comedy lineup.
Screenshot from Just the Ten of Us, ABC (1988–1990)
ALF Tales
One ALF cartoon wasn't enough. ALF Tales took characters from ALF: The Animated Series and cast them in comedic versions of fairy tales and famous stories. That's right: a live-action sitcom spawned a cartoon, and the cartoon then spawned another cartoon. Television genealogy gets complicated fast.
Screenshot from ALF Tales, NBC (1988–1990)
A Man Called Hawk
Avery Brooks' mysterious Hawk was one of the coolest parts of Spenser: For Hire, making a solo series seem perfectly logical. A Man Called Hawk moved him from Boston to Washington, D.C., and delivered a darker action drama. ABC aired 13 episodes in 1989 before Hawk disappeared again.
Booker
Before Johnny Depp became a movie superstar, 21 Jump Street also made Richard Grieco a teen heartthrob. His character Dennis Booker received a Fox spinoff in 1989, leaving police work for an insurance investigation job. Booker lasted one season and 22 episodes before the case was permanently closed.
Screenshot from Booker, FOX (1989–1990), Modified
Living Dolls
Here's some serious trivia: Halle Berry and Leah Remini both starred in a forgotten Who's the Boss? spinoff. Living Dolls followed aspiring teenage models living with their agent, played by Michael Learned. Critics were unimpressed, viewers vanished, and ABC canceled the show after 13 episodes.
Screenshot from Living Dolls, Columbia Pictures Television (1989), Modified
Open House
Fox's Duet disappeared in 1989, yet somehow it still generated a spinoff. Open House followed Alison LaPlaca's Linda Phillips into the competitive Los Angeles real-estate business. The cast also included a young Ellen DeGeneres. The show lasted one season, becoming a spinoff of a sitcom many viewers already forgot existed.
Screenshot from Open House, Fox (1989–1990), Modified
So, How Many Did You Actually Remember?
Be honest: did you make it past three? The 1980s television landscape was packed with networks desperately trying to squeeze another hit from familiar characters. Some ideas were reasonable, some involved cartoon Fonzie traveling through time, and some lasted two episodes. Either way, forgotten spinoffs make television history much more entertaining.
Screenshot from The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, Paramount Television (1980–1981)
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