Spin-offs are, more often than not, a massive gamble for networks as they try to recreate the magic of a beloved series with an entertaining new twist.
Writers do this by highlighting a different character and bringing their personal world to life or by following a secondary storyline in greater detail.
While some struggle to gain traction after audiences fell in love with the original idea, others take off and eclipse their original show, like the BBC’s Amandaland and AMC’s Better Call Saul.
Let’s take a look at some of the second acts that outshone TV’s first instalments we know and love…
© FilmMagicBetter Call Saul
As the prequel to the beloved Breaking Bad, starring Bryan Cranston, Better Call Saul follows the story of lawyer Saul Goodman and transforms him into the struggling, complex Jimmy McGill, played by Bob Odenkirk.
Offering more emotional depth than the original while maintaining the series’ stellar high stakes, the spin-off was a fast fan favourite and won Critics’ Choice awards for its efforts. Season six received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 99 per cent, with critics hailing it a “masterpiece” and “legendary television”.
© Getty ImagesAngel
Buffy the Vampire Slayer smashed ratings when it hit screens in the 90s, but when the spin-off, Angel, soared onto TV, it did even better.
Taking darker risks with its tone and calibre of villains, the 1999 show ran for five seasons and starred David Boreanaz as Angel.
It followed the story of Buffy’s vampire boyfriend, who left Sunnydale for Los Angeles and explored more mature ideas and a coming of age as characters transitioned from sulky teenagers into heroic adults.
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesFrasier
Spun off from Cheers, the second instalment of the franchise transitioned Niles and Frasier Crane into a Seattle-based sitcom.
Starring Kelsey Grammer as Dr Frasier Crane, the show ran from 1993 until 2004, and enjoyed successful ratings for 11 seasons.
Fans agreed that the new storyline was a good idea, so much so that it won 37 Primetime Emmy Awards and is still a cult classic today.
© Getty ImagesThe Simpsons
Before there was The Simpsons, there was The Tracey Ullman Show, starring the British comedian and singer Tracey Ullman and running on Fox from 1987 until 1990.
What began as short animated segments quickly grew into the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, with 37 seasons behind it.
© CBS via Getty ImagesNCIS
Born out of a backdoor pilot during the eighth season of JAG, NCIS quickly became its own thing as viewers were besotted with the American military police procedural series.
The writers’ key to success with their second show was the newfound focus on each eccentric personality of the investigative team.
It became the most-watched drama in the world for several years and has been running on TV since 2003.
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