The Gamble Of The Spin-Off Game

The spin-off has long allowed fans to continue enjoying aspects of their favorite TV shows. Let’s take a look at the clever art of creating a fresh and (hopefully) successful series from a current hit.

To Spin-off or not to Spin-off, that is the question

Your favorite show is winding down. Most main characters have dated each other. A few have died—some even resurrected. And then there were the time jumps…

Pretty Little Liars nemesis pairing for spin-off The Perfectionists.

But the fan base is strong. Lots of subplots and support characters were never fully explored, and the crew work well together. This is where a spin-off is pitched and the network weighs the pros and cons.

All I can taste is coriander

Spin-offs are like perfecting a spice mix. The audience needs familiar flavors blended with new tastes.

Old fans need to feel the series is similar yet different to the original. New viewers need to believe it doesn't matter they haven’t watched the original drama.

Yeah, I'm on it.

The audience cannot be limited to fans of the original show. Being limited to a niche market is a one-way street to early cancellation.

Cult shows and prequel spin-offs

Most spin-offs are either set in the same period or after the original drama but in recent times massive cult hits have produced relatively successful spin-offs by pre-dating a popular series.

Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul is a prequel exploring the history and personal evolution of a character from the popular drama.

This one's funny I swear. So, a zombie and a human walk into a bar...

Fear The Walking Dead is a prequel spin-off to the hit show The Walking Dead. Both deal with different points in the timeline of a zombie apocalypse.

You spin me right round baby right round

And then there are the spin-offs of other hit shows that are happening but haven’t hit screens quite yet.

Popular series Suits is set to have a spin-off called Second City, following the character Jessica Pearson into politics.

I'd vote for her.

Game of Thrones has long seemed a spin-off goldmine due to having, you know, about a million characters. Turns out the first spin-off will be a prequel series.

When the spin-off is too different and you can’t sit with us

Fans were excited to hear of popular series Battlestar Galactica getting a spin-off, and that Caprica would follow the prequel route.

I wasn’t into BG but I really enjoyed Caprica. Most of my friends who loved Battlestar Galactica did not enjoy Caprica.

Caprica dove into consideration of religion and philosophy.

Convincing friends who loved science fiction but did not like or had not seen Battlestar Galactica to watch Caprica proved almost impossible.

Somehow the series’ spin-off status worked against it, and meant the drama ended up being cut off from potential fans.

Messing with a ship

Many viewers become invested in the romantic elements of a drama. Spin-offs have shown the risk of disregarding established or potential relationships.

The Vampire Diaries teased a Klaus and Caroline relationship, yet spin-off The Originals cut the ship short by sending Klaus to New Orleans.

Good times in Angel.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer took a more careful approach and wrote Angel and Buffy into a corner before having Angel depart for LA.

Pretty Little Liars spin-off Ravenswood separated couple Hanna and Caleb, and then compounded the issue with a new co-star slash past life love interest. (Just no.) New Pretty Little Liars spin-off The Perfectionists includes Alison but not her wife Emily, so we'll see how that goes...

When the spin-off gets a spin-off and this is getting meta

The Vampire Diaries birthed The Originals. In that series Klaus has a child with Hayley. Now a new spin-off focusing on Klaus and Hayley’s daughter Hope is in production, called Legacies. The series opts for a school setting, this time a supernatural institute.

Book learnin' the magical way.

Alaric and Caroline set up the school in the series finale of The Vampire Diaries. The character of Caroline isn’t returning as a cast regular. With two shows already it’s a complex backstory. Only time will tell if this angle will work.

Shout out to the best possible spin-off that didn’t get spun

Blogging about spin-offs can’t happen without mention of Supernatural spin-off Wayward Sisters. Dropping this series at the last minute was a television programming mistake on par with the early cancellation of Firefly.

Missed already.

Starring popular female regulars from Supernatural, the characters had complex personal histories full of tragedy and persecution, whose compassion and sense of humor was inspiring. The show already boasted a massive fan base…

…And the CW network pulled the plug at the last minute. Go figure.

Nod to the classics

I don’t think spin-offs can be mentioned without a tip of the hat to arguably one of the greatest combos: Cheers and Frasier.

To think a hit show about a group of regulars at a bar would then birth another massive hit by focusing on the life of one of those quirky characters goes to show what great writing can achieve.

Niles was my dad's fave character.

Despite being almost cancelled in its debut year, the network kept the faith, and Frasier ran for ten more seasons.

Difference between a spin-off and a franchise

Spin-offs follow characters, and a franchise is focused more on shows set in a particular version of reality. Star Trek and it's many shows counts as a franchise. The shows move along the timeline but remain in the same universe (excuse the pun).

Personally I always wanted to see a spin-off that was a Star Trek medical drama. Fingers crossed for that in the future.

The birth of so many memes... 

Recently a new Star Trek spin-off was announced focusing on life for Captain Jean Luc Picard after the events of the series and follow-up films. Yes!

The future of spin-offs

Audience appetite continues to be voracious but patience with new shows is shorter. As platforms expand networks are taking less risks while conversely needing more material.

I'm just sayin', those clone backstories from Orphan Black...

Spin-offs are bound to be in abundance in this kind of entertainment environment. An already present fan base is the go-to for today’s nervous execs. Here’s hoping the fresh brood contain that all-important ingredient for TV success: great writing.

Kind of a Spookfest This Halloween...

...by witch (ha!) I mean, these new shows range from barely eery to manageably weird. (Welcome to my general level of horror tolerance.) The programs are supernatural in theme, but instead of a gore overload, it's more about that creepy feeling you get when things don't seem quite right.

Some, of course, are better than others. It's still possible to mess up the spooky spices, even if you're only brewing a mildly scary tv show(!).

Witches of East End

Rating: Atrocious out of 5.

Witches of East End is like a soapie with a supernatural flavour. Lots of the scenes border on farcical; by the second episode, this show's pretty much given up on taking itself seriously. 

One witch regularly turns into a cat, meaning they manage to fit as many "tasteful" nude shots of her post-transformation as possible (and that's just in the first episode).

We know one of the young fiery female leads has a passionate nature, because she wears a push-up bra and low-cut tops the entire time and wants to have it off with two brothers. (Note to writers: having ev-er-y other lead call the character "dramatic" in the first two episodes is inspiration for a drinking game. Instead of bluntly stating said trait, maybe you should infer it through A WELL CONSTRUCTED SCRIPT.)*

 Likewise, there's a "shy librarian", who dresses in mousy, loose clothing. Don't television writers ever get tired of these tropes? Although to be fair, it's not the tropes I'm against. They can be useful and entertaining when employed well. In this scenario... well, the lack of effort is just a shocker.

*Note: don't be fooled by the "So it's like Charmed, right?" attitude prevalent online. Sure, it's like Charmed, if you took all the elements out of Charmed that made the show enjoyable, fun viewing O_O

Sleepy Hollow

Rating: Crazy, chaotic fun out of 5.

I like Sleepy Hollow for the character of Ichabod Crane, transported through time to the present day, along with his headless horseman nemesis (who, it turns out, is actually one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. I love it when those guys rock up. And quotes from the bible about them, to boot!). 

I'm not really a fan of the female lead character, but I think it's because she's written so "straight laced" that she crosses over into unlikeable, a common flaw in odd couple procedural partnerings (ie Blue Collar, Castle, to name a few).

The premise allows for some hilarious modern day social commentary. The conspiracy elements are also great, the demon freaks me out, and the links with the past are fun for history buffs. (As someone who plans on watching a Civil War re-enactment one day, this show has enough civil war flashbacks to keep me happy till then.) 

Sleepy Hollow balances out Apocalyptic intensity with flashes of humour, and that's always a solid selling point.

The Originals

Rating: Erratic with potential out of 5.

This show stumbles for the first few episodes. Frankly, I expected better. The original vampires were the most compelling characters on The Vampire Diaries so I thought they would carry their own show well. Unfortunately, the series' set-up is a tad clumsy.

I think it's an issue some spin-offs face, especially if the characters were deeply embedded in the previous series. We've seen these leads face similar plot devices/threats in TVD, so it's hard to drum up the kind of shocked reaction the writers want to evoke. "A character who can maybe take down an Original? Yeah, we saw that with Silas. Why is everyone so astounded? Is there some kind of memory loss associated with a show change??"

Good news is, the fifth episode is when the show starts to find its stride, thanks to those trademark Julie Plec storyline twists that make The Vampire Diaries so much fun. Already, the audiences perception of the different factions in New Orleans (love New Orleans) has been turned on its head (their heads?), making for the kind of gasp-worthy storytelling I originally expected (that was an Original pun, in case anyone missed it).

Verdict? Am sticking with this vamp crew because there's epic potential here that looks set to come to fruition further down the track x

Ravenswood

Rating: Teen spooky out of 5.

I like this show for the exact reason many won't. It's spooky, but in an ABC Family way (meaning this aint HBO fare, people) and the tropes that annoy in other shows are used well here.

The lead Caleb is also a favourite from Pretty Little Liars (of which this is a spin-off), but it's a much "easier" spin-off, in a sense, because there's barely any link to the other show. The lead dates one of the characters in PLL, but that's literally the only element referenced... so it has a much easier job than, say, The Originals.

I love the grey filter, I love the spooky weird town. I love that all this stuff's already happened (ie the murdered Mayor), so mysteries are afoot before Caleb even steps off the bus. I love the ghost woman on the bridge (very Supernatural), the hand around the curtain, the creepy (but kind of goth-sexy) mortuary guy, the prerequisite small town newspaper, the insecure prom queen, the spooky housekeeper, and so much more.

A few episodes in and the plots going a tad Final Destination, but at this point, I'm enjoying everything they're throwing at the audience. Oh, and there's already a ghost character! And graves are moving around in the cemetery! And the ravens seem whacked! And there's an ancient tragedy in the town's past that's sufficiently creepy! Good times. (In, you know, a way that won't give me epic nightmares. Total woose, table for one.)

ADDENDUM: It's interesting to note the weakest of Ravenswood's five leads, the popular twin, was not originally cast in a lead role. The crossover episode included a different actress, Elizabeth Whitson, who was fantastic in her brief appearance. A surprising last minute change was made, apparently the network "re-concieved" the character. Personally, I wish they could un-concieve themselves back to the original casting decision, because I think they've weakened, rather than strengthened, the ensemble cast.

CW Goes Scifi

The American network known for it's 18-34 market focus isn't going to rest on its  supernatural laurels (ie The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural). Mid-season has a surprisingly futuristic/science fiction slant, thanks to new shows The 100, Star-Crossed, and The Tomorrow People.

Last season CW paid tribute to the superhero revival with Arrow. While many thought this season would be all about Hunger Games spin-offs, more superheroes, and maybe a zombie effort, the network has surprisingly bucked expected trends, choosing to run with teen scifi instead.

I, for one, am celebrating, following the scifi fiasco that is Defiance. (Thank God for quality like Continuum). And yes, while CW shows are slightly "younger" in demographic, and occasionally less than challenging, in terms of narrative... it doesn't mean some standout writing won't slip into the mix. (Hey, I'm a mid-season optimist.) Scifi all the way x

The Tomorrow People

Have I seen This Before? Yes, it's a remake of a British show from way back when, aka the seventies. (Olden days for today's teens.) 

Basically, it's a little bit Heroes/Alphas, a touch of Jumper, also that character from X-Men who teleports (can't remember his name), a dash of the movie Dakota Fanning was in which nobody liked but me (Push), and about a dozen other films/books/comic/television shows... Repetitive? Sure, but hello, mutants are a never-ending fount of fascinating possibilities.

Notable Cast Includes: Mark Pellegrino, who played Lucifer in Supernatural. Plus there's an Asian character in the teen super-talent cliche who hopefully will not die immediately. CW also keeps it in the family with lead Robbie Amell, cousin of Arrow's Stephen Amell.

The 100 (Trailer One and my reactions)

So What's The Story? In the future (love typing that) one hundred juvenile delinquents have been sent back to a possibly-still-toxic-post-nuclear-conflict Earth. Personally, I find the juvenile delinquent sell quite tacky. Can't they just be teens sent back to Earth? Does it have to be emphasised they're Rebel Without A Cause types who have problems with cruel author-it-eys? Sigh.

Why The Premise Is Solid: Dystopian tales leave themselves open to a lot of survival/self-discovery arcs. The sets are also cheap, because mostly, you just need some fake ruins and a forest. This is the kind of show that relies on the narrative. (Fingers crossed.)

Not A Stellar Preview. This trailer involves a heap of kids in a large metal bin, that when opened, shows a forest. Totally lacking pizazz. Minimalist scifi scenarios need a combination of striking camerawork, lighting, editing, brilliant acting, stunning music, riveting dialogue... something to sell it. I'll watch the show despite the trailer, which is a bit of a marketing fail.

The 100 (Another Trailer Online and My Reactions)

Why Did I Watch That Other Trailer?? Or more importantly, what was the network thinking?! This trailer looks like it's for a different series. Starts with cool shots in space, has some scary Orwellian inferences, and gets all Survivor. We barely see the annoying actress who dominated screen time in the other trailer. 
There's more of a sense of story here. I like the lead, she's convincingly emotive. Plus, this offering makes it more obvious the creepy kid who plays the young terrorist in Continuum also stars! And the dumped boyfriend from Suburbia's also in the mix.

Only Dodgy Moments: The obligatory ass-and-tits shots of a teen girl... yes, the nubile hottie gets her kit off, sigh. I also get kind of weird about dystopian prison environments where women somehow still manage to procure, and apply, impressive eyeliner (check the 30 second mark). But hey, I guess this is the survival of civilisation we're talking about, right? O_O

Star-Crossed

I'm Just Gonna Say It: Online this clip is garnering the most criticism because it's generally considered cool to sneer at teen romance. I'm happy to admit I'll be a sucker for this one, because I was a sucker for Roswell! Teen romance at it's sweetest, with the ultimate outsider (and no, I don't mean a vampire). 

Unlike Roswell, in this aliens-at-a-high-school series, the aliens are out of the closet (so to speak), but alien-a-phobia seems to be running high. Basically, these kids from another planet are the ultimate refugees, having spent a decade interned in camps.

Why I Like The Idea:  Alien tv storylines are out of this world (had to do it). I've enjoyed aspects of many, from childhood exposure to The Powers of Matthew Star and the original V, not to mention Alien Nation (best theme music ever), the slightly saccharine Roswell, and the darker Invasion. I think the idea of aliens appeals to my inner anthropologist. 

Nice Production Values. In this clip, I like the way it's filmed, all sun soaked and kind of dusty (nice lens), I love the almost jagged camera work, the use of slow motion and some wide frames. I like the editing. Oh, and I love the aliens' tatts. I also respect that the actress made an impact with only one line to deliver, and there's no denying lead Matt Lanter's great onscreen.

SO, OKAY, THIS ONE ISN'T SCIFI, BUT STILL...

The Originals

"Welcome to the dark side of New Orleans, where the living are easily lost, and the dead stick around to play."

Why I'm Sneaking This In To A Scifi Story: Because it's also on the network's mid-season list and I'm going to watch it. Reason enough.

What's It About? CW keeps one foot in the (bloody) vampire pool with The Originals, a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries that looks like it might out-rate its predecessor. (That's awkward.)
Best Selling Point: The Originals isn't hampered by a high school link-up, because these vamps left teen angst behind long ago. Setting the series in New Orleans invariably makes me think of Anne Rice's iconic crew of glamorous undead, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one. The Originals should be interesting, partly because the writing can take a more adult direction, and partly because it's shot in New Orleans; the vibrant location is bound to become an extra character in and of itself.

Truth is, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah are three fan favourites on The Vampire Diaries. The first of the vampires? The strongest? The original family with issues? How can teen storylines compete with that? I think The Originals is going to be kick-ass.