13 TV Shows That Were Almost Spin Offs of Something Else

Some of the biggest shows in television history started as accidents, failed pilots, dream sequences, and backdoor deals inside other series. From The Simpsons beginning as filler animation on The Tracey Ullman Show to Frasier nearly becoming a show about a wheelchair-using publisher with no connection to Cheers — these origin stories will change how you see your favorite shows. In this video, we count down 13 TV shows from 1970 to 2005 that were almost spin-offs of something else, or spin-offs that went so far off course they became something nobody expected. Shows covered in this video: 00:00 Introduction 00:44 #13 — The Andy Griffith Show 02:02 #12 — The Jeffersons, Maude & Good Times 03:46 #11 — Laverne & Shirley 04:55 #10 — Mork & Mindy 06:41 #9 — Melrose Place 07:56 #8 — The Simpsons 09:28 #7 — Xena: Warrior Princess 10:27 #6 — NCIS 11:59 #5 — CSI: Miami & CSI: NY 13:00 #4 — Daria 14:06 #3 — Family Matters & Empty Nest 16:37 #2 — Boston Legal 18:04 #1 — Frasier 20:22 - Conclusion NOTE: Timestamps above are estimates based on a ~23-minute runtime. Adjust to actual video after editing. TV spin-offs have shaped the history of American television in ways most people never realize. Norman Lear turned All in the Family into a spin-off factory that produced Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons. Garry Marshall launched Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy from Happy Days — one because his mother nagged him, and the other because his son wanted space aliens. The backdoor pilot technique gave us NCIS (from JAG), CSI: Miami (from CSI), and even The Andy Griffith Show (from The Danny Thomas Show in 1960). This channel covers TV and entertainment nostalgia — the shows, movies, and pop culture moments from the 1970s through the 2000s that defined a generation. Subscribe for more countdown videos, behind-the-scenes stories, and deep dives into the shows you grew up watching. #TVHistory #SpinOffs #NostalgiaTV #TVTrivia #BehindTheScenes