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‘Mork and Mindy’ -

Robin Williams, who played Mork, an extraterrestrial, first appeared in a dream on ‘Happy Days,’ in what became a hugely popular episode. In the spin-off, Mork comes to Earth and winds up being taken in by Mindy, played by Pam Dawber. They become roommates and eventually a couple.

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'Melrose Place' -

After the success of ‘Beverly Hills, 90210,’ some characters joined the spin-off ‘Melrose Place.’ The show followed a group of young adults living in an apartment complex called Melrose Place in Los Angeles, and had many cast changes during its run.

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‘Better Call Saul’ - Born from ‘Breaking Bad,’ the series dives into Saul Goodman’s personal history, but still with the same ominous desert backdrop.

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'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' -

The Star Trek universe continues to expand to this day, but it was ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ that was a critical turning point, as the series became less focused on the galactic voyages and centered more on the political conflicts surrounding the Deep Space Nine space station.

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‘Family Matters’ -

The highly popular 1980s sitcom ‘Perfect Strangers’ originated the character Harriette Winslow (Jo Marie Payton), who becomes a central character on ‘Family Matters. However, it was Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) who was largely responsible for the show's success.

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'The Bionic Woman' -

This sci-fi adventure features Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner), who takes on special high-risk government missions using her superhuman bionic powers. It was born from the show ‘The Six Million Dollar Man.’

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'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' -

Staring Mariska Hargitay, this prime-time drama has aired more seasons than any other, including its predecessor ‘Law & Order.’

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'NCIS’ - Born from the series ‘JAG,’ the Navy and Marine Corps inspired the long-running show ‘NCIS.

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‘Lou Grant’ -

This series was the third spin-off from ‘The Mary Taylor Moore Show’ and follows newspaper editor Lou Grant (Ed Asner, tackling hard-hitting topics from his Los Angeles newsroom.

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‘A Different World’ -

‘A Different World’ is a spin-off of the ‘The Cosby Show,’ and originally centered around Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the student life at a fictional historically black college. The series was quite groundbreaking at the time, as it tackled topics like HIV/AIDS and race.

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'Benson' -

‘Benson’ is the spin-off of ‘Soap’ in which the character Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) first appears as the household butler. In the spin-off, the quick-witted Benson becomes promoted to lieutenant governor in the highly dysfunctional Tate family.

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'The Simpsons' -

Having premiered in 1989, ‘The Simpsons’ actually started out as a series of shorts for ‘The Tracy Ullman Show.'

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'Angel' -

The show follows Angel, the famous vampire ex from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ whose human soul was restored as a punishment for a murder he committed. His restored soul torments him with guilt for all the suffering he caused as a vampire.

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‘Good Times’ - A spin-off of a spin-off, ‘Good Times’ was born out of ‘Maude’ (itself a spin-off of 'All in the Family'),
where Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) was the Findlays’ housekeeper.

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'Maude' -

Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) first appeared in ‘All in the Family’ as the liberal cousin who advocated for civil rights and gender equality. This instantly became a different and interesting storyline for what became the successful sitcom ‘Maude.’

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‘The Jeffersons’ -

One of the longest running sitcoms in history, the (yet another) ‘All in the Family’ spin-off featured a notable African-American cast and the first interracial married couple on TV.

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‘Boston Legal’ -

The legal comedy-drama was a spin-off of ‘The Practice,’ and starred notable actors James Spader, Candice Bergen, and William Shatner. It ran for five seasons.

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‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ -

The show was a spin-off of the television series ‘Hercules: The Legendary Journeys,’ where Xena was a recurring character. She later got her own show, becoming the unapologetic warrior princess we love to this day.

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’Laverne and Shirley’ -

Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) were friends of Fonzie on ‘Happy Days,’ who later got their own show as two single roommates living in Milwaukee.

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‘The Good Fight’ - This series follows lawyer Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) in a new law firm. The show is a spin-off of ‘The Good Wife’ and is set a year after the courtroom drama.

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‘Fraiser’  - Spinning off from ‘Cheers,’ one of the biggest sitcoms of the 1980s, the character of Fraiser Crane (Kelsey Grammer) became an instant candidate for the highly successful spin-off.

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‘The Andy Griffith Show’ -

Considered one of the best sitcoms of all time, this show, starring Andy Taylor, was developed from ‘The Danny Thomas Show.’

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'The Facts of Life' -

'The ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ spin-off follows the housekeeper Edna Garrett moving on as a housemother at the fictional Eastland Academy, and the young women studying there, growing up, and learning everything about life.

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‘The Flash’ -

The first spin-off of ‘Arrow,’ the show stars Grant Gustin as the speedy superhero.

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‘Legends of Tomorrow’  -

‘Legends of Tomorrow’ assembles villains from its predecessors ‘Arrow’ and ‘Flash.’ The show reveals a unique and entertaining look into the lives of the misfits.

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‘Trapper John, M.D.’ - This medical drama follows a lovable and compassionate surgeon in San Francisco. The series is a spin-off of ‘M*A*S*H.’

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‘Torchwood’ -

This sci-fi series follows a small group of alien-hunters based on the fictional Torchwood Institute. It’s a spin-off of the notable ‘Doctor Who,’ and explores themes like existentialism and human corruptibility.

Sources: (IndieWire) (Rolling Stone) (TV Insider) (CBR)

See also: Movies that inspired TV shows

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