Which Spin-offs Stuck the Landing?
In recent years, there have been quite a few spin-offs cropping up on TV. So many that it has become almost commonplace to send popular characters off on their own to see if they can replicate the moneymaker that was the original series. But like any good trend, there have been winners, and there have been unbelievable losers.
Let’s take a look at some of the contestants.
Ravenswood: LOSER
After just ten episodes, the Pretty Little Liars spin-off died a gentle death, and not many people could be bothered to care. One would think that the monster audience Pretty Little Liars pulls in on the regular would translate well to another teen-mystery-thriller, but sadly, Ravenswood premiered low and sunk further as the weeks went by. Most attribute the show’s failure to the lack of ties with its parent show. Caleb Rivers was the only real character to make the move, and the backdoor pilot was a shaky introduction at best. Others say the slightly supernatural element of the spinoff was widely unappealing to the preexisting audience.
Mostly though, I think creators overestimated Caleb’s appeal. His main selling factor was his relationship with Pretty Little Liars character, Hanna, so separating him from her didn’t really work in their favor. Not to worry though, after Ravenswood”s cancellation, Caleb returned to his rightful place with the liars.
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Private Practice: WINNER
It’s no Grey’s Anatomy, but Private Practice managed to scrape out six whole seasons, making them a winner in my book. Fans of Meredith and Derek were all too happy to see the bothersome Addison Montgomery leave Seattle Grace and settle into a private practice down in California, but I have to say that I think the reason this spinoff succeeded was due to how close together the writers kept the two shows. Crossovers were not just small ratings grabs, they were extended arcs and plot driven episodes. Characters were constantly being sent back and forth between the shows, which kept the audience on their toes and invested in both Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. Plus, both shows held to the same structure, weaving the personal lives of the doctors into the ‘patient of the week’ formula that works so well.
Agent Carter: UNDECIDED
This show only premiered recently, so it’s too soon to tell if we can call it a loser or a winner. Moreover, Agent Carter is a limited series, meaning that there will only be eight episodes. There’s always the option for another season if it does well, but as of right now there are no plans to expand. I have to say though, I’m pretty damn pleased with the way the series is starting out, highlighting heavy feminist ideals and mixing in all the crime-fighting goodness we love from Agents of Shield. Just because there’s no hope of a reunion between Peggy and Steve Rogers, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy watching her build the agency that will one day save the world!
The Originals: LOSER
Sorry folks, but I have to call a spade a spade. The Vampire Diaries spin-off garnered a lot of attention when it premiered, grabbing some pretty decent ratings. Unfortunately, while fang fans tuned in to check out Klaus and his siblings’ New Orleans adventures in the beginning, they must not have liked what they saw all that much. The Originals lost nearly 1 million viewers (half their regular audience) in the spring of their first season, and they’ve continued to under-perform in their second.
Most fans attribute the failure to mischaracterization and bad writing, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion it has more to do with a lack of ties to the parent show. Shooting in the same location and sharing showrunners should provide for easy opportunities to link the shows together with crossovers, but the writers have pretty consistently blown every opportunity to connect the two narratives. The characters people most want to see take a trip down to New Orleans (Caroline, Stefan, Elena, Damon) were passed over in favor of minor characters that no one really cared about. The Originals is a flop as far as spin-offs go, unfortunately.
The Flash: WINNER
No one can be surprised that this superhero smash hit makes the winners column. Pulling in the highest ratings for The CW in years, The Flash took everyone by storm, quickly surpassing their parent show in popularity. But Arrow would not be left in the dust. Right off the bat, writers made it clear that these two superheroes were going to be playing in the same sandbox, with crossovers, easter eggs, and a thrilling two-night event.
The Flash even managed to give Arrow a sizable ratings bump when Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco traveled over to lend their help on a case. In its own right, The Flash appeals to a broad audience, providing lighthearted adventure that’s also sort of a coming-of-age tale for the main character, Barry Allen. There are even rumors that this little success story has inspired The CW to spin off another superhero character. Supergirl already went to CBS, but there are still quite a few crime-fighters left in the DC Comic Universe. Any guesses who it might be?
Do you agree with our winners and losers? Got an idea which hero will be spinning off of Arrow next? Drop us a line in the comments below!
Lindsay MacDonald
Lindsay is an associate editor for Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer, viewer, and internet addict. Her obsession with TV started with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and has been going strong ever since; current favorites include Scandal, The 100, The Walking Dead, and Arrow. She considers a perfect Friday night to be a joint-cuddle-session between an adorable puppy dog and her Netflix queue. Follow @lindsayjoane
9 comments
The Originals: LOSER hahahahah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The truth hurts 🙁
Agreed with all of these. I really enjoyed the first episode of Agent Carter and looking forward to seeing more. If it continues this way I’m really hoping they’ll expand. I think it’s important for spin-offs to be connected to their mother show since they’re not stand-alone show and sadly The Originals just didn’t do that. Unfortunately, the writers have rewritten much of their own mythology from their parent show also which is a reason I suspect they were so reluctant on doing those crossovers but being so disconnected from your parent show just doesn’t work in your favor. The fans love the crossovers (even movies know this, Avengers anyone?) so why you would resist them is beyond me. I didn’t watch Private Practice but as a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, I loved how they kept the two worlds connected. This one and The Flash are both perfect examples of spin-offs done right.
Agent Carter is great.
The Originals is a show I was excited about as a fan of TVD but I agree that it sucks and all the characters have become parodies of themselves. That’s how not to do a spin off.
I think many TVD fans were pretty pumped for the spin-off, which is why it seemed to start so strong. But when they realized that The Originals was not exactly what they were hoping for, many people like yourself checked out; hence the catastrophic drop in viewership.
It’s sad because the show had a lot of promise, but spin-offs have to maintain a delicate balance.
The Originals is one of the worst most disgusting shows I have ever had the displeasure of watching. The female characters and their lack of agency an doormat status makes me want to puke.
Agent Carter has happened at the right time. Across social media fans are becoming more and more vocal about the problematic writing of ‘strong’ female characters, and characters that might have been more successful a number of years ago are faltering because woman are over that whole “up an a pedestal, gorgeous, victimised, physically kick arse, damsel in distress” troupey writing. A modern audience want woman with flaws, picking themselves up, dusting themselves off and getting the job done themselves, rather then waiting for a man to come along. Female audiences are thirsty for this, and here comes Agent Carter, just at the right time. Shows like TVD and TO that seem unable to course correct will flounder, but other show runners who have recognised that social conscience has changed/evolved will cash in on giving the audience what they want.
TO seemed so arrogant in wanting to stand alone from the mother show, that some of the stars/show runners seemed almost dismissive of their roots in the TVD universe, frequently telling fans that TVD was a show that was based in teen drama, but TO was darker, more adult, a show that would have ‘real’ plots. They didn’t respect basic established mythology, which is something that is really important to fans of genre shows, with writers tweeting excuses of “opps” and “because magic” for their plot holes. They also decided to introduce the show, and centre it around a really unpopular plot line (magical loophole pregnancy) and use it as a vehicle to bring a really unpopular character into a main role of the spin off.
It really was a trifecta of fail;
Arrogance and dismissal (sometimes out right aggression via social media) towards potential fans.
Changing of established mythology, and creation of plot holes that could have been easily avoided with research of canon.
Altering/damaging the personality of the popular characters, to prop up the failing/unpopular ones, until none of them retain their popularity.
TO writers have had the time and failed in any form of damage control or course correction. Fans across all forms of social media haven’t exactly been quiet about what was wrong with the show, and what needed to happen to fix it, writers who choose to do their homework, have a cheat sheet or recipe available to them- one they have sadly so far been disinclined to use.
I think this article represents me, I watched all Private Practice seasons, I quit Ravenswood after 2-3 episodes and The Originals after 6. I very much liked Agent Carter but I need a couple episodes more to form a valid opinion. The Flash I like it very much and it introduced me to Arrow that I wasn’t watching. I marathoned all seasons during the break and now I’m ready for when it returns (and Arrow has become the show that I’m more excited about its return)
The Originals is BY FAR better than Vampire Diaries has ever been since seasons 2/3. Season 5 and so far 6 of that show have been awful and too focused on teen drama and “ships”.
At least The Originals is actually giving some characters a little thing called character development, not to mention the storylines and fights have been much better.
The show got renewed for a third season and continues to improve both in quality and ratings, while its parent show is the one going downhill and making people tune out.
So much for a flop huh?
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