5 TV Spinoffs That Turned Out Better Than Their Originals

The history of television is littered with instances where the creators of popular shows, and the studios that aired them, wanted to continue to exploit the beloved universes and created spinoffs that proved to be completely unnecessary and forgotten.

But there are other instances where the spinoffs were crafted with the audience in mind and turned out to be even better and more successful than their parent media. Here are five notable examples.

Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)

Over Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995-1999)

These titles aren't often mentioned today, but if you grew up in the 1990s, there's no way you didn't know about Hercules or Xena and never watched at least one episode of either show.

In fact, Xena's journey began with a three-episode arc in the original series, and at the end of that arc, the character was supposed to be killed off. But viewers loved this strong Amazonian warrior so much that the creators decided to make a spinoff dedicated to her adventures. And that new show outlived and easily outshone its parent.

Frasier (1993-2004)

Over Cheers (1982-1993)

Does anyone even remember that Frasier was the spinoff of Cheers? Don't get me wrong, Cheers is one of the greatest sitcoms of all time and an instant classic. But Frasier is still better.

Cheers is a product of its time. The show feels almost like a period piece, an unintentional time capsule of 80's America, while Frasier is timeless and remains one of the funniest, smartest, most perfectly drawn and hilariously scripted shows on television, even when re-watched a hundred times.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-present)

Over Star Trek: Discovery (2017-present)

The Star Trek universe is vast and amazing, and Discovery has many fans who eagerly anticipate each new season. However, there is criticism of the show's format (a season-long story rather than an issue-of-the-week approach) and its heavy focus on the character of Captain Michael Burnham, which hinders the development of other characters.

Unlike Discovery, Strange New Worlds feels more like classic Star Trek with its episodic nature. It creates a close-knit crew, each of whom quickly grows on the viewer.

Peacemaker (2022-present)

Over The Suicide Squad (2021)

James Gunn conceived Peacemaker after noticing John Cena's dramatic and comedic talents while filming 2021's The Suicide Squad, a sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad. And his instincts weren't wrong.

The spinoff series about Cena's jingoistic mercenary, which airs on HBO Max, quickly earned the audience's love and overshadowed the original, as well as many other DCEU and MCU movies and shows.

Young Sheldon (2017-2024)

Over The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)

This is actually a controversial opinion. Without TBBT and its wild popularity, there would be no Young Sheldon. But that's true of any spinoff. And Young Sheldon is doing very well as a stand-alone show. Even those who never watched TBBT enjoy it.

Plus, the spinoff has some improvements over the original. The character of Sheldon as a child is much more relatable and sympathetic. There are no laughing tracks. The level of humor and drama feels deeper. And the story isn't just about Sheldon. The whole Cooper family is a delight to follow.