What is a spin-off?
A spin-off is a new TV show, film or other work built around characters, settings or ideas from an existing one. Frasier, a spin-off of Cheers, is a famous example.
Spin-offs usually take a popular supporting character and give them their own story. Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist who appeared in the sitcom Cheers, got his own show, Frasier, which ran from 1993 to 2004 and won many Emmy Awards. Better Call Saul followed lawyer Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad.
Spin-offs can also be set in the same world as the original but follow new characters. The Mandalorian is set in the Star Wars universe, and the many CSI and NCIS series share formats and characters. Some spin-offs become more successful than the shows that inspired them.
Spin-offs that did not work
Not all spin-offs succeed. Joey, starring Matt LeBlanc after Friends ended, lasted only two seasons. The term spin-off is also used in business, when a company creates a separate, independent company from one of its divisions.
Did You Know?
The Simpsons itself started as short animated segments on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 before getting its own series.