10 TV Spin-Offs Better Than The Original

1. The Simpsons

Simpsons Tracey Ullman Show
Fox

Original Show: The Tracey Ullman Show

The Tracey Ullman Show was a great example of how to do a variety series, with its superb writers' room ensuring it regularly generated laughs and critical approval, if not high ratings. It'll always be remembered, however, for giving life to the Simpson family.

Producer James L. Brooks invited Matt Groening to turn his Life in Hell comic strip into animated shorts for the series, which would play before and after commercials. Groening instead created The Simpsons, based upon his own family life. The shorts initially alternated with Dr. N!Godatu, but proved so popular they became a permanent addition, and in 1989 they got their own series, starting with a Christmas special.

The rest, as they say, is history. The Tracey Ullman Show ended after four seasons, while The Simpsons is so much more than a TV show. Running for 30 seasons and counting, it is a piece of pop-culture history, a true TV phenomenon, and the finest, funniest sitcom ever made.

Which spin-offs do you think are better than the original show? Let us know down in the comments.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.