10 TV Spinoffs You Didn’t Know Were Happening

Keep an eye out for these additions to your favourite franchises.

Young Dexter
Showtime

Ah, the spin-off - one of the oldest tricks in the book.

Need a new show but can't be bothered to come up with an entirely new character? Why not take one from an existing hit and put the spotlight on them! Genius!

TV history is full of spin-offs and, for every great one, there seems to be at least one dud.

For every Frasier, Angel, and Better Call Saul, there's a Joey, The Finder, and The Lone Gunman. It's a risky game, but one TV execs will continue to play for many more years to come.

Case in point, we have oodles of spin-offs coming up over the next year or so, all inspired by some pretty big existing properties.

These ten shows have all been announced or are already in the works. Some will follow minor characters from other shows on their own journeys, whilst some will act as prequels or sequels to the stories we know and love.

Which side of the spin-off fence will these shows fall on? It's impossible to say right now, but let's hope they go the way of Xena: Warrior Princess rather than Velma.

10. Elsbeth

Young Dexter
Paramount Global Distribution Group

We're kicking things off with a spin-off... of a spin-off!

Spin-ception? Incep-spin? You decide.

The Good Wife debuted back in 2009 and followed a high-flying lawyer after a public scandal involving her husband. Then came The Good Fight, which continued the story a year after the ending of the original show.

A constant presence throughout those two shows is the character of Elsbeth Tascioni, played by Carrie Preston. Elsbeth is also a lawyer described by the show as "quirky."

Oh boy, you know you're in for a treat when the Q word gets busted out...

Clearly somebody liked her, as Elsbeth is getting her own show, according to recent news.

This new series will transplant the scatterbrained attorney from her usual Chicago setting to New York, where she'll work alongside the police force to bring criminals to justice in her own unique way.

Considering just how popular the character has become after so few appearances, this is a very exciting prospect. It's also great news for Preston, who already won an Emmy for playing the part back in 2013.

Let's just hope the word "quirky" isn't used too often in this new show. Feels dirty just writing it down.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.