10 Worst TV Spin-Offs Of All Time

Shameless cash grabs or love letters to fan favourites? Either way, they weren't good.

That '80s Show
Fox

The spin-off is almost as old as television itself, and once upon a time it was considered to be an incredibly clever way to cash in on the success of any particular show by using a pre-established character or setting and attempting to have it pass for originality.

There are some examples of spin-offs done well, with the likes of Better Call Saul, Frasier and Angel all managing to cement a place as the equals of their respective parent shows.

On the other hand, there is a plethora of examples of TV spin-offs that not only failed to match up to the expectations set by their predecessors, but managed to be practically painful to watch.

It's upsetting, like getting on really well with someone at a party and then realising as soon as you're alone with them that they aren't as funny or as interesting as they seemed before. Once the veil is lifted, all you can do is extract yourself as quickly as possible and try to forget the whole experience.

Some scars run deep, though, and some spin-offs just can't be forgotten. Here are 10 of the worst TV spin-offs of all time.

10. The Love Boat: The Next Wave

That '80s Show
UPN

As much a revival as a spin-off, The Love Boat: The Next Wave first aired in 1998, attempting to piggyback on the success of the 1980's TV classic The Love Boat.

A total of 25 episodes were aired, over the span of roughly 13 months, and then The Love Boat: The Next Wave sailed into obscurity.

It featured a reunion episode which the cast members from the original Love Boat stopped in to show their faces, but even that wasn't really enough to get people interested.

The Next Wave also boasted a jarring and nausea-inducing intro, which not only did nothing to make the show seem even remotely watchable, but by today's standards would incite countless complaints, given that practically every other shot is of a faceless woman's bikini-clad rear end.

The Love Boat: The Next Wave then proceeded to sink like the Titanic, except for one detail: it was far, far less memorable.

Contributor
Contributor

Antisocial nerd that spends a lot of time stringing words together. Once tried unsuccessfully to tame a crow.