9 TV Shows That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia (And Failed)

7. Rock And Chips

Only Fools and Horses is one of the most beloved British sitcoms of all time, and while writer and creator John Sullivan managed to maintain a high degree of quality for over two decades, his attempts to keep the franchise alive through spin-offs weren't quite as successful.

The first, a spin-off focusing on Boycie and Marlene's escape to the country, aired immediately after Only Fools ended and was mostly inoffensive. The second, Rock and Chips, was a far different beast, dropping the sitcom framing entirely for a dramedy prequel series focusing primarily on Del and Rodney's mother.

As a one off, this kind of worked, shedding light on a past talked about but never seen in the main show. It was full of fan service as well, with callbacks to the original series, jokes explained with new context, and characters showing up who had only been mentioned in passing.

That was fine for a special, but when more episodes were commissioned the best parts remained these references to the main show, rather than anything new the series brought to the table. Unlike a great prequel such as Better Call Saul, even the shift in presentation and genre couldn't help Rock and Chips feel like it wasn't simply colouring between the lines.