20th September, 2008
The Five Worst TV spinoffs
Frasier was great. So was The Jeffersons. But many spinoffs have not been successful. In other words, they sucked! So Dateline Hollywood is listing the worst TV spinoffs of all time.
# 5. Jake
Spun Off From: Becker
Premise: On the CBS sitcom Becker, actor Alex Desert played the role of Jake Malinak, the blind magazine stand owner. CBS decided to give Jake his own sitcom titled Jake as Becker went off the air. On the spinoff, Jake got a new job as an air traffic controller.
Why it Sucked: With 9/11 still on the minds of many Americans, the laughs fell completely flat as blind Jake tried to unsuccessfully coordinate the landing of jetliners at JFK airport in New York City. The show explained that a discrimination suit against the FAA had led Jake to his new job. In the pilot episode, Jake lets one plane take off while another is landing on the same runway causing a crash. Jokes such as "I did not SEE that one coming" were simplistic and tasteless. We guess they were blind to comedy. The show ran for only one episode.
# 4. Baywatch Alaska
Spun Off From: Baywatch
Premise: While Baywatch had David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson and the Hoff then continued with Baywatch Hawaii, this other spinoff Baywatch Alaska failed to captivate audiences.
Why it Sucked: At least with the original, we got to see a lot of skin on those hot female lifeguards, and female fans loved those bronzed chiseled male lifeguards. But Baywatch Alaska was a bitter disappointment. Sure there was a lot of action on the Alaskan bay, but not enough skin. Bad idea. This short-lived show in syndication was canceled after one season. It still does well in repeats in Canada.
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# 3. K*I*D*S M*A*S*H
Spun Off From: M*A*S*H
Premise: When M*A*S*H was a big hit in 1970s on CBS, network executives tried to cash in on the show's success with a Saturday morning cartoon titled K*I*D*S M*A*S*H.
Why it Sucked: The same themes from the primetime show were present in the cartoon and it simply became an animated black comedy/medical drama. The second episode of the cartoon featured a young soldier who had his legs blown off by a Korean mine and the cartoon Hawkeye character has to wait for the kid to wake up from surgery to tell him he'll never walk again. The cartoon Klinger bursts into the room dressed as a woman and the soldier, still feeling the effects of the anesthesia, thinks Klinger his his Mom who he thought died back home while he was fighting against the Koreans. Needless to say, the cartoon was canceled after the second episode. However, some critics maintain the animated kids show was still better than the other spinoff After M*A*S*H.
# 2. SIPOWICZ
Spun Off From: NYPD Blue
Premise: When NYPD Blue went off the air, producer Steven Bochco decided to give Dennis Franz's character, Detective Andy Sipowicz, his own show. Instead of ABC, the program aired on Cinemax as Bocho wanted to push the envelope further.
Why it Sucked: The show focused a lot on Det. Sipowicz's sex life and the scenes on pay cable Cinemax were explicit and disturbing, and -- oh yeah -- totally gross. Franz had bared his butt a few times on ABC, but on Cinemax, viewers got a lot more than they had bargained for. Full frontal nudity became a staple of the show and little Sipowicz made a weekly appearance. As for the action part of the show, Sipowicz was no longer a cop in the spinoff, but a mall security guard. The storyline in the pilot focused on Andy trying to discover who had made off with a dirty board from a Spencer Gifts store. The show just lasted one season.
# 1. RETARDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS
Spun Off From: Kids Say the Darndest Things
Premise: When Kids Say the Darndest Things started to slip in the ratings, producers decided to spin it off into another show, also starring Bill Cosby. Instead of interviewing kids, Cosby sat down with mentally challenged adults.
Why it Sucked: Cosby constantly mugged for the camera while talking to the slow adults. Part of the problem was that the answers the people gave hardly made sense. At least with the kids, their answers were silly but well-meaning. When Cosby asked a man why he thought the sky was blue, the slow adult answered by saying, "I'd like tomato soup tomorrow" and "I like oranges." The show last only two seasons.
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