How Long Was It On For? 11 Seasons

To start this list looking at Frasier and end up examining The Jeffersons is pretty appropriate. The’re like two sides of the same coin, spinning off from monumental hit shows, and using reliable characters and concepts to tap into unexpected ground. George and Louise Jefferson were the African-American neighbors to the bigoted Archie Bunker from All in the Family. It might have been a controversial move taking away such important foils to the Bunkers, but with Norman Lear already having one successful spinoff under the show’s belt, The Jeffersons seemed like more of a solid plan.

Admittedly, The Jeffersons had less of the sharply political viewpoint that Lear’s sitcoms were famous for (which isn’t to say that it avoided important issues entirely), instead offering a more affable, character-based engine to fuel the show’s humor and situations. It was a strategy that worked, and with plenty of poignant commentary being made on other Lear shows, The Jeffersons was often allowed to just have fun.

It’s one thing to follow All in the Family and still remain relevant, but The Jeffersons would manage to become one of the longest running American sitcoms, period (and even birthing its own spin-off in the process), emphasizing how a new playground and context can make all the difference. It would eventually become one of the standards for the model.

We’re far from finished with this fascination with spinoffs. Dick Wolf is already busy fleshing out his “Chicago-verse” that he started with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., while Criminal Minds continutes to extend their brand, too. ABC’s Agents of SHIELD is also in the midst of expanding their superhero slate on the network even further. And I’d be deeply surprised if we didn’t see the Arrow/Flash/Legends of Tomorrow-verse turn out another series in the next few years. Thankfully with recent examples like Better Call Saul and The Flash keeping the standard high, hopefully Fear the Walking Dead’s second season and whatever’s next will follow suit.