The Spin Off Thread

[Khan]

Truthfully, I think eight seasons had been long enough for Jack Tripper.  No spin-off was needed.

[BetterForgotten]

Agreed - there was nothing really left to explore there. Ritter was already the male lead on TC, to give him another show as a lead with the same character seemed like a played out concept. And again, it didn’t help that the supporting cast was so damn dull. 

I know some have claimed it would have worked with Jack and Janet as a couple, but I just don’t see it. I never thought those characters worked beyond friends. And again, after 8 seasons, did those characters need another damn show? 

 

[Wendy]

I have no idea if this is true, but a Wiki page (I think that is where I read it?) said John Ritter chose Mary Cadorette himself, as he supposedly felt a connection with her. I also recall reading somewhere that Joyce DeWitt was allegedly hurt by the spinoff (I can't remember why; maybe she thought Janet and Jack should have ended up together?).

[Paul Raven]

The UK versions George and Mildred and Robin's Nest were both successes.

Did the US versions use any of the scripts or just get the rights to the concept?

All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Three's Company and Too Close for Comfort were all based on successful UK sitcoms but several others were tried and failed.

 

[Khan]

IIRC, Joyce DeWitt felt hurt for two reasons: 1) NRW (and John Ritter) were developing the spin-off behind everyone else's backs, even though they had sworn to DeWitt and everyone else that no spin-off was in the works (although, in Ritter's defense, I think he was basically sworn to secrecy); and 2) the final episode(s) of "Three's Company" were used more as the launchpad for "Three's a Crowd," when DeWitt felt the "Three's Company" cast should have been the focus.  (I think Mary Cadorette, who appeared in the finale, told "E! True Hollywood Story" that the cast had given her the proverbial cold shoulder, but that DeWitt later reassured her that it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with how the producers had handled both the end of "Three's Company" and the development of "Three's a Crowd.")

Also, I've never known whether this was true, but Suzanne Somers and her husband, Alan Hamel, allegedly went to NRW when word of the spin-off had leaked, suggesting that it would be a great idea if "Three's a Crowd" were to revolve around Jack and Chrissy, who would become romantically involved, even though Chrissy and SS had been off the show for several years.

I think the "Ropers" writers adapted a few "George & Mildred" scripts for the US series, but I'm not sure if they used any "Robin's Nest" scripts for "Three's a Crowd."

Edited March 21, 2022 by Khan

[Soapsuds]

It all most be true because there was a special done about it on NBC with Joyce as a producer.

Edited March 22, 2022 by Soapsuds

[soapfan770]

Any love for the long forgotten Empty Nest?  Unfortunately Kristy McNichol’s breakdown and departure from the show was pretty much the death knell of the show, and the later seasons of when Sophia from GG showed up weren’t funny at all. And I can’t even remember the last time I have seen Nurses air anywhere in years.

 

[DRW50]

I was still a kid when Empty Nest debuted...I remember enjoying it until Kristy left, but as soon as they brought in the younger sister, I quit (I think I made it through one episode with her). I was glad - even though I didn't watch - that Kristy returned for the finale. 

I enjoyed the first few years of Nurses, and still have the opening credits and some David Rasche lines in my  head. But I don't think I bothered with the last season. 

Looking back, Nurses was such a slapped together show, between a Roseanne-esque standup as the female lead (for a few years anyway) and cult TV actor/improv great Rasche being thrown in. Then you had Loni Anderson later on.

IIRC those later Nest years were a hybrid hell too, with not just Getty, but  Marsha Warfield shipped in.

Edited March 23, 2022 by DRW50

[I Am A Swede]

I loved Empty Nest.   

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Kristy's departure didn't bother me that much, because I always loved Dinah Manoff's Carol more. I couldn't stand the third daughter though (Lisa Rieffel). Thankfully she was only around for one season. I wasn't all that keen on Carol's boyfriend (played by Paul Provenza) either, but he was also thankfully shortlived.

Obviously the last few seasons weren't as good as the early ones, but as long as Dinah and Park Overall's Laverne were around I was content.    

[Chris 2]

The problem with Empty Nest was that Dinah Manoff’s character, Carol, was pretty annoying, but it was ok with Barbara (Kristy McNichol) around to balance her out and spar with her. But once Kristy was gone, it was all Carol all the time. The third daughter was played by this actress that casting directors kept trying to foist upon us in the 90s, to no avail (she also played on King of Queens, as another sister who also quickly disappeared). 

Empty Nest kept adding all these extraneous characters to make up for the loss of Kristy, to no avail. It reminds a bit of One Day at a Time - another show where one sister crucial to the dynamic of the show was written out, and then just kept adding all these other people to make up for the loss.

[AbcNbc247]

Too bad that Empty Nest was never in syndication as much as The Golden Girls was. I'd love to see more of it. Especially those crossover events with GG and Nurses.

[Khan]

Yeah, there was a period when the networks (and NBC in particular) kept trying to make Lisa Rieffel happen.  Sort of like how they keep trying to make Jimmy Wolk happen today.

[Paul Raven]

Empty Nest was pretty much a timeslot hit and NBC seemed to acknowledge that.

It ran behind Golden girls for several seasons and when it finally moved up to 9pm both it and GG (moved to 8pm) were no longer ratings powerhouses.

Prior to Empty Nest NBC launched 227 and Amen behind GG and both were soon moved to earlier slots to bolster the 8-9 time periods but Empty Nest didn't follow that pattern.

[Paul Raven]

NBC tried a Sanford and Son spinoff  'Grady' in which Whitman Mayo's character moves to Westwood to live with his daughter and her family. It lasted from Dec 74-March 75.

Bizarrely they placed it at Thurs @ 8 up against The Waltons, which was Top 10 at the time and Welcome Back Kotter. It got a passable 30 share for it's debut but went down from there.

NBC had only 2 comedies - Sanford and Chico and the Man and were trying to expand on that. Trouble was all the good slots were taken.

When Grady was axed, Whitman returned to Sanford.

[Khan]

"Grady" definitely ranks among the all-time worst spin-offs.  Whitman Mayo was good in a recurring/supporting capacity on "Sanford and Son," but NOT as the lead in his own show; and the actors playing his daughter and in-laws were just so boring to watch, too.