Spinoffs run the gamut from brilliant to mildly entertaining to inconsequential or downright terrible. For every Daria, there’s an equal and opposite Joey. Cheers may have spawned Frasier, but it also gave birth to The Tortellis. Since the entertainment industry is perpetually trying to refresh old concepts into new moneymakers, here are five television characters with the potential for a non-sucky spinoff, none of which involve Scott Baio or Dustin Diamond. Obviously.
- Abed and Troy from Community. I love Joel McHale, and Community has proved itself to be hilarious in its own right. “Modern Warfare” may have been the funniest half-hour of television to air last season. The real stars, however, are Danny Pudi and Donald Glover as Abed, the film student, and Troy, the quarterback. This duo plays off each other like they’ve worked together for years, and Abed’s meta-critic lens provides an endless amount of material to spoof. These two should move to a four-year university and work on student films. Check this particularly-clever stinger.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ1SJD4XWZc[/youtube]
- Julie Taylor from Friday Night Lights. Aimee Teegarden’s Julie isn’t the sexiest character (um, have you seen Taylor Kitsch?) or the most popular, but she is one of the most refreshingly complex and complete portrayals of a teenage girl to ever grace the silver screen. It’s Friday Night Lights. No one gets enough credit. Yearning to leave the trappings of her life as the daughter of a small-town Texas football coach, this anti-cheerleader is poised to enter college and figure out who she really is. I’d totally watch Julie’s college-years self-discovery, particularly if it meant the occasional cameo from on-screen ex Zach Gilford.
- Lafayette Reynolds from True Blood. Is there a more original character on television? Nelsan Ellis’s portrayal of a Black, gay, vampire blood-selling fry cook is one of the most underrated and entertaining performances on television, and I could watch Lafayette kick ass and take names all day long. Fiercely loyal with a biting wit, I’d love for Lafayette to find love and expand his V empire–or at least branch out into his own entrepreneurship. Maybe he could get a (squee!) protege. Tell me you don’t want to hang with this guy. [NSFW] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=890ULiSXZSY[/youtube]
- Andy and any other character from Weeds. Admit it. Nancy Botwin’s game has gotten old, and dare I say that Weeds has jumped the shark entirely. But, like the sucker I am, I keep watching, mostly because I can’t get enough Justin Kirk. If last season gave us anything, it was that Andy is capable of rational thought and responsible action amidst Nancy’s shitstorm and his own buffoonery. I’d like to see him and the deliciously-legal Silas give the dispensary idea a go, but I’m not picky. Anything where Andy gets to shine like this is just fine by me (also NSFW).[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWzOQTFwRBE[/youtube]
- Any Duggar child that moves away from home. Okay, at least ONE of these kids is going to escape their sheltered Arkansas upbringing, and I’m praying for a tell-all book AND a spinoff. A Duggars Gone Wild if you will. And by wild, I mean maybe if it’s a girl, they will get to wear pants or watch TV. Maybe the Duggars will take a page from the Amish playbook and let Jinger, Jessa, and the whole sick crew out for their own rumspringa. Look, the Duggars can raise their kids however they want; all I’m saying is that if one happens to eschew their family’s lifestyle, and they wanted to finance that by signing on to do their own show where they run away and live in San Francisco for a while, I would watch it. that’s all I’m saying. HEAR THAT, TLC? YOU’RE SITTING ON A REAL GOLDMINE.
Tell me what spinoff you’d like to see, MamaPoppers. And don’t say Saved by the Bell: The Midlife Crisis.
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KBestOliver did, however, like Just The 10 Of Us.
