Buttmunker

Sometimes I'm baffled when the-powers-that-be behind a TV show decide to essentially "get rid" of a show's most popular character (or set of characters) in order to spin-off a new show. They did it with All In The Family when they got rid of, and created, The Jeffersons; they did it with Three's Company when they spun-off, and ultimately killed, The Ropers; they did it with Maude when they said goodbye to Florida Evans to make Good Times.

In all three of these cases, I would have preferred they had kept things the way they were. With the exception of All In The Family, I feel the shows suffered as a consequence, and were never the same. Particularily with Maude, as there could be no replacement for the back-talking, sassy Esther Rolle as "Florida." At the risk of never having Good Times, I'd just as soon keep Florida put in Tuckahoe, New York.

With that said, what popular characters from TV shows past and present would have made great spin-off shows? Here's my vote:

Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) from Leave It To Beaver

Before there was Bart Simpson, there was Eddie, the Prince of Mischief, the Chopin of Mayhem. When it comes to devious behavior, Eddie Haskell is the blueprint from which future hellraisers are erected. And to think the creative minds behind Leave It To Beaver only had the character of "Eddie Haskell" slated for a one-time appearance. Glad to see that, at least in this respect, clearer minds prevailed.

starseed1981

I loved Buffy & Angel. But man....I would've killed for a Faith spin-off.

Hokeyboy

Mrs. Hufnagel, P.I.

Michael Corvin

24: Kim Bauer

fujishig

I think what happens is that individual characters, usually quirky ones, get really popular and then the $$$ signs start to show up in the creators/networks/actors eyes... but those characters are usually best used in moderation, interacting with the other characters and in their original setting, not spun off. That Dwigt farm show would have been terrible, for instance. If they had spun off Urkel from Family Matters (which I know was a spin off of Perfect Strangers) that would have been terrible too.

Most spin offs usually change the setting completely, and try to use the fame of the spun off star to get the show to stick, and the best ones usually morph into something almost entirely unrecognizable from their origins. So it's hard to say which ones would have made it big, it really depends on the strength of the concept, actors and the writers. Most spin offs I could think of that I'd have wanted to see are mainly situations where the original show ended prematurely or veered off into crappiness and I wanted to see more of the characters (Veronica Mars, Alias, Arrested Development, etc.)

Superman07

Wasn't Family Matters technically a spin-off of Perfect Strangers? I think Harriet worked at the paper. Can't say I recall it adversely affecting PS.

Generally I'm not a big spin-off fan, so hard to answer OP question.

Mr. Salty

Spock and McCoy would have made a good mismatched cop-buddy team. In space.

Buttmunker

I'm surprised it wasn't used as an idea in The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase, but a variety show called The Krusty The Clown Show.

Groucho

They made this spin-off. It's called Cougar Town.

Hokeyboy

PenguinJoe

-The Fighting Donaghys starring Nathan Lane and Molly Shannon.

-Urkel - Steve Urkel creates a billion dollar web site and moves from Chicago to Silicon Valley, hilarity ensues.

-Kelly Bundy: Adult Film Star - Kelly Bundy goes to pursue an acting career in LA and ends up becoming a top 90s adult film star. Bud Bundy makes frequent guest appearances as her skeezy brother trying to hit on her porn star friends.

-That 70s Cop Show - Kelso and Hyde can't find real jobs so they decide to become cops. They often confiscate weed from drug dealers and smoke it POV style. Due to Hyde's empathetic personality he quickly becomes a high ranking cop much like Ron Swanson in Parks and Rec.

-The Adventures of Bong Boy- A spinoff the the UCB sketch in which like Quantum Leap stoner bong boy get embroiled in a new situation in a new town every week and changes lives.

-PeeWee's Playhoue After Dark- What happens when the light go out. Only on Showtime.

Shannon Nutt

I would have tuned in for this:

Michael Corvin

I still think that Heroes spin-off would have worked, and after seeing the outcome of Heroes more than likely eclipsed it.

That, and this one:

madcougar

This.

Buttmunker

I would have suggested a Derek spin-off (Jason Bateman's character from Silver Spoons), but they kind of did, only they gave him a different name, and it was totally unrelated (yet it wasn't, not where it counted) - "It's Your Move."

rw2516

Ed Norton, Agent From S.E.W.E.R.

Quatermass

Paulie and Sil - two former mobsters in the Witness Protection Program try to adapt to small-town life in East Texas.

The Antipodean

Potsie & Malph -- two sidekicks flee Milwaukee after a night at Arnold's goes horribly wrong and start a multi-state crime spree. Picturing Pulp Fiction meets Alice.

Double_Oh_7

Jack & Karen

jeffkjoe

Lenny & Squiggy's Hair-Brained Schemes - 1979-1982 in ABC's parallel universe.

Buttmunker

That spin-off was nixed by the actor playing Paulie, as he had it stated in his contract that his character would never, ever turn "rat."

rw2516

Hogan's Hotties - humorous adventures of post war Col. Robert Hogan now working as photographer for men's entertainment magazine in West Berlin. But that's just a cover. He's actually a C.I.A. spy now running operations against Soviets.

dvd-4-life

The Ma Clavin Show(Cliff Clavin's mom from Cheers).

Jason

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Pistol Pete

They could call it "Otto Focus".