- yesterday
Some TV spin-offs become cultural landmarks, while others quickly fade into obscurity. Join us as we explore notable episodes that launched new series successfully and those pilot attempts that never found their footing. From iconic characters introduced on familiar shows to ill-fated ideas that failed to catch on, discover what made these backdoor pilots hit or miss.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00You'd adopt both Dwayne and Steve, right?
00:03Right! So we've decided to follow your advice.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we'll be counting down our picks for the best and worst television episodes that were intended as pilots for new series.
00:15Come on! Please! Hello! Saul Goodman. Please sit.
00:21Number 5. Good. You Really Got a Hold on Me. Grey's Anatomy. Backdoor pilot for Station 19.
00:30You do not belong in there. Get out.
00:32I brought your patient in. I just wanted to see how he was doing. And how you're doing, since it's your first day back from vacation.
00:40The success of any mainstream television show is going to naturally inspire thoughts of a spinoff.
00:46Some of these attempts prove to be more successful than others, such as You Really Got a Hold on Me from the long-running medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
00:55I'm Dr. Grey. I was in with your son, Zach. He made it through surgery. He's in recovery.
01:01Tyler?
01:02I don't know about Tyler, but I can get an update for you.
01:05This episode occurred late in that show's run, during the 14th season, which sort of makes sense.
01:11Backdoor pilots typically, but not always, arrive as the parent program is showing its age.
01:17You Really Got a Hold on Me introduced to the firefighter characters Ben Warren and Andy Herrera,
01:23who would eventually star on the successful Grey's spinoff, Station 19.
01:28I'm done chasing the rabbit. I am the rabbit. The rabbit runs because she loves it. I do this job because I love it.
01:38Number 5. Bad. Here Comes the Sun. Gilmore Girls. Backdoor pilot for Proposed Windward Circle.
01:46Jess is gone.
01:48What?
01:49And I don't think he's coming back.
01:50What do you mean, gone? Like, gone-gone?
01:52Exactly like gone-gone.
01:54But when?
01:54Last night, this morning. I don't know. I went up there to get some money out of the safe, and I noticed that all of his stuff was gone.
02:00Some spinoffs never make it past the idea stage.
02:03Others receive a backdoor pilot that essentially stops the idea dead in its tracks.
02:07This was the situation with Here Comes the Sun, a third-season episode of Gilmore Girls that was intended to introduce a new series,
02:15tentatively titled Windward Circle.
02:18I'm his son.
02:20His son?
02:21Yes, his son.
02:24Well, that's a horse of a different color. Come on in.
02:27The setting here was switched to Venice Beach, California, as it followed the family history of Jess Mariano,
02:33the then-boyfriend of Rory Gilmore.
02:36The casting of Sherilyn Fenn for this episode was definitely welcomed,
02:40but it was the controversial reputation of Mariano's character that essentially doomed interest in Windward Circle from the start.
02:47Jess, man, come on. You can't stay here.
02:50Why not?
02:50Because you can't.
02:51Why not?
02:51Because you can't.
02:52Why not?
02:52Because you can't.
02:55I want to ask why not, but that doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere.
02:57Number 4. Good. My Favorite Orkin. Happy Days. Backdoor pilot for Mork and Mindy.
03:04I was right. Did you say Earthling?
03:08Are you an alien?
03:11All right, put him up. Yeah, right. Cancel that.
03:15Funnily enough, Fonzie jumping the shark wasn't the craziest thing that happened in the fifth season of Happy Days.
03:21My Favorite Orkin probably shouldn't have worked as well as it did,
03:24given its strange idea of introducing an alien from outer space into this world of retro nostalgia.
03:30Yet the irrepressible charm and charisma of Robin Williams were impossible to deny,
03:36as he debuted on Happy Days as the interstellar visitor Mork from Ork.
03:40This is the best contest I have had in 20 bleems.
03:42The only reason I won is because your champion cared about his earthly friends.
03:46Funny thing, this warmth. We don't have it on Ork.
03:48We tried it once a long time ago. Didn't work. Overpopulation.
03:51The character and episode proved so popular that Mork was given his own sitcom, Mork and Mindy,
03:58which earned a solid run of its own, alongside Happy Days.
04:01So, you're from outer space.
04:03Yes. Do you mind if I take a few pictures for the folks on the home planet?
04:06They'd like to get some postcards.
04:08Oh, no.
04:10Okay, watch the fluky.
04:12Number four. Bad. The third anniversary show, Happy Days.
04:16Backdoor pilot for Blanksy's Beauties.
04:19You must be a Richie.
04:23No, Nancy, that's not...
04:27Nancy, this is our little Richie.
04:29All it took was a week for this ill-advised spinoff of Happy Days to get introduced and debuted on network television.
04:36Seven days for TV audiences to get introduced to Nancy Blansky, Howard Cunningham's cousin,
04:42who appeared on a single episode of Happy Days.
04:45The resulting spinoff, Blanksy's Beauties, possessed only a tenuous connection to its parent show,
04:51thanks to the presence of Fonzie's ex-girlfriend, Pinky Tuscadero.
04:55I love your moves, Mrs. B.
04:57Yeah, you're a tough act to follow.
04:59Hey, listen, are you sure you can do this?
05:01I'm a pro.
05:02You dance, I'll jump.
05:03Additionally, the character of Joey DeLuca was related to the actor Eddie Mecca's character of Carmine Ragusa,
05:09from another successful Happy Days spinoff, Laverne and Shirley.
05:14These character threads largely took a backseat to Blanksy's Beauties, Jiggle TV aesthetic,
05:19which was only enough to earn it a single season.
05:22When I see those girls walk out on that stage with all their hopes and dreams,
05:26I feel that they really need me.
05:28I really do.
05:29And because they need me, I need them.
05:32Number three, Good, The Girl's School, Different Strokes,
05:36Backdoor Pilot for the Facts of Life.
05:38On the outside, it looks like a normal school, but inside, it's Animal House.
05:45It can often be a risk for a successful sitcom to bet upon a supporting character for spinoff success.
05:51Thankfully, fans cared enough about the Drummond family's housekeeper, Edna Garrett,
05:56to follow her on to the facts of life.
05:58What are you going to wear?
06:00Nothing.
06:03When do you arrive? I don't want to miss it.
06:07I meant nothing special.
06:08I have no one to impress.
06:10Of course, it helped that Garrett was portrayed by the wonderful Charlotte Rae,
06:14while the Facts of Life included a cast of remarkable young talent.
06:18Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon, Mindy Kahn, and more,
06:22ensured that the Facts of Life remained vibrant and likable in the aftermath of its pilot,
06:27enabling the show to find its own audience.
06:30This is a crucial aspect for any spinoff,
06:33getting to the point where fans become just as comfortable with the news stories as the old history.
06:38I'm beginning to feel like my old self again.
06:41I think I can go anywhere, face anything, with my head held high.
06:49Number three, Bad, Valley Girls, Gossip Girl, backdoor pilot for proposed Valley Girls.
06:56You look good.
06:59Is this the moment where you fall in love with me?
07:02Oh, it is, isn't it?
07:04You're totally falling in love with me right now.
07:06Are you coming or not?
07:07This one is potentially divisive,
07:09because there admittedly are some fans of Gossip Girl
07:13that approved of this backdoor pilot for a new series, Valley Girls.
07:17This latter was never picked up,
07:19leaving this Gossip Girl episode as the sole remaining archive of the ideas for this show.
07:24You told mom that you were making it out in LA.
07:26I am making it.
07:28This is what making it looks like.
07:30Before, you've totally made it.
07:33Valley Girls was to have been set in the 1980s
07:36and featured strong casting,
07:38including future Marvel star Kristen Ritter.
07:41Still, the creative legs of Valley Girls remained in question
07:44in the aftermath of this episode's premiere,
07:47and the CW network ultimately chose not to pick up their option
07:51for Valley Girls as a full series.
07:53Walking in LA?
07:55Wow, sis, I have so much more to teach you.
07:57Come on, it's us.
07:58We traveling.
07:59Style no matter how we travel.
08:00We know how we go to.
08:03Number two, Good.
08:04Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad.
08:07Backdoor pilot for Better Call Saul.
08:09All right, all right.
08:12The way I see it is, somebody's going to prison.
08:20It's just a matter of who.
08:21This one serves as a textbook example of backdoor pilot's success.
08:26Breaking Bad retained a rabid fan following,
08:29thanks to its stellar writing, unique characters, and compelling drama.
08:33The second season episode, Better Call Saul,
08:36popularized Jimmy McGill's Saul Goodman
08:38as a sleazy lawyer acquaintance of Walter White,
08:41but it took until Breaking Bad was off the air
08:44for a full two years for this spinoff to hit the air.
08:47Hey, fellas, we got business.
08:51How did you find us?
08:53I know.
08:55Eerie, right?
08:56The results proved worth the wait, however,
08:58since Better Call Saul proved to be just as popular
09:01with fans of Breaking Bad,
09:03who never forgot their love of the show or its characters.
09:06Mayhew, is that Irish or English?
09:10Irish.
09:11Faith in Begora, a fellow potato eater.
09:14Number two, Bad.
09:15Mr. Quiet.
09:16The Cosby Show.
09:18Backdoor pilot for proposed Tony Orlando spinoff.
09:21You like basketball?
09:23Cards?
09:24Public speaking.
09:28Oh boy.
09:30Well, no charge for that.
09:32The legacy of The Cosby Show may be forever tainted
09:35by the actions of its star,
09:36but its relevance and importance
09:38to the African-American community of its era
09:40meant that a lot of people were paying attention.
09:43Perhaps this was why the series attempted to parlay
09:45the first season episode, Mr. Quiet,
09:48as a new show starring the popular singer Tony Orlando.
09:52You don't even know me.
09:54I love you.
09:56Oh my darling.
09:58The latter portrayed a director for an activity center
10:01that's hosting a lecture by Cliff Huxtable,
10:04a center that would presumably serve
10:05as the home base for its spinoff.
10:07Mr. Quiet was never to be, however,
10:09and the episode quietly slipped into obscurity.
10:12Enrique, come on.
10:15Well, I hope I see you again.
10:18Maybe you will.
10:21Maybe you won't.
10:22Number one.
10:23Good.
10:24Maude.
10:24All in the family.
10:25Backdoor pilot for Maude.
10:27You never said a word about the Bunkers,
10:29and the guest list was made up six weeks ago.
10:31Honey, if I had told you then,
10:33we would have fought for a month and a half.
10:36This way it's only a one-hour brawl and I win.
10:38The best spinoff series often need to rely on a great character.
10:43And Maude Findlay was one for the ages.
10:45She was essentially the polar opposite of Archie Bunker's incorrigible bigot on All in the Family,
10:51a liberal firebrand who could match Archie at every turn.
10:55He always had his big mouth open at them fireside chats.
10:58Those fireside chats kept this country informed.
11:02And one, my friends, from Roosevelt,
11:05was worth a barrel full of, let me make this perfectly clear.
11:08Edith's cousin proved to be so popular
11:11that she received her own titular spinoff,
11:14and it was off to the proverbial races.
11:17Maude was just as controversial and envelope-pushing as its predecessor,
11:22featuring a protagonist who was just as compelling and interesting to follow.
11:26It was a perfect situation where an amazing show
11:29spawned yet another amazing show in its wake.
11:32I would love you no matter who you were.
11:34I love you.
11:37But does that make you happy?
11:39Very happy.
11:43Before we unveil our top pick,
11:45here are a few honorable and dishonorable mentions.
11:48Bad.
11:49Too many to name for Charles in Charge.
11:51If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
11:54There were multiple backdoor pilots,
11:56and they were all about identical twins
11:59from the Charles in Charge TV universe.
12:02Bad.
12:03Witchright Hall.
12:04Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
12:06A proposed spinoff for an occult boarding school.
12:09Typical suburban teenagers living in a typical suburban home.
12:13Not.
12:14Welcome to Witchright Hall,
12:16where rebellious and magically challenged young witches
12:18learn to function in the mortal realm.
12:20Good.
12:21Ice Queen and Meltdown.
12:23Jag.
12:24Ground Zero for NCIS success.
12:27You need to get out more habits.
12:30Is that an invite?
12:31Good.
12:32Three Ghosts.
12:33Arrow.
12:34Arrowverse shenanigans featuring The Flash.
12:37You should know that guy,
12:39he'll be on time.
12:40Good to know.
12:42Oh, hey, and I left something for Oliver.
12:44I hope he likes it.
12:46Bye, Barry.
12:46Before we continue,
12:48be sure to subscribe to our channel
12:49and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
12:52You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
12:56If you're on your phone,
12:58make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
13:00Backdoor pilot for proposed Kelly's kids.
13:10I'm Matt.
13:11I'm Dwayne.
13:12I'm Steve.
13:14We're brothers.
13:15Brothers?
13:16Since five o'clock.
13:18Oh, you must be the Kelly kids.
13:20If the idea worked once, let's do it again.
13:23This was essentially the thought process behind Kelly's kids,
13:27an ill-advised spinoff to the Brady Bunch that featured another blended family.
13:31Ken and Kathy Kelly are introduced as the conveniently new neighbors to the Bradys,
13:36a couple who adopt a young boy named Matt,
13:39as well as his friends from the orphanage.
13:41Most people like to adopt little babies.
13:44It's harder for us big guys.
13:45Yeah.
13:46Well, you're both fine boys.
13:48I'm sure you'll both be adopted very soon by some nice families.
13:51That's right.
13:52The race card is played big in this one,
13:54as the Kellys need to fend off a racist neighbor during their trials as new foster parents.
14:00Meanwhile, the Brady connection is strengthened, a little,
14:03via the presence of Mike Lookin' Land's brother, Todd, as Matt.
14:07But Kelly's kids is so bad it's good TV at best,
14:11and a cringeworthy time capsule at worst.
14:14Oh, they've been absolute angels.
14:16I can hardly wait for Monday when I take those three to school to register them.
14:20What an assortment.
14:21Yeah, the Kelly rainbow.
14:24There's a long and sordid history of these backdoor pilots to be discovered.
14:28Known of any hidden gems or perhaps some shocking examples of how did this get made?
14:32Let us know in the comments.
14:34So, are you with me?
14:37I'm with you, Pop.
14:39That's my boy.
Recommended
15:42
|
Up next
28:56
11:17
13:15
9:47
11:36
15:43
10:27
22:32
12:05
8:43
14:10
11:57
12:57
13:03