Over 500 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Modern TV Spinoffs That Are Better Than The Originals
Voting Rules
Vote up the current spinoff shows that outdid their massively successful predecessors.
It's been said that an original is always worth more than a copy. However, in the world of TV, spinoffs, sequels, and prequels are the bread and butter of what keep networks and streaming platforms afloat. Once audiences are attached to worlds and characters, it's easier to sell them on the idea of more, even if the quality doesn't match the standards of the original.
Now, here's a hot take: What if the spinoffs are better than the originals? Of course, this isn't the case for every single show, but when you consider what's currently on TV, a few compelling cases can be made about the likes of House of the Dragon and Better Call Saul being stronger efforts than Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, respectively.
Sleeper hit doesn't even begin to describe how big Yellowstone is. No one could have predicted a story about a ranch and all the sociopolitical intricacies surrounding it to be this engaging. In fact, the Dutton family might be the new Ewings of television, and the audience can't get enough of them.
Fortunately, there's 1883 to fill that gap. As a prequel to Yellowstone, it uncovers how the Dutton family flees Texas and come to own their land that eventually becomes their ranch. James Croot of Stuff argued it might be the superior show in the Yellowstone universe, writing: "Shorn of Yellowstone’s modern-day mores and unavoidable comparisons to Dallas, 1883 actually might just emerge as the stronger show."
Across seven seasons, The Good Wife follows a state attorney's wife bouncing back from her husband's scandals and getting back into law. While it might not sound like the most novel idea in the world, the show's execution is near flawless, with Rolling Stone dubbing it “network TV's last great drama.”
The Good Fight is a follow-up centered on Diane Lockhart, a supporting and popular character from the original show who moves to a new firm after losing her employment and savings because of a family scandal. On paper, it might sound like the writer copied the other's homework here, but that isn't the case: The Good Fight expands its predecessor's storytelling breadth and tackles topics head on rather than scratching at their door. Critics and fans can't get enough of Christine Baranski's intelligent portrayal of Diane, with many believing it was her character that kept The Good Wife relevant for so long.
The Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Breaking Bad tells the Shakespearean fall of Walter White, an inconspicuous high school chemistry teacher turned drug lord who leaves a trail of carnage in his wake. Its spinoff, Better Call Saul, is all about Walt's fast-talking and slippery lawyer, Saul Goodman, and explores his past as Jimmy McGill and future after he decides to become the cartel's go-to legal eagle.
However, Better Call Saul uses Jimmy as a vessel to dive further into the crevices of unresolved plotlines from Breaking Bad. Some of the peripheral characters of the main series receive more screen time and development in the spinoff, as it becomes a compelling character study about how split decisions set off a wild chain of events.
Breaking Bad is excellent, sitting with a 96% critical approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, but Better Call Saul edges it with 98%, about as close to perfection as possible.
Bosch turns police procedurals on its head by introducing one of the coolest and grumpiest protagonists around: Detective Harry Bosch. The seven seasons of the show are simply juicy, and the audiences can't get enough of Titus Welliver's outstanding portrayal of Bosch and the web of intrigue surrounding his character.
Funny enough, Bosch: Legacy is billed as a spinoff of the main series, but it's merely a continuation of where the previous story left off. Regardless of the marketing speak, there's no denying Bosch: Legacy ups the ante for the detective, delivering a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season.
There's no disputing Game of Thrones changed the landscape of television. The epic fantasy shocks and awes in equal measure as the fight for Westeros becomes a twisted political affair filled with dragons, nightwalkers, and feuding houses. However, the last season of the show still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of fans, as many felt it was rushed and failed to hit the highs of the seasons before.
The prequel series, House of the Dragon, appears to have learned from previous mistakes. By pumping the brakes on the narrative and not rushing to get too far ahead, this tale about the Targaryen dynasty lets the broodiness simmer and boil before pulling the trigger on the all-out action. According to CBR's Anita Stewart, House of the Dragon already uses dragons far better than Game of Thrones ever did. More important, the show seems to have won back fans who gave up on this fantasy world after the disappointing final season of GoT.
There's an argument to be made that Law & Order is the archetype for all procedural TV shows. How many other shows have run for 21 seasons, featured a rotating cast, and brought in the ratings to make other networks green with envy? Not only is the original series a hallmark of network television, but it also spawned seven spinoff shows.
Law & Order: Organized Crime is technically a spinoff of a spinoff - specifically Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Christopher Meloni reprises his role as the popular Elliot Stabler; however, this isn't the procedural format fans have come to expect. Instead, Organized Crime focuses on more serialized and single-arc storytelling. In the end, it helps to rejuvenate this franchise that has felt like the same flavor of vanilla for decades now.
