10. "Frasier" (Spun off from "Cheers")
Which show is better is debatable, but "Frasier" is worth noting because it is still the shining example of a spin-off done right. It was a brilliantly funny series with its own identity and in its own world, but that was still respectful of its predecessor.
9. "Xena: Warrior Princess" (Spun off from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys")
Already outshining Herc with her distinctive outfit, weaponry and bad-girl notoriety, Xena became a symbol of female empowerment and, later, a lesbian icon, cementing her place in pop culture history.
8. "Daria" (Spun off from "Beavis and Butt-head")
The boneheaded Beavis and Butt-head used to relish teasing their neighbor about her funny name, but she sure showed them by getting her own show with a great cast of supporting characters and not a music video in sight.
7. "Torchwood" (Spun off from "Doctor Who")
We will always love the Doctor, but Captain Jack and his crew have taken this alien-infested world and added a bit of sex appeal, some fabulous new characters and some serious emotional heft.
6. "Private Practice" (Spun off from "Grey's Anatomy")
While "Grey's" always tries to pretend that it is a medical drama with soapy qualities, "Private Practice" just knows its place in the world: it's an over-the-top primetime soap with mostly preposterous plotlines and a good cast.
5. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (Spun off from "Star Trek: The Next Generation")
While holodeck creations ran amuck and characters were turned into children on "TNG," "Deep Space Nine" was a political thriller and a Wild West adventure all at once, with a heavier tone and more complex serialized format.
4. "Angel" (Spun off from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
No, we're not crazy enough to say that "Angel" was better than "Buffy" overall, but Angel's darkest moments during his show's second and third seasons, which included the return of Darla and Wesley's betrayal, were more compelling than the annoying Dawn/Glory and resurrection storylines in the fifth and sixth seasons of "Buffy."
3. "Melrose Place"
(Spun off from "Beverly Hills, 90210")
We're talking about the original Fox versions here. We liked the campy cheese of the high school drama on "90210," but "Melrose Place" far surpassed it in terms of addictive, over-the-top storylines and grown-up soapy appeal.
2. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Spun off from "Law & Order")
"SVU" quickly established itself as something much edgier than its progenitor, focusing only on the cases that shocked us the most: child abuse and sexually based offenses. Plus, the show allowed its detectives to get emotionally involved in all of their cases and created the foundation for one of the great unconsummated relationships on TV.
1. "The Simpsons" (Spun off from "The Tracey Ullman Show")
Tracey Ullman's sketch comedy series was funny, but the best part of it was the short animated segments with that strange yellow family. The Simpsons went on to star in a phenomenon that has lasted for more than two decades, while Ullman's show is a mere TV footnote.
If you did not know the Simpson is the longest running series in the history of TV.
To see more did you know that trivia click here
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