‘Joey,’ ‘The Brady Brides’ and More Short-Lived TV Spinoffs

Credit: Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

‘Joey,’ ‘The Brady Brides’ and More Short-Lived TV Spinoffs

In the decades since the television industry introduced the concept of spinoffs, many successful offshoots have premiered on the small screen, from The Jeffersons to Better Call Saul and beyond. Along the way, though, there have been plenty of duds. Critically acclaimed TV shows such as Friends and The Brady Bunch were widely regarded as groundbreaking entries to the world of pop culture, and yet their short-lived spinoffs left many viewers wondering why the originals were not left alone. Joey, in particular, bombed in comparison to Friends, although Matt LeBlanc managed to land a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role as the dim-witted but lovable Joey Tribbiani during the spinoff’s two-season run. “It didn’t allow Matt to have this carefree kind of lifestyle, and it tried to make Joey grow up — and I think that was a huge mistake,” Kevin S. Bright, who worked on both Friends and Joey, told Digital Spy in 2018. “Joey, in my mind, should have been a kid for life, until he found the right woman that was willing to take care of this kid — and accept him as who he was. I think the transformation of Joey into a guy who doesn’t know how to get a date, who doesn’t have any friends – I think that made the audience go away.” As for the lesser-known Brady Brides — which followed Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb’s respective characters, Marcia Brady and Jan Brady, as newlyweds — the show had better ratings than Joey but only lasted one season. Still, the cast had a ball reprising their Brady Bunch roles as adults. “That was fun,” Ann B. Davis, who played housekeeper Alice Nelson on the ABC sitcom and its many spinoffs, told the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2004. “I was sort of out of the business, and I just came back for the fun parts, which was reunions, getting to know the kids now that the kids are grown up — because they all grew up, on the show and between the shows. It was always interesting to see what they turned out to be.” Scroll down to see more short-lived TV spinoffs!

Credit: Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

‘Joey,’ ‘The Brady Brides’ and More Short-Lived TV Spinoffs

In the decades since the television industry introduced the concept of spinoffs, many successful offshoots have premiered on the small screen, from The Jeffersons to Better Call Saul and beyond. Along the way, though, there have been plenty of duds. Critically acclaimed TV shows such as Friends and The Brady Bunch were widely regarded as groundbreaking entries to the world of pop culture, and yet their short-lived spinoffs left many viewers wondering why the originals were not left alone. Joey, in particular, bombed in comparison to Friends, although Matt LeBlanc managed to land a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role as the dim-witted but lovable Joey Tribbiani during the spinoff’s two-season run. “It didn’t allow Matt to have this carefree kind of lifestyle, and it tried to make Joey grow up — and I think that was a huge mistake,” Kevin S. Bright, who worked on both Friends and Joey, told Digital Spy in 2018. “Joey, in my mind, should have been a kid for life, until he found the right woman that was willing to take care of this kid — and accept him as who he was. I think the transformation of Joey into a guy who doesn’t know how to get a date, who doesn’t have any friends – I think that made the audience go away.” As for the lesser-known Brady Brides — which followed Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb’s respective characters, Marcia Brady and Jan Brady, as newlyweds — the show had better ratings than Joey but only lasted one season. Still, the cast had a ball reprising their Brady Bunch roles as adults. “That was fun,” Ann B. Davis, who played housekeeper Alice Nelson on the ABC sitcom and its many spinoffs, told the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2004. “I was sort of out of the business, and I just came back for the fun parts, which was reunions, getting to know the kids now that the kids are grown up — because they all grew up, on the show and between the shows. It was always interesting to see what they turned out to be.” Scroll down to see more short-lived TV spinoffs!

Credit: Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

‘Joey’

The Friends spinoff starring LeBlanc, Drea de Matteo, Andrea Anders, Paulo Costanzo and Jennifer Coolidge followed the title character after he moved to Hollywood in hopes of finally making it as an actor. Two seasons aired from September 2004 to March 2006 before the show was canceled due to poor ratings.

Credit: YouTube

‘The Brady Brides’

The Brady Bunch spinoff was originally intended to be a TV movie titled The Brady Girls Get Married, but it ultimately ended up becoming a 10-episode series that aired from February to April 1981.

Credit: ABC/RICK ROWELL

‘Bachelor Pad’

The game show featured contestants from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette as they competed for $250,000. It ran for three seasons from August 2010 to September 2012 before being canceled and replaced by Bachelor in Paradise.

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‘Joanie Loves Chachi’

The Happy Days spinoff centered on Erin Moran and Scott Baio’s title characters aired two seasons from March 1982 to May 1983. It initially had high ratings, but they plummeted toward the end. Laverne & Shirley was far more successful.

Credit: YouTube

‘The Golden Palace’

The Golden Girls spinoff, which starred Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty but not Bea Arthur, was not nearly as popular as the original. As a result, CBS canceled it after one season in May 1993.

Credit: Fox

‘American Juniors’

The American Idol spinoff gave children a chance to launch singing careers. It had a number of big-name guest judges — including Gladys Knight, Nick Carter and Dionne Warwick — but paled in comparison to the original competition. Fox canceled the show in August 2003 after one season.

Credit: Nickelodeon

‘The Nick Cannon Show’

The All That spinoff had such low ratings that Nickelodeon canceled it in February 2003 after two seasons and never re-aired an episode. Amanda Bynes’ spinoff, The Amanda Show, was a much bigger hit for the network and led to another spinoff, Drake & Josh.

Credit: YouTube

‘Three’s a Crowd’

The Three’s Company spinoff continued where the original left off, with Jack Tripper (John Ritter) falling for Vicky Bradford (Mary Cadorette). ABC canceled it in April 1985 after one season and instead picked up Diff’rent Strokes from NBC.

Credit: YouTube

‘Young Americans’

The Dawson’s Creek spinoff followed Will Krudski (Rodney Scott), who was introduced in season 3 of the original series. The show was popular with many viewers, but it failed to get high ratings and was canceled in August 2000 after only eight episodes.

Credit: YouTube

‘The Tortellis’

The Cheers spinoff starring Dan Hedaya and Jean Kasem as Nick and Loretta Tortelli, respectively, was canceled by NBC after just 13 episodes. Another Cheers spinoff, Frasier, followed and ran for 11 seasons.

Credit: YouTube

‘Queer Eye for the Straight Girl’

The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy spinoff was a flop for Bravo, which canceled the show in May 2005 after one season.

Credit: YouTube

‘Checking In’

The Jeffersons spinoff only lasted for four episodes, all of which aired in April 1981.

Credit: Disney

‘Cory in the House’

Disney Channel gave Kyle Massey a spinoff of That’s So Raven after Raven-Symoné passed on an offer to have one of her own. It aired for two seasons from January 2007 to September 2008.

Credit: Shutterstock

‘The City’

The Hills spinoff, which focused primarily on Whitney Port, received mixed reviews during its two-season run before being canceled in July 2010.