Summary
There are a lot of new movie and TV show spinoffs these days, but some TV spinoffs still never make it to air. While the movie industry is busy with manyunwanted upcoming sequels and remakes, TV executives are turning through a roster of ideas for new shows, and have been for years.TV is arguably the better format for trying out new ideas,as networks and streaming services can produce a pilot before financially committing to an entire series.
This is how there are many existingTV shows that never aired.In some (many) cases with a proposed spinoff show, the footage from an unaired pilot will be used in the main show,in the form of a flashback or episode set somewhere different from the usual location. However, fans are often still curious aboutfailed TV pilots from popular franchises, eager to see what the spinoff might have been like and how it would have expanded the existing story.
5 Worst TV Finales That Ruined The Entire Show In Retrospect
Sometimes, a TV show’s finale can be so disappointing that it ultimately ruins and undermines the entire show when viewed retrospectively.
10Bloodmoon
Game Of Thrones Spinoff
Bloodmoonwas expected to be the firstGame of Thronesspinoff,attracting a lot of attention with its cast including Naomi Watts, Naomi Ackie, Jamie Campbell Bower, Toby Regbo, Georgie Henley, Denise Gough, Miranda Richardson, and other notable names.Bloodmoonwas supposed to be about the origins of the White Walkers, set thousands of years before the events ofGame of Thrones. ThiscanceledGame of Thronesspinoff could have fixedsome of the franchise’s biggest flaws because of its setting.
This canceled Game of Thrones spinoff could have fixed some of the franchise’s biggest flaws because of its setting.
In addition to answering a lot of questions about the Night King and making up for Daenerys' botched arc,Bloodmoonwould have done a great service toGame of Thronesby showing a little-discussed period in Westerosi history.The setting predates Aegon’s conquest and the establishment would have made the world even deeper by acknowledging Westerosi history that doesn’t have to do with the Targaryen dynasty. Sadly, it was decided that the pilot wasn’t good enough, and the show was canceled.
Game Of Thrones
Based on George R. R. Martin’s ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.
9Billie Jenkins Series
Charmed Spinoff
Kaley Cuoco joined the cast ofCharmedas a regular in its eighth and final season, and there was a reason for this strange timing. Showrunner Brad Kern toldTV Line:
“[Cuoco was hired] to lighten the load, screen-time wise, of Alyssa, Holly and Rose. [They] needed to give someone else some of the work; [the] stars were dog tired after seven years. Just as Rose was brought in after Prue died to infuse fresh energy, Kaley’s character was supposed to try to bring new blood to an aging show.”
This statement says a lot about the state ofCharmedwhen Cuoco came on board, setting an impossible standard for her character.Billie proved to be a divisive character forCharmed,making her proposed solo spinoff an even more interesting matter.
The mixed reception to Cuoco’s character is the biggest contributor to Billie’s spinoff being abandoned. Virtually nothing is known about this idea other than it would have followed Billie, presumably after the events ofCharmedseason 8. In theory, it made sense, asCharmedwas forced to introduce Billie for logistical reasons, and she didn’t have as much time for a complex character arc as the others.However, not many people are that disappointed; they would have rather seen theCharmedspinoff about the Halliwell brothers, Piper’s sons.
Charmed
Charmed is a television series centered on three sisters—Prue, Piper, and Phoebe—who discover their powers as the Charmed Ones, destined to fight evil forces. Set in modern-day San Francisco, the series explores their evolving magical abilities while they juggle personal lives and combat demons and warlocks.
8Green Arrow And The Canaries
Arrow Spinoff
Season 8, episode 9, “Green Arrow & the Canaries” serves as a backdoor pilot for the proposedArrowspinoff,Green Arrow and the Canaries. This is how many canceled TV show spinoffs began and met their end, as a one-off pilot contained within the original show. As the title suggests,this spinoff would have followed the all-female vigilante team seen inArrow,comprising Mia Queen/Green Arrow, Laurel Lance/Black Canary, and Dinah Drake/Black Canary.
Some questions about members of this group, as well as other characters in the Arrowverse, were left unanswered because of the plans for this show. However, with no news on the spinoff for some time afterArrowended, those who hopedGreen Arrow and the Canarieswould amount to an amazing continuation became skeptical.The official cancellation announcement ofGreen Arrow and the Canariescame in 2021,citing the pandemic as the main cause and suggesting that the people involved wanted to make the show (viaEW).
Arrow
Arrow is a television series that debuted in 2012, featuring Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, a billionaire playboy who returns to Starling City after being stranded for five years. Transformed by his experience, Queen becomes a vigilante archer, aiming to purge his city of crime and corruption.
7Girlfriends
Friends Spinoff
Most would agree thatFriendsfinally came to an end when it needed to before the show went too far past its heyday. However, a couple of spinoff ideas that arose immediately afterward suggest that not all the six main cast members were committed to pursuing other projects. In 2003,there were briefly rumors of a Phoebe-led spinoff calledGirlfriends, starring Lisa Kudrowalongside formerFriendsguest star Aisha Tyler (viacontactmusic.com). Not much else was ever said about this idea.
Rumors about a Phoebe-centricFriendsspinoff came back around in 2017, which were promptly debunked by Kudrow (viaDigital Spy). More than likely, any and all plans forFriendsspinoffs were scrapped followingJoey’s failed spinoff right afterFriends. As beloved as the characters are,this one instance proved that the magic ofFriendsis best left as it is,leaving certain parts of Joey and Phoebe’s stories a mystery.
Friends
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
6Aquaman
Smallville Spinoff
Alan Ritchson plays Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman in an episode of the iconic Superman seriesSmallville,prompting the development of anAquamanspinoff. This series is the furthest aSmallvillespinoff ever got to becoming its own show, but was also canceled after the pilot. First,Ritchson was recast for theAquamanspinoffbecause the UPN executives did not believe he was famous enough to lead a TV show; he was replaced by Justin Hartley for the pilot that was filmed.
AfterAquamanwasn’t picked up as a series, Hartley was recast as Oliver Queen a.k.a. Green Arrow forSmallville, a character who was also considered for a spinoff.Smallvillemight have managed a successful spinoff if they had just let Ritchson lead theAquamanshowwhen his performance as the character triggered its development in the first place. Instead, UPN was too committed to the idea of working with Hartley.
Smallville
Smallville chronicles the journey of Clark Kent, portraying his origins from Krypton to his teenage years on Earth. The series explores his challenges and development leading towards his destiny as the iconic hero, Superman, set against the backdrop of Smallville, Kansas.
10 Dark Superhero Shows Like Netflix’s Supacell
Supacell was a great new addition to a growing list of dark, gritty superhero shows, from Amazon’s The Boys and Invinicble to the MCU’s Daredevil.
5How I Met Your Dad
How I Met Your Mother Spinoff
How I Met Your Motherdid eventually get its short-lived, gender-swapped spinoff with Hilary Duff as the main character, recounting the story of how she met her son’s father. However,How I Met Your Fatherhappened years after the originalHow I Met Your Dad,starring none other than Greta Gerwig as"Sally.“Gerwig contributed to the writing of the failed pilot herself, which was completed sometime near the end ofHow I Met Your Mother. The series was canceled after this pilot was poorly received.
At this time,Gerwig had already helped write and starred in her partner Noah Baumbach’sFrances Habut had yet to see her directorial career take off withLady Bird. The idea of Gerwig imbuing aHow I Met Your Mother-type story with her own brand of creativity is a promising one. However, it is probably for the best that this show wasn’t picked up, as it might have distracted Gerwig from making her masterpiece movies.
4Marvel’s Most Wanted
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Spinoff
Ex-spousesAgent Bobbi Morse and Agent Lance Hunter are popular characters who joined the cast ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.in season 2.The characters departed the show in season 3 after S.H.I.E.L.D. as an organization is forced to disavow them and the two go on the run. This naturally gives rise to the title of the duo’s planned spinoff,Marvel’s Most Wanted. A pilot was shot for this series, but it was canceled soon after. Adrianne Palicki, who plays Bobbi, said (viaDen of Geek) that the pilot was"really good"and wished the series had happened:
“I just think that at the time, [ABC] didn’t want to bring any more Marvel shows on that network. So it’s too bad because I think it would have really done well.”
The short-lived seriesAgent Carterwas also on ABC at the time, whileAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to last for seven seasons, despite its continuity errors in the context of the rest of the MCU. Ironically,Marvel’s Most Wantedmight have gotten at least one season if it andAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.had been Disney+ shows,which seems to be more open to giving every MCU property a chance.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a television series that follows Agent Phil Coulson as he assembles a team within the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division to investigate mysterious phenomena, safeguarding the world from extraordinary threats. Debuting in 2013, the series expands on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s exploration of covert operations.
3Windward Circle
Gilmore Girls Spinoff
There aretwo plannedGilmore Girlsthat never happened: one about Rory after the end of the main series (notGilmore Girls: A Year in the Life), and one about her ex-boyfriend Jess, titledWindward Circle. After the backdoor pilot of season 3, episode 21, “Here Comes the Son,” showing Jess visiting his dad in California,Windward Circlewould have followed him after moving to California.This show about Jess and his relationship with his dad would have set up a nice parallel to Rory and Lorelai.
Jess continued to make occasional appearances in Gilmore Girls, eventually smoothing out his post-romance relationship with Rory and remaining friends.
However, everyone quickly figured out how expensive it would be to film a series in Venice Beach, andWindward Circlewas abandoned. Jess continued to make occasional appearances inGilmore Girls, eventually smoothing out his post-romance relationship with Rory and remaining friends. Strangely, some footage from the canceled show’s pilot recently went viral on TikTok (viaBustle).
Gilmore Girls
In the fictional town of Star’s Hollow, single mother Lorelai Gilmore raises her high-achieving teenage daughter Rory. Mother and daughter rely on each other throughout their own life changes, romantic entanglements, and friendships.
2Valley Girls
Gossip Girl Spinoff
Gossip Girl’s prequel spinoff was also canceledafter the pilot, which would have been titledValley Girlsand followed Serena’s mom Lily as a teenager. The backdoor pilot aired asGossip Girlseason 2, episode 24, “Valley Girls.“Despite featuring Britanny Snow as a young Lily and Krysten Ritter as her older sister Carol, the pilot got poor ratingsand did not become a series. Dawn Ostroff, the former president of entertainment at the CW, believed that the show might have happened if it had gotten a proper pilot.
This prequel might have been welcome as it would have shown a new side to Lily, focusing on her time as a groupie and the aftermath of her parents' divorce. It also would have been an interesting exploration of the sisters' relationship and how they both rebelled against their parents. At least an original prequel series would have been preferable to another underwhelming reboot, which didn’t last past season 2.
Gossip Girl
Set in New York, 2021’s Gossip Girl chronicles the lives of a new generation of private school teenagers who navigate social dynamics and scandals. Through the pervasive influence of social media, their secrets are exposed, while the anonymous titular blogger reveals the complexities of their intertwined relationships.
10 TV Spinoffs Better Than The Original, Ranked
Over the past decades, some great original shows have spawned TV spinoffs that have ended up surpassing the success of their source material.
1The Farm
The Office Spinoff
The Farmis the most famous spinoff ofThe Officethat never came to fruitionbut lives on as a one-off episode for the main show. After its backdoor pilot of season 9, episode 17, “The Farm,” this spinoff would have been about Dwight Schrute and his family running their beet farm after the conclusion of the office. However, the backdoor pilot did not achieve good enough ratings for the series to take off, symptomatic ofThe Officehaving been in decline for a while.
The Farm also would have upheld the mockumentary format of its predecessor,which had possibly lost some of its novelty by 2013.Modern Familywas around the midway point of the series, whileThe Officewas heading towards its serviceable end. However, with most popular franchises likeThe Office, there is likely someone out there who would have been delighted to see more material set in the same world.
The Office
This mockumentary comedy series observes the mundane and humorous daily lives of employees at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It offers insights into office dynamics, personalities, and the eccentric behavior of both management and staff, depicting an ordinary workplace with extraordinary characters.
