There are a lot of successful shows that get spinoffs, but, for each Young Sheldon there are shows like these 15 abandoned spinoffs that never got off the ground. For whatever reason, these shows are never going to see the light of day.
The Office’s Dwight Spinoff, ‘The Farm’
The Office was a huge ratings success for NBC, and they were loathe to let it come to an end. One plan to keep the show around even after Steve Carrell left was to give the show’s least likable character, Dwight, a spinoff called The Farm. This never took off and was reconfigured into an episode of The Office in its final season.
Smallville Aquaman Spinoff
Believe it or not, Smallville was a very successful Superman show for several seasons on The CW. Despite its low-key take on the iconic hero, it just worked as a soap opera. At one point, the showrunners considered an Aquaman spinoff using Justin Hartley’s Arthur Curry, even shooting a pilot that never got turned into a full series.
Smallville Justice League Spinoff
Smallville’s sixth season contained a backdoor pilot for a Justice League spinoff. The show would have had Green Arrow, Cyborg, Aquaman, and the Flash teaming up to fight crime. However, the expensive-sounding show never quite got off the ground with the CW, and, like the Aquaman spinoff, it was never meant to be.
‘How I Met Your Dad’
This isn’t How I Met Your Father, the cancelled Hulu series that starred Hillary Duff. No, How I Met Your Dad was a 2014 spinoff that was meant to star Greta Gerwig, complete with voiceover by Meg Ryan. CBS wasn’t interested in the concept, though, so it was canned.
‘Supernatural: Bloodlines’
Incredibly, after nine seasons of Supernatural, The CW expressed interest in there being more of the show on TV. A backdoor pilot for a Chicago-based team of otherworldly factions aired in the ninth season of the Winchesters’ show, but the network ended up passing on the concept since The Originals had just started airing with an identical premise.
iCarly Spinoff About Gibby
The popular Nickelodeon show iCarly was meant to have a spinoff starring fan-favorite character Gibby. The series would have focused on his job at a rec center as a mentor for younger kids. Given how awful Dan Schneider allegedly was on the Nickelodeon backlots, it’s probably for the best this never came to be.
‘Star Wars: Detours’
Robot Chicken creator Seth Green created 39 episodes of a parody animated series called Star Wars: Detours. Detours was meant to continue the humorous take from the Robot Chicken parody episodes, but was shelved indefinitely when Disney bought the rights to the franchise in 2012.
‘Marvel’s Most Wanted’
Bobbi Morse, AKA Mockingbird, was written off of Agents of SHIELD so she could move to a spinoff show titled Marvel’s Most Wanted. However, the pilot of the new show was never aired after ABC decided that one Marvel-themed TV show was plenty for their primetime slot.
Game of Thrones Jon Snow Spinoff
The Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon has been a huge hit with fans and critics alike, so it came as some surprise when news broke that HBO shelved the Jon Snow-centered Snow. This spinoff would have pushed the timeline further forward from the disastrous final season of Thrones, so fans were thrilled to see what it had in store. Here’s hoping they’ll pick the idea back up one day.
‘Flea Bottom’
There was meant to be a spinoff themed around the smallfolk of King’s Landing, based around the slum of Flea Bottom. It’s kind of unsurprising to hear that someone at HBO realized that fans probably wouldn’t care too much about the lives of poor beggars when compared to the epic tales depicted in Game of Thrones.
Scrubs
The ninth season of Scrubs is basically a backdoor spinoff season. The show dropped in quality dramatically this season, as it was obvious the original Scrubs ended in the eighth season. While Season 9 isn’t terrible, it would have fared much better if it has just been its own thing.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Giles Spinoff
Buffy was one of the biggest shows on TV for its seven-season run and it even spawned a successful spinoff (Angel) and numerous tie-in products like comics and games. However, another spinoff was meant to air after the show ended, tentatively called Ripper. It would have focused on Giles and set in London during his youth.
Rose Tyler Spinoff
Popular Doctor Who companion Rose Tyler was played by Billie Piper for the earliest days of the show’s modern continuation. She was so popular, in fact, that the BBC considered giving her a spinoff show after she was written out of Who. That series, Rose Tyler: Earth Defence was nearly produced, but showrunner Russel T. Davies pulled the plug, stating that it would lessen the impact of her character’s final appearance alongside the Doctor.
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Girlfriends
Friends was a huge hit, so it’s not surprising to hear that NBC wanted plenty of spinoffs to capitalize on the show’s popularity. One such show, Joey, ran for only two seasons. Another spinoff was conceived: Girlfriends, which would have followed Phoebe and her new roommate, Charlie. Charlie was set to be played by Aisha Tyler.
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Star Trek: Assignment Earth
Gene Roddenberry tried to get Assignment: Earth made on its own, but was unable to convince the network to greenlight it. So, he made the pilot into the two-part finale for Star Trek’s second season. Still, fans and critics didn’t care much for Gary Seven and his pals, so the concept never developed into a spinoff.
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