Most supporting characters stay in the background and never get a show of their own. A few break out so strongly that a network builds a whole series around them. Some of those series ended up outliving the shows that created them.
The ten characters below span about six decades of television, from the 1960s to the 2020s. Each one started as a guest or a side player and then moved to the center of a new series.
Frasier Crane, From Cheers to Frasier
Dr. Frasier Crane first turned up in Cheers in 1984 as a psychiatrist who briefly dated Diane Chambers. He stayed as a regular at the bar for years, played throughout by Kelsey Grammer. When Cheers ended in 1993, he got a new series almost at once.
Frasier premiered the same year and moved him to Seattle as a radio host. It ran for eleven seasons, ending in 2004, and it became one of the most decorated sitcoms in American television history. A revival with Grammer returned on Paramount+ in 2023 and ran for two seasons.
Rhoda Morgenstern, From Mary Tyler Moore to Rhoda
Rhoda Morgenstern was Mary Richards’ wisecracking neighbor and best friend on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Valerie Harper played her, and audiences clearly liked her. In 1974 she moved back to New York in a spin-off simply titled Rhoda.
The show ran until 1978. Its early episodes included Rhoda’s wedding, which drew a very large audience for the time. Harper won an Emmy for playing the character, so the move to her own series paid off for her personally as well.
Gomer Pyle, From Mayberry to the Marines
Gomer Pyle was a gas station attendant in Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show. Jim Nabors played him as a sweet, naive man with a memorable way of saying “Shazam.” He debuted in 1962 and quickly became a fan favorite.
In 1964 he got Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., in which the character joins the Marine Corps. The series ran until 1969 and was a ratings success. It also moved him out of small town Mayberry and into a military comedy setting.
Mork From Ork, From Happy Days to Mork and Mindy
Mork was an alien who appeared in a single Happy Days episode in 1978. Robin Williams played him, and the episode went over so well that a spin-off followed within months. Mork and Mindy moved the character to Boulder, Colorado.
It ran from 1978 to 1982 and made Williams a household name. His improvised, fast-moving comedy suited the part well. The show also helped launch his later film career.
George Jefferson, From All in the Family to The Jeffersons
George and Louise Jefferson were the Bunkers’ neighbors in Queens on All in the Family. George, played by Sherman Hemsley, argued constantly with Archie Bunker. His business success led to a new premise.
The Jeffersons arrived in 1975 and followed the family as they moved to a luxury apartment in Manhattan. It lasted eleven seasons and ended in 1985. That made it one of the longest running sitcoms with a predominantly Black cast of its era.
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Joey Tribbiani, From Friends to Joey
Joey Tribbiani was the lovable, not very bright actor among the six friends on Friends. Matt LeBlanc played him for ten seasons. When Friends ended in 2004, NBC kept him in the spotlight.
Joey followed him to Los Angeles as he tried to build his acting career. It ran for two seasons, ending in 2006. It is often cited as an example of how hard it is for a spin-off to match its parent show’s success.
Saul Goodman, From Breaking Bad to Better Call Saul
Saul Goodman, the flashy lawyer played by Bob Odenkirk, first appeared in the second season of Breaking Bad in 2009. He was meant to be a minor, comic presence. Viewers and the writers soon wanted more.
Better Call Saul premiered on AMC in 2015 as a prequel showing his earlier life as Jimmy McGill. It ran six seasons and ended in 2022. Many critics consider it as good as, or even better than, the show that spawned it.
Angel, From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Angel
Angel was the brooding vampire with a soul who became Buffy Summers’ love interest in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. David Boreanaz played him from the first season. By 1999 the writers wanted to explore him separately.
The spin-off, simply called Angel, moved him to Los Angeles to work as a private investigator. It ran for five seasons and ended in 2004. It also stands out because it left its parent show’s small town setting behind for a darker, more urban tone.
Daria Morgendorffer, From Beavis and Butt-Head to Daria
Daria Morgendorffer was a sarcastic, deadpan classmate who appeared in the MTV cartoon Beavis and Butt-Head. Unlike the title characters, she was clearly smarter than everyone around her. That made her a natural fit for a show of her own.
Daria premiered on MTV in 1997 and followed her through high school in the fictional town of Lawndale. It ran five seasons, ending in 2002, and was followed by a TV movie called Is It College Yet?. Many viewers now remember it as the more lasting series of the two.
Sheldon Cooper, From The Big Bang Theory to Young Sheldon
Sheldon Cooper was the central genius of The Big Bang Theory, played by Jim Parsons across twelve seasons. The show ended in 2019, but his story did not. In 2017, CBS had already started a prequel about his childhood.
Young Sheldon starred Iain Armitage as the character growing up in Texas, with Parsons narrating. It ran seven seasons and ended in 2024. A further spin-off, Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, premiered in the fall of 2024 and continued that family’s story.
Spin-Offs That Keep Coming
Television has kept returning to the spin-off formula since the 1960s, and it still does. The Frasier revival, Young Sheldon and Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage all reached screens within the last few years. Each followed the same pattern of a supporting character, or a familiar world, getting a second chance.
The results vary. Frasier, The Jeffersons and Better Call Saul became classics in their own right, while Joey fell short of Friends. What separates them is usually a character with enough depth to carry a whole series.
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