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Despite their often disparaged reputation, television spin-off series are not always scoffing and low quality affairs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer birthed a favorite Angel, while with a bumpy first season managed to garner its own gradually; Cheers gave way to Frasier and Happy Days cultivated two great shows Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy. Not to mention some entertainment like Daria are technically spinoffs based off of a spinoffs but are on point.
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That being said, news of a beloved series planning to branch out into a completely different property has me on edge continuously. Hearing news about the prequel series, 'Better Call Saul' centered around Breaking Bad's Saul Goodman before he became Walter Whites' lawyer got me thinking. Sure, I love Saul just as much as anybody but he's not just a supporting character - he's also the "comic relief" on a decidedly serious program. This in turn would indicate that presumably the tone, style and length altogether will be removed from its predecessor. It's a particular transition that actually doesn't seem quite bad when you think about it. But the question is, would you want significant themes incorporated into a spinoff that reflect those of it is original inspiration? Surely some semblance of that are or should be reasons for spinoffs.
One of my favorite feel good sitcoms How I Met Your Mother has now transitioned an official show How I Met Your Dad set to pilot fall of 2014. The first episodes script will be written by Emily Spivey (Up All Night) as well as HIMYM original creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.
How I Met Your Dad will feature an entirely new cast of characters with the mother set to continue the premise of the previous series. Being in the same universe, it's obvious to see a possible crossover as the show hypothetically will follow the same timeline as HIMYM. It's difficult to argue with CBSs choice to greenlight such a project when their most monumental TV show comes to a close. The biggest positive to HIMYM was based incredibly on the castings effortless chemistry, so it still remains to be seen if the comedic stamp can remain and continue to lure fans with new leads. Of course, the creators behind How I Met Your Dad are both talented and so closely related to the original production that a sense of continuity between the two will be guaranteed.
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Buuuzzzttt!!! Wrong, first mistake! It SHOULD be called "How I Met Your Father".
However Neil Patrick Harris and Colbie Smulders are arguably bigger draws than Josh Randor (Ted) himself. This is where I believe the new series will suffer greatly from a lack of Barney Stinson and risk appearing to “chase the dragon” if it tries to recreate him. Considering that CBS is in full meltdown it's not something far off.
I was concerned about the new series, The Originals starring the cynical Klaus from The Vampire Diaries at first - but the man has enough depth of character and charisma to gravitate his own series. While the story is fast, it's balanced and works. The tone has changed yet still feels like the universe is the same, it's dark and mature where TWD is about the coming of age and the goodness in people. However with an immense amount of great actors/actresses moving towards that show it inevitably leaves Vampire Diaries with a popularity drop. How does sacrificing in any way your original show startup make the Vampire Diaries mythos-culture better? There's a jump of unpredictability that can go both ways. It may be great now but can they truly keep the tempo of both shows?
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Keep in mind the confirmations of "Girl Meets World" and a "Walking Dead" addition into the mix - there becomes a blur of when enough is enough and what truly means original narrative.
This is more of a discussional piece above all else. With so many spinoffs heading our way, it's obvious that some are bound to fail. Can spinoffs be considered original concepts now? Is the fact that there are so many spinoffs a good or bad thing?
Assassinita, Mary Ann or simply Nita for short is your average Canadian lady incognito who loves hockey, traveling and a good laugh. With a playful personality and capricious hobbies, it's not hard to keep this one satisfied. But watch out for the blade, the bloodlust can make even the sweetest go mental...