The old adage about going to the well once too often has never been enough to deter those in TV-land. If it worked once before, they figure the cash cow can milked five or six more times (how many stupid CSI spin-offs are there now?).

                        

Despite being based on reasonably popular source material, many of these shows are doomed to fail. Often it’s a case of too much emphasis being put on former supporting characters whose exploits aren’t interesting enough to sustain the average TV-goer’s attention span. (Fun fact: the average couch potato has an attention span of 30 seconds. Yes, I made that up, but I doubt I’m that far off).

However, despite this obvious flaw in logic from television producers, certain spin-offs manage to break the mold and stand on their own as proud time-wasters. And for that, theneilman salutes them.

Oh and one last thing, before anyone brings it up – I didn’t forget to put “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in this blog. It was simply omitted due to it sucking just hard as the original series.

If this bothers you, feel free to speak ill of me at the next Star Trek convention while waiting in line for William Shatner’s autograph.

Onto the list!

5. Frasier (1993 - 2004)

                  
                                                        Spin-off of Cheers

Back when Cheers was in its prime, who would have thought an entire show could be dedicated to Dr. Frasier Crane? Sure, he was a recognizable character, but to say he stole the show would be a damn, dirty lie.

Not only did Frasier prove to be a strong leading character, the show managed to stay on the air for the same length of time Cheers did – 11 seasons. It also allowed for cameos from previous Cheers cast members, many of whom needed the television exposure and paycheque.

Though Frasier was popular right up until the very end, its cancellation was a more of a mercy killing as the show had become too formulaic and predictable for its own good.

4. Angel (1999 - 2004)

                                 
                                        Spin-off of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

For this particular spin-off, I turn the reigns over to Canoe Space’s resident cocktail maseter, IgnatiusReilly.

Angel makes the list for being a spin-off that stays true to its progenitor while evolving into what was probably the best action-fantasy-drama of its time (apologies to Witchblade, The Collector, Tracker, The Immortal and Highlander: The Raven for sucking).

A worthy heir to Highlander, Angel combined vampire myth with a Phillip Marlowe-style noir detective story, while keeping the quirky dialogue and tongue-in-cheek humour that made Buffy the Vampire Slayer popular.

Episodes ranged from light-hearted and zany to dark tales where the heroes were forced to tread deeper into the grey areas between good and evil. Angel, especially toward the end of the series, had some of the best fight scenes on television, with the exception of the series Mutant X.

Humour, action, drama and monsters, what else do you need? The period flashback scenes and special effects added a nice touch to a splendid program that rises above being a nifty time-waster while not taking itself too seriously.

3. Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2000 - 2007)

                  
                                        Spin-off of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio

Back in the ‘60s, Birdman was just another character in the long line of lame Hanna-Barbera morning cartoons. Powered by the sun god Ra, he fought evil-doers the likes of X the Eliminator and Mentok the Mindtaker.

After two years on the air, the show quickly fell into obscurity. That is until the turn of the new millennium when Adult Swim chose to revive the character. However, instead of being a superhero, Harvey Birdman was now a practicing attorney for law firm Sebben & Sebben.

In each of the 15-minute long episodes, Harv would defend other Hanna-Barbera characters that have gotten themselves in trouble with the law.

Not only is it hilarious, but its short length and random nature is tailor-made for the average attention span of today’s youth.

2. The Colbert Report (2005 - )

                  
                                                Spin-off of The Daily Show

It’s hard to deny the impact the Report has had on the world around us.

Here’s a short list of Colbert’s achievements since the show’s inception:

- “I Am America And So Can You” topped the New York Times Best-Seller list
- His portrait of portraits was displayed in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian
- ‘Truthiness’ was chosen Merriam-Webster's 2006 Word of the Year
- Colbert attempted to run for the Democratic nomination
- He was voted the Associated Press’ celebrity of the year
- Won a competition to have a bridge in Hungary named after him. The decision was later overturned and the bridge named “Megyeri Bridge”
- Was awarded the shield of recently deceased superhero Captain America
- Has his own Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavour: Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream
- Made his now famous speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
- San Francisco Zoo named an American Bald Eagle after him

1. The Simpsons (1989 - )

                  
                                        Spin-off of The Tracy Ullman Show

After more than 400 episodes and almost 20 years on air, The Simpsons is easily the most successful sitcom in television history. The quality of the shows varies from season to season, depending on who the writers are, but it remains as popular as ever.

Its roots, however, are far simpler as it started out as an animated short on the Tracy Ullman Show.

The series has since spawned a feature-length film, won 23 Emmy Awards and has also raised the merchandising bar to a level that was once thought to be impossible.

                  
                                                        Homer slippers

                  
A few 7-11 stores were turned into real-life Kwik-E-Marts, complete with Simpsons products for sale, such as Buzz Cola.

                                 
                                                Simpsons Movie Xbox 360

                                 
                                                        Homer USB Hub

Seriously, the only thing missing at this point is a Simpsons brand home pregnancy test.