Seinfeld will continue beyond next season and spawn spin-offs featuring Kramer and/or Elaine.
Fans discuss potential spin-offs from Seinfeld, debating whether they could happen while the show is still running and which characters might carry their own series.
Since Jerry recently indicated that he might continue the show beyond next season, how soon could they start a spin-off? Don't most spin-offs begin AFTER the original show has ended? Are there any exceptions? I would guess minor characters could start a new show and just make occasional appearances on the original. So, does this mean that the main characters cannot count on a spin-off any time soon? I really was expecting a new Kramer and/or Elaine vehicle.
Now P.S. Now that Heidi's character is expired, will she be making a made-for- television version of "Rochelle, Rochelle"?
Last month the Hollywood Reporter mentioned that NBC was in negotiations with Michael Richards to do a Kramer Spin-off. Nothing was firm, but they were talking. Possible hang-up was allowing enough time for Richards to do Film and other TV work.
They're Kramer and Newman... Kramer and Newman... One has werid hair, the other is a fatman.. To prove how dumb they are... They will trade icecream for a car.. They're Karamer and Newman.man...man..man..WHA??
You might have to define what you think a spin-off is. I can only think of three from Happy Days.
Laverne and Shirley
Mork and Mindy
Joanie Loves Chachi
Technically, a spin-off is when the 'characters', not just the 'actors', from one show get their own show. I don't remember the Love American Style episode that would have been a spin-off for Happy Days. I just thought HD was a response to the popularity of the movie, American Grafitti. Even though both starred Ron Howard, he didn't play Ritchie Cunningham in the movie so it wouldn't be a spin-off.
I'm assuming the actor's contracts are with NBC and don't specify a particular show so NBC could put any of them in a new series if they wanted to. As long as Seinfeld is popular I doubt they'll break up the cast.
Quite the contrary. Most spin-offs are created from shows still in production and usually involve minor characters from the original show.
That's my guess. Any of them could go on to do something else if their contracts are up, but they wouldn't be the same character since NBC holds the rights to the Seinfeld characters.
I think that spinoffs would be successful only if the casting is very carefully done. Kramer is hilarious; but he needs friends to complement/ neutralize that eccentricity. Elaine is the person most likely to blend in with the real world. George needs friends who will alternately encourage and discourage his delinquent acts.
In fact, many spin-offs occur while the mother show is alive and kicking:
The "Ropers" spun-off during the reign of "Three's Company" The "Jeffersons" and "Maude" spun-off of "All in the Family" ("Maude" just one season after its mother show's inception). "Good Times" spun-off of "Maude" while the latter was alive. "Trapper John, M.D.", a spin-off of sorts, ran while "M*A*S*H" was still king. "Mary Tyler Moore" gave "Rhoda" and "Phyllis" life while still in its prime run.
And let's not forget, no matter how hard we may try to, that Mrs. Garrett only served one season in the Drummond household of "Diff'rent Strokes" before starring in "Facts of Life".
More recently, "Melrose Place" spun off of "90210" and then itself gave birth to the ill-fated "Models, Inc."
That's the case with most, if not all, of the above-mentioned series.
Wouldn't count on seeing them by themselves anytime soon. They usually save main character spin-offs for after the show's demise. Often with, uh, less-than-inspired results: "AfterM*A*S*H" "Three's A Crowd" "Archie Bunker's Place"
But the ocaisional first-rater: "Lou Grant" "Frasier"
As always, ymmv, -n --- "In the old days we had respect for some." - G. Howe on an ESPN SportsCenter commercial
They couldn't do the show in New York unless some of the cast members left. Because if they were in New York, they would all be together and it would still be "Seinfeld".
By the way- did "Happy Days" really have 9 spin-offs? What were they? I can only remember "Laverne and Shirley", and "Joanie Loves Chachie".
"Laverne & Shirley" and "Mork & Mindy" from "Happy Days" "Phyllis" and "Rhoda" from "The Mary Taylor Moore Show" "Maude" and "The Jeffersons" from "All In The Family" "Good Times" from "Maude" (actually I'm not sure if they coincided) "A Different World" from "The Cosby Show"
And a few more that died a quick death: Jackee had a show spun off of "227" "The Colby's" from "Dynasty" Florence, the maid from "The Jeffersons" had a spinoff that failed.
Again, both Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy were spinoffs of Happy Days and were on the air at the same time (if I remember correctly, they were all on in a row on Tuesday nights: first HD, then L & S, and M & M at 9 pm). The last HD spinoff, Joanie Loves Chachi, may not have started until after the show was over.
Beth
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Beth K. Tobey State University of New York
Senior Counselor College at Geneseo