Failures to Launch in Streaming Era Spin-Offs

Netflix keeps chasing that franchise magic, but honestly, I can’t remember the last time I made it past episode three of any of their spin-offs. The titles all blur together unless you’re tracking them in a spreadsheet. And don’t even get me started on the menu—one wrong click and you’re stuck with another show you’ll regret.

Netflix’s Attempts at Franchise Spin-Offs

I go looking for my comfort shows and suddenly “The Witcher: Blood Origin” jumps out at me. Metacritic gave it a 45. Even the most die-hard Henry Cavill fans bailed. Looks expensive—so much leather, so many sparkly effects—but none of that covers up the limp writing, and the forums went full meltdown.

Netflix keeps pumping out stuff like “Fuller House” or “That ’90s Show.” Whole seasons just dumped onto the platform, like, “Here, you wanted this, right?” A 2023 BuzzFeed list basically shamed everyone who only watched for nostalgia, not because the stories were actually good. I’m convinced studio execs just pick their favorite side characters and hope for the best. Does anyone actually rewatch these? Or do they just haunt the “recommended” row forever? Nicole Drum (she knows her TV history) said even loyal fans “didn’t feel like there was any reason to come back” after episode one. Can’t argue with that.

The Big Bang Theory Universe and Mixed Reception

Anyone else remember slogging through the last season of The Big Bang Theory, wondering if Leonard had vanished into a parallel universe? Sure, the finale pulled in 18 million viewers (Nielsen said so), but my cousin’s convinced the show peaked the second Amy got her tiara. I tried rewatching on my phone, lost Wi-Fi three scenes into a “fun with flags” segment, and honestly, I didn’t bother reconnecting.

Then there’s Young Sheldon. Depending on which trivia nerd you ask, it’s either adorable or total nap material. IMDb says 7.6/10, but my physics professor quit halfway through season three and switched to old British game shows. Fun fact: Iain Armitage got cast at nine, but my neighbor thinks Annie Potts’s purses are the real stars. I mean, can you name a single plot line? Didn’t think so.

Here’s a stats table because why not—total chaos, just like Raj’s love life:

*This one’s still stuck in development hell as of June 2025, and rumors swirl, but my friend swears it’s a reboot (it’s not—Stuart’s surrounded by Funko Pops, not time machines).

Seriously, has anyone ever met a real person who prefers the spinoffs over the original? If so, let me know—I’ll mail you my Season 4 box set, elevators and all, because I’m out of shelf space and the debate never ends.

The Jeffersons and Shifting Audience Tastes

So, the cable box froze again during The Jeffersons—not the first time, not the last, and honestly, that’s kind of how the show itself feels: stuck in some weird time loop. I mean, when it spun off from All in the Family, everyone was busy arguing about the new kitchen set, not the big social themes. Norman Lear, I guess, pitched the network on the idea that people were dying for more talk about race, class, and, uh, dry cleaning? (He brags about it in his memoir, Even This I Get to Experience, which I skimmed at a dentist’s office once. Not my proudest moment.)

People—okay, my friends, or at least the same handful who show up for every backyard BBQ—swear they remember George Jefferson giving some calm speech about class mobility. Really? Did anyone actually want a spinoff about “urban lifestyle upgrades,” or were we just tired of disco pants? I think there’s a poll in Variety from the ‘70s (don’t ask me to find it) that said like 37% of people liked sitcom spinoffs. But today? Ask a random millennial if they’d stream The Jeffersons unless their internet’s out. Good luck.

Everyone’s glued to their phones, the landline’s just a paperweight, and The Jeffersons still pops up on every other channel like we’re in some polyester-suited TV exec’s fever dream from 1978. Sure, sitcoms about entrepreneurship and moving up in the world—classic. But, uh, where are the actual laughs? I’ve wasted hours digging through old TV schedules and, yeah, once stuck “Movin’ On Up” lyrics on my fridge. Still, every time someone brings up “representation” in those days, it somehow turns into a debate about George’s suits.