Did you know that NCIS was derived from another series? That Helene and the boys was the spin-off of another AB sitcom? Or that The Simpsons was originally a humorous lozenge on a variety show?
1. “NCIS: Special Investigations” is a spin-off of “JAG”
We start with an essential series of American television: NCIS: Special Investigations. Launched in September 2003 on the channel CBS, the series is derived from I, which features an American naval pilot attached to the Judge Advocate General following a plane crash.
It was in 1995 that the mother series was born, and in April 2003 (during its season 8) that it introduced the characters of Gibbs, DiNozzo, Abby and Ducky. A few months later, they land their own series, the success of which quickly dethroned that of its predecessor. NCIS is elsewhere available on the American Netflix platform… but not in France.
The “NCIS” series, starring Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette, is a spin-off of “JAG”, starring David James Elliott and Catherine Bell. © CBS
The NCIS: Special Investigations series airs every Friday at 9:05 p.m. on M6.
2. Hélène Rollès from “Hélène et les Garçons” started in “First Kisses”
Before becoming the heroine of her own series AB Productions, actress and singer Hélène Rollès became known in First Kisses. December 23, 1991 TF1 kicks off this sitcom, itself derived from Hi Musculars, recounting the life of a teenage girl named Justine. We follow her to high school with her friends and home with her family, including her older sister Hélène.
Le 11 mai 1992, TF1 airs the first episode of a new series called Helen and the Boys. The plot centers on Hélène, a student at the university of Paris-XIV, and her friends. Very quickly, the soap opera became a social phenomenon, bringing together between 4 and 6 million viewers every day. Helen and the Boys in turn leads to several spin-offs, including The Mysteries of Love which brings together the same actors years later.
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The star couple of “Hélène et les Garçons” is formed by Hélène Rollès and Patrick Puydebat, while Camille Raymond and Fabien Remblier form that of “First Kisses”. © AB Productions
The Hélène et les Garçons series is available in full on the Generations Sitcoms channel on YouTube.
3. “Melrose Place” is a series derived from “Beverly Hills 90210”
And Melrose Place is a cult series from the 90s, thanks to his memorable scenes and its striking plots. The soap opera fully assumed its side soap opera from season 2, becoming a staple of American television. However, originally Melrose Place is derived from the teenage series Beverly Hills 90210. Indeed, to introduce this new show, the writers have set up a brief liaison between high school student Kelly Taylor and Jake Hanson, resident of the Melrose Place building.
Melrose Place was launched in the summer of 1992 on the American channel Fox, two years after the mother series Beverly Hills 90210. It took almost a season, including the arrival of Heather Locklear as Amanda Woodward, for her to find her marks and meet her audience. Supposed to stay two or three episodes, the actress quickly becomes the star of the program.
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The “Melrose Place” series, starring Heather Locklear, Grant Show and Daphne Zuniga, is derived from “Beverly Hills 90210”. © Fox
4. “Family Life” is the spin-off of a series little known in France
Broadcast from 1989 to 1998, Family life is a series that has marked many viewers. She follows the daily life of the Winslow family in Chicago and their neighbor, the clumsy Steve Urkel. This is a spin-off of Larry and Balki, American comedy broadcast from 1986 to 1993, but relatively little publicized in France. This tells the story of Larry Appleton and his cousin / roommate Balki Bartokomous in Chicago.
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The series “Family Life” is a spin-off of “Larry and Balki”. © ABC
5. “West Coast” would not exist without “Dallas”
The 1980s are known as the golden age of prime time soap operas on American television. Dallas, Dynasty or Western coast marked this era. And besides, some even have a link! In addition to being both created by David Jacobs, Dallas and Western coast take place in the same universe. The first was launched in April 1978 while the second started in December 1979.
Western coast tells the story of Gary Ewing, brother of Bobby and JR Ewing (Dallas), who decides to resume living together with his ex-wife Valene after 17 years of separation. They therefore leave far from Dallas, to a residence in Knots Landing in California, where they meet the Fairgates and the Averys. The series really kicks off with the arrival of Abby Fairgate, which is felt on the audiences, in season 2.
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The series “West Coast” is a spin-off of the mythical “Dallas” originally. © CBS
6. “The Simpsons” was originally a comedy segment on a TV show.
It’s one of the most cult series in the history of the small screen, and yet The Simpsons was originally just a humorous lozenge on an American variety show. The Simpson family first appeared on screens on April 19, 1987 in The Tracey Ullman Show in the form of short films.
It was not until 1989 that The Simpsons becomes a full-fledged series, with half-hour episodes. On December 17 of that year, its first episode aired on the American channel Fox. Today, the animated series is preparing to start its seasons 33 and 34.
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The Simpson family made their first screen appearance in 1987, on the American program “The Tracey Ullman Show”. © Fox
Seasons 1-31 of The Simpsons are available on Disney +.
7. “Xena, the warrior” is a spin-off series from “Hercules”
Unbelievable but true: Xena is originally a supporting character in the series Hercule, supposed to die after three episodes. Nevertheless, she appeals to viewers and then landed her own spin-off titled Xena, the warrior. It was in September 1995, eight months after the launch ofHercule, that is broadcast the first episode of this new series which does not take long to dethrone its elder. In 2015, a back from Xena, the warrior is even mentioned in the American press but the project does not succeed.
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The character of “Xena the Warrior”, played by Lucy Lawless, was first introduced in the “Hercules” series. © NBCUniversal Television Distribution
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