In case you missed it, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly this week, Breaking Bad creator and showrunner, Vince Gilligan, mentioned that he’d be interested in a television spin off series built around the show’s sleazy lawyer character, Saul Goodman. It’s kind of a perfect idea: Saul Goodman is a fan favorite, but his screen time is minimal enough that we don’t know that much about him. There’s plenty of places to go, and lots of character still yet to explore.
The television spin-off is also a popular idea right now. With everything in theaters being sequelized and rebooted, television is beginning to turn to the same model. They’re remaking The Munsters, bringing back the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, making a television show about Dracula and Hannibal, among many others. Why build a new character when you can take an old popular one and create a new show with a built-in audience? The Office will also be attempting this feat next season with a television spin-off designed around Dwight Shrute’s character.
That obviously got me thinking about other potential television spin-off series of current shows. Here’s ten of them, and not all of them are tongue-in-cheek. Some of these pitches could make for strong spin-offs.
Ned’s Head — An NBC comedy set in the Middle Ages about a Night Watchman who stumbles upon the decapitated head of Ned Stark, only to find out that it has mystical powers. Hijinks ensue. From producer and creator Victor Fresco, the man behind Andy Richter Controls the Universe.
Finding Winona — A Lifetime drama about single mom raising her children away from her estranged husband. She has to resort to robbing banks to support her child. From producer Graham Yost.
Troy and Abed in the Morning — A behind-the-scenes look at a morning show hosted by an autistic man, his best friend, and a monkey. From Dan Harmon for Adult Swim.
Entertainment 720 — A wacky single-camera comedy about two men with an inflated sense of importance attempting to launch an entertainment empire in a small Indiana town. From producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.
Manny is the Worst — A reality show about a precocious 12-year-old who is dropped off in the middle of the Saharan desert and has to navigate his way home with only a compass, a camel, and his fat reserves to live on. From Mark Burnett.
Kentucky Mountain Bible College — An NBC dramedy about a backwoods virgin who returns to his alma mater after seven years in New York City to teach Television Studies and Bible Sexuality. From producers Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels.
Marnie — An HBO soap about a serial monogamist who — after a lifetime of privilege and primness — takes a job as a high-class escort to demonstrate to all of her old friends that she’s not who they think she is. From creator Lena Dunham and Michael Patrick King.
Olson and Harris — A drama set in the late 1960s about two independent women who start their own advertising agency after a lifetime of taking sh– from men. From creator Matthew Weiner.
Rickety Cricket — A zany comedy about a former priest with ringworm who is forced to return to the streets. The show will follow Rickety and his hobo friends as they try to stay alive in the dumpster tenements of Philadelphia. From producers Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney.
Casey Klein — A steamy Showtime drama about a former caterer who gives up her old job to devote herself full-time to pursuing an acting career. To pay the bills, she ends up waitressing at a quirky topless coffee shop in Burbank. Pilot directed by Wes Anderson.
