Buzz
Every so often, while watching a new episode of your beloved TV show, you might notice a lack of familiar faces. Instead, the spotlight shifts to a group of newcomers, loosely tied to the main cast, if at all. These fresh characters navigate their own lives, relationships, and challenges in an entirely new setting, making it feel like a completely different show—because, in essence, it is. Or at least, that’s the intention.
Sometimes, TV networks discreetly embed a pilot episode within a popular series, using its established audience to test a potential spin-off. These attempts, known as 'backdoor pilots,' occasionally succeed, leading to full-fledged series like Mork & Mindy (which debuted in a Season 5 episode of Happy Days) and Maude (introduced in a Season 2 episode of All in the Family). However, many fail to take off, leaving behind only odd and out-of-place episodes within their parent series. Here are some backdoor pilots that unfortunately fell into the latter category.
1. THE BRADY BUNCH AND KELLY’S KIDS
A beloved case often cited by TV historians occurred in Season 5 of the iconic sitcom The Brady Bunch. Sherwood Schwartz, the prolific producer behind the blended family classic and Gilligan’s Island, aimed to create a series highlighting racial diversity. To this end, he introduced Ken and Kathy Kelly, a white American couple who had recently adopted three boys: one white, one Black, and one Asian American. Despite Schwartz’s significant influence in the television industry, the “Kelly’s Kids” episode failed to launch its own series.
2. THE NANNY AND THE CHATTERBOX
In its second season, The Nanny ventured into far more questionable territory by shifting focus almost entirely away from the Sheffield family. Instead, the episode centered on the eccentric employees of a local beauty salon named the Chatterbox, which also served as the episode’s title. The setup mirrored The Nanny’s formula, teasing a romantic connection between a meddlesome female protagonist and her rigid, single-father boss.
3. GILMORE GIRLS AND WINDWARD CIRCLE
Amid Rory Gilmore’s most polarizing relationship, Gilmore Girls briefly departed from Stars Hollow, Connecticut, to explore a Southern California setting reminiscent of William Asher’s Beach Party films. The Season 3 episode “Here Comes the Son” reunited Jess Mariano with his absentee father and free-spirited stepmother in a concept called Windward Circle. The WB envisioned it as a modern family dramedy akin to Gilmore Girls, but Jess’s unpopularity among fans ensured the spin-off never materialized.
4. SMALLVILLE AND MERCY REEF
Not long after, The WB attempted a similar strategy with Smallville, featuring DC Comics’ iconic Aquaman in the Season 5 episode titled “Aqua.” The episode aimed to generate buzz for the character, though the network later recast Aquaman, swapping Alan Ritchson for Justin Hartley, during the development of the intended series Mercy Reef. Ultimately, the show never materialized, prompting Smallville to bring back Ritchson’s Aquaman in subsequent seasons.
5. THE INCREDIBLE HULK AND TWO MARVEL COMICS SUPERHEROES SHOWS
Smallville wasn’t the first superhero series to explore spin-offs inspired by its comic book roots. The Marvel-based show The Incredible Hulk, featuring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, introduced Thor and Daredevil in its late ’80s TV movies The Incredible Hulk Returns and The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. While neither character secured their own series at the time, both eventually received their due in later adaptations.
6. GOSSIP GIRL AND VALLEY GIRLS
In the latter part of its second season, Gossip Girl took a nostalgic trip to the 1980s, presenting a standalone story about a young Lily (portrayed by Brittany Snow in flashbacks) and her escapades in Los Angeles alongside her sister, played by Krysten Ritter. Despite the episode’s generally favorable reception, The CW decided against moving forward with Valley Girls as a standalone series—even after earlier announcements suggested otherwise before the episode aired.
7. THE OFFICE AND THE FARM
With The Office nearing its series finale, NBC remained eager to extend the life of its beloved mockumentary sitcom. Paul Lieberstein, then the showrunner, was assigned to develop a pilot centered on Rainn Wilson’s fan-favorite character, Dwight Schrute.
The ninth-season episode “The Farm” delved into Dwight’s life beyond Dunder Mifflin, reuniting him with his marijuana-growing brother and his more conventional sister while introducing a potential love interest in a local farm girl. However, the spin-off was ultimately abandoned, leaving Dwight to rekindle his romance with Angela in The Office’s final episode.
8. THE COSBY SHOW AND TONY ORLANDO
In the latter part of Season 1, the episode “Mr. Quiet” of The Cosby Show took viewers to an activity center under the guise of a lecture by Cliff. However, the Huxtable family took a backseat as guest star Tony Orlando and his colleagues at the center took center stage, even receiving special recognition in the end credits—making the episode’s intentions unmistakably clear.
9. CHARMED AND MERMAID
Producers of Charmed maintain that the Season 5 premiere “A Witch’s Tail” wasn’t initially intended as a backdoor pilot. However, it inspired efforts to create a series about a mermaid (named “Mylie” in the episode and “Nikki” in later development) navigating life among humans while battling supernatural threats, much like the Charmed sisters.
10. THE MANY ATTEMPTS OF CHARLES IN CHARGE
The Scott Baio-led sitcom, famous for its infectious theme song, spent much of its final season attempting to spin off new series for its main cast. The twist? The actors portrayed identical relatives of their original characters, adding an extra layer of oddity to the endeavor.
In Season 5’s 19th episode, “Lost Resort,” Willie Aames of Charles in Charge portrayed a Hawaiian hotelier and the doppelgänger cousin of his usual character, Buddy. Four episodes later, in “Almost Family,” Ellen Travolta played her own twin sister, Sally, who owned a car wash. Finally, in the series’ penultimate episode, “Fair Exchange,” Nicole Eggert appeared as an identical cousin living in New Mexico with her family and a foreign exchange student. None of these concepts evolved into full series.
11. THE MANY ATTEMPTS OF THE FACTS OF LIFE
The Facts of Life also made multiple attempts to launch spin-offs, introducing new characters in three episodes: the Season 2 finale “Brian and Sylvia,” featuring Tootie’s interracial aunt and uncle; the Season 3 episode “The Academy,” centered on a nearby all-boys school; and another Season 3 episode, “Jo’s Cousin,” which highlighted the only girl in a family of macho New Jersey men.
12. SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH AND WITCHRIGHT HALL
Sabrina the Teenage Witch presented a more natural spin-off attempt with Amanda, Sabrina’s cousin (played occasionally by Emily Hart). After a year-long absence, Amanda returned in Season 5’s “Witchright Hall,” which revolved entirely around her character.
The episode’s concept, and the potential series it aimed to create, revolved around teenage Amanda’s adventures at a boarding school for troubled witches. Sabrina accompanied Amanda on her first visit to the academy, primarily serving as a way to introduce new characters like Professor James Hexton, played by Charles Shaughnessey, and a talking dog named Phil, voiced by Blake Clark. Although the Witchright Hall idea never progressed, both Hart and Clark returned to their roles in later episodes.
13. MAGNUM, P.I. AND J. “DIGGER” DOYLE
Erin Gray, best known for her role in Silver Spoons, nearly headlined her own action-crime series thanks to a Season 1 episode of Magnum, P.I. Titled after her character, the “J. ‘Digger’ Doyle” episode featured Gray as a security specialist helping Magnum thwart an assassination plot against the elusive Robin Masters, voiced by Orson Welles.
14. STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES AND TERI GARR
A first-season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series focused on the 1968 exploits of Earth-based spies played by Robert Lansing and Teri Garr. The episode even hinted at future adventures for the duo, with Mr. Spock ominously suggesting more “interesting experiences” lay ahead. Despite this clear setup for a spin-off, Star Trek never developed a series for Lansing and Garr’s characters, Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln.
15. DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEK SPACE OPERA
Out of the 797 episodes aired under the Doctor Who banner, covering 26 seasons from 1963 to 1989 and nine additional serials since 2005 (plus a 1996 TV movie), only one episode lacked both the Doctor and his companion. This unique episode, “Mission to the Unknown,” was part of the original series’ third season.
Instead of following the Doctor’s escapades, the episode centered on an impending clash between Earth and the Daleks, a ruthless alien empire. It featured Earth’s military personnel, Dalek invaders, and a host of new alien species. The goal was to prepare viewers for a potential space opera series exploring such galactic conflicts. However, the Daleks remained a fixture within Doctor Who, never branching into their own show.
