The Simpsons
It may be one of the longest running sitcoms of all time but not many are aware that the show is actually a spin off of The Tracy Ullman Show. The show first began as a series of shorts which were conceived by Matt Groening, who modeled the Simpsons after his own family, referring to himself as Bart, and the other members as Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Maggie. However it was soon picked up by Fox as a standalone prime time show and has long since overshadowed the success of The Tracy Ullman Show. In fact The Simpsons even have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the popularity shows no signs of diminishing anytime soon.
The Flash
Yup the fastest man on Earth first appeared on the CW's superhero series Arrow before he was given his very own show and Central City had a new do-gooder in town. The show which stars Grant Gustin in the lead role of Barry Allen has become one of the most popular tv shows currently on television.
Private Practice
Grey's Anatomy which is still going strong and is in it's 13th season also got a spinoff along the way. Following her huge success on the show Kate Walsh who played Dr Addison Montgomery, the ex-wife of Derek Shephard on Greys Anatomy , was given her own show titled Private Practice. For six seasons, the show followed the neonatal surgeon and her co-workers at Seaside Wellness Center as they balanced their hospital and personal lives. Although it didn't create as big a buzz as it;s predecessor, it did pick up a host of awards and nominations.
Angel
After breaking Buffy Summer's heart and returning from a true death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Angel the vampire decided to move to Los Angeles in the new show and correct all the wrong he has done in the world by becoming a private detective. The show paved the path for David Boreanaz who then went on to get major success in Bones, where interestingly he also played a detective.
Law & Order: SVU
"Law & Order," a police procedural and legal drama series loosely based on real life crime stories, had two decades of on-air success (it's the third longest running show on television) and paved way for two closely related spin-offs. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" followed the New York City-based Major Case Squad in its 2001 to 2011 run, while "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which is still going strong since its 1999 premiere, focuses on sexually-related crimes in New York City.
Boston Legal
Starring William Shatner and James Spader, "Boston Legal" followed former "The Practice" character and attorney Alan Shore (Spader), his wealthy Boston law firm, and the civil cases he undertook. After four seasons, and several awards for Spader and Shatner's roles, the ABC series came to an end in 2008.
