What television program had the first spinoff?

Q. Was The Andy Griffith Show the first TV spinoff?
I've been reading the discussion lately about whether or not TAGS was the first TV spinoff. In mid-1996, when I wrote an article about TAGS for Classic TV magazine (no longer in print), I mentioned the 'fact' that TAGS was the first spinoff (1960), but someone wrote in to correct me, pointing out some earlier shows -- Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958, spun off from Trackdown; Law of the Plainsman (1959, spun off from The Rifleman) and Pete and Gladys (1960, spun off from December Bride). In my book (that's a figure of speech) a series is not a spinoff unless it's pilot episode aired as an episode of an established series. To the best of my knowledge, the three above example do NOT fit this definition, which means that TAGS truly was the first real TV spin-off. --Paul Mulik
zille.com/griffith/faqresults.asp?type=3andstart=51 no longer exists

TEST: What was the first TV spinoff? (ANSWER BELOW)
TEST ANSWER: The Andy Griffith Show from the Danny Thomas Show.
http://www.poobala.com/dannyandandy.html

Subrealm: Spinoffs
Question: What was the first TV spinoff?
Hint: A long time ago.
Answer: 'The Honeymooners' (from 'The Jackie Gleason Show').
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080405212822AAzG504 webpage no longer exists

Tidbit: Harry Morgan appeared in 'Pete and Gladys'. Did you know that this was the first TV spinoff? The original show was 'December Bride' with Spring Byington, in which Harry played her next door neighbor, Pete Porter. Gladys was never seen in the original, though.
http://www.poobala.com/decemberandpete.html

I always thought a spinoff was a program built around characters previously featured on another show. If you think Pete and Gladys was, indeed, a spinoff, then it first aired a couple of weeks before The Andy Griffith Show.
19-Sep-1960 For Pete's Sake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_and_Gladys

The New Housekeeper (10/3/1960) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Andy_Griffith_Show_episodes

Personally, I would classify The Honeymooners as a spinoff of The Jackie Gleason Show, even though TJGS wasn't a sitcom. The Honeymooners was first seen in 1951 as a sketch within DuMont's Cavalcade of Stars, with Pert Kelton originating the role of Alice. When the show moved to CBS as The Jackie Gleason Show, Audrey Meadows assumed the role of Alice. In 1955 Gleason wanted a respite from the full-hour live weekly variety show. It was decided to film a full season of half-hour Honeymooners shows. In 1956, after the less-than-anticipated response to The Honeymooners, Gleason returned to a regular variety format. The Honeymooners were presented as part of The Jackie Gleason Show up until its last episode on Sept. 12, 1970.