10 Short-Lived Spinoffs Questions | TV Mixture Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tabitha

"Tabitha" aired for one season and 11 episodes on ABC in 1977 and 1978. A spin-off of "Bewitched" (1964-1972), Tabitha was the daughter of mortal Darrin Stephens and witch Samantha Stephens. Tabitha (played by Lisa Hartman) is a production assistant at a television station. Before the series aired, there were two pilots: a first in 1976 with different stars and premise and a second in the spring of 1977 that was much closer to the series. Though "Bewitched" had a long run, "Tabitha" quickly lost the interest of the audience.

Answer: The Tortellis

"The Tortellis" ran for one season and 13 episodes in 1987 on NBC. The series focused on characters first introduced on "Cheers" (1982-1993) related to long-time waitress Carla. Dan Hedaya played Nick Torelli (Carla's ex-husband) and Jean Kasem as his wife Loretta. Unlike "Cheers", "The Tortellis" was set in Las Vegas. Though the series was ultimately unsuccessful, several of the characters would make later appearances on "Cheers".

Answer: Blansky's Beauties

"Blansky's Beauties" ran for one season and 13 episodes on ABC in 1977 and was a spin-off of "Happy Days" (1974-1984). Nancy Blansky (played by Nancy Walker) was the cousin of "Happy Days" patriarch Howard Cunningham. Though "Happy Days" was set in the 1950s, "Blansky's Beauty's" was set in the 1970s.

The show was set in Las Vegas and focused on a trope of showgirls. "Laverne and Shirley" cast member Eddie Mekka played a younger cousin of his character Carmine Ragusa. Lynda Goodfriend, another cast member, would later appear on "Happy Days" as Lori Beth, girlfriend and later wife of Richie Cunningham.

Answer: The Honeymooners

"The Honeymooners", which ran for one season and 39 episodes on CBS in 1955-1956, is somewhat different than many of the other spin-offs in this quiz. The premise of the show starred as a sketch on "The Jackie Gleason Show" (1949-1957, 1962-1970). While the self-titled show included several recurring sketches/characters, star Jackie Gleason simply decided to have a full season of "The Honeymooners". "The Jackie Gleason Show" was very popular, spending multiple seasons in the Top 10 of the Nielsens in its first run and in several more in the Top 20 in its second run. "The Honeymooners" also enjoyed Top-20 ratings during its run, ending on its own terms.

Answer: Checking In

"Checking In" aired for one season of four episodes on CBS in April 1981. The show starred Florence (Marla Gibbs), who had been George and Weezie's maid on "The Jeffersons" (1975-1985). She had become an executive housekeeper at a New York City hotel. With low ratings, the series was quickly cancelled and Florence returned to her job working for the Jeffersons.

Interestingly because the run of the series was so short, Jack Shea directed every episode of the series.

Answer: Broadside

"Broadside" ran on ABC for one season and 32 episodes and is considered a spin-off of "McHale's Navy" (1962-1965) since one of the "Broadside" characters previously appeared on an episode of "McHale's Navy". "Broadside" focused on a female group of Navy WAVES who operated the motor pool at a South Pacific naval base. "Broadside" and "McHale's Navy" were run by the same production team. Though "Broadside" had decent ratings, it was cancelled because its sets took up too much space (that was not used by enough shows) at Universal Studios.

Answer: Rock & Chips

"Rock & Chips" (2010-2011) aired for one season and three episodes on BBC One. It was a spin-off and prequel to "Only Fools and Horses" (1981-2003). The show was set in London in the early 1960s and focused on the earlier lives several of the characters from the original series. While reviews were mixed, the episodes generally had good ratings.

Answer: Getting Together

Airing for one season and 14 episodes on ABC, "Getting Together" (1971-1972), was a spin-off of "The Partridge Family (1970-1974), which aired the pilot episode of "Getting Together" as the final episode of the first season. It starred Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern as a fictionalized version of the songwriting team of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Poor ratings would lead to the cancellation of "Getting Together".

Answer: Grady

"Grady" aired on NBC for one season and 10 episodes in 1975-1976 as a spin-off of "Sanford and Son" (1972-1977). Whitman Mayo, who portrayed Grady, originated the character as part of the cast of "Sanford and Son". When low ratings led to the cancellation of the series, Mayo returned to the "Sanford and Son" cast. Actor Haywood Nelson portrayed Grady's grandson.

Answer: Mr. T and Tina

Four of the nine episodes of the single season of "Mr. T and TIna" (1976) were left unaired. Pat Morita portrayed Taro Takahashi (the Mr. T) originally on an episode of the second season of "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975-1979). Mr. T. was sent to Chicago branch of his employer's company. Tina (Susan Blanchard) was the live-in governess for his children.

While the show was praised as one of the first US television to feature a predominantly Asian-American cast, it was also heavily criticized for the poor quality of its writing.