TV Characters Who Deserve Their Own Spinoff
A truly great television series can boast slick storytelling or eye-grabbing visuals, but a show that doesn't feature a lineup of well-written, well-acted characters who make us laugh, cry, and root in their favor doesn't stand much of a chance of staying on the air. Sometimes those characters are front and center, and sometimes they're the side roles that catch our attention even when they have limited screen time.
In any case, we're often left wondering about the characters we love most. Whether the show comes to a close and we still have questions about a particular character's fate, or we started out by jumping into the middle of a character's tale and want to know how they got where they are, it's not uncommon to wish that we were given more than we got. And as shows like Frasier and Better Call Saul have proven, sometimes a spinoff is in order to feed our craving for either more backstory or more of what's to come. So to that end, here are a few TV characters we think deserve their own spot in the limelight.
(Be warned! We've got spoilers below.)
Ned Stark definitely deserves his own spinoff
When we meet Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, he's already firmly established in the winter years of his life. Stark strikes the audience as a hardened yet wise warrior who's obviously fought many battles and has seen the realm go through many dramatic changes, not the least of which was the overthrow of Aerys II Targaryen, aka the Mad King. Over the course of the first season, Ned seems a likely candidate to be a central if not the leading role throughout the entirety of the series, which is why it comes as such as surprise when he promptly loses his head.
Our relatively brief time with Stark leaves us with a great many questions about how he became the tragically fated leader we knew so little about, which is why a Game of Thrones prequel with Ned at its center would make so much sense. We would get to see his early adventures, watch him rise to power, and learn more about his role in Robert Baratheon's rebellion against the Mad King.
What happened to Peggy Olson after Mad Men?
Few television series have managed to come to as satisfying a finale as Mad Men, which tied up most of its loose ends believably and sent several characters off into exciting if uncertain futures. One of these was Don Draper protégé Peggy Olson, who closed out the series by deciding to venture forth into a new decade of Madison Avenue advertising with her newly admitted love, Stan Rizzo, at her side.
A follow-up spinoff with Peggy Olson at its center would make for an outstanding extension of the Mad Men universe. We would have the opportunity to see her work her way through a growing career, independent of the protection and tutelage of her mentor Draper, perhaps with Peggy herself now in a leadership role as creative director. We could see how her relationship with Stan develops, and we'd watch anxiously for signs that she's picked up any of her ex-boss's more self-destructive behaviors. And it could all be set against the backdrop of the 1970s, which would continue the series' trend of illustrating the most dramatic events of a particular decade.
Ed Galbraith's spinoff could explore his shady past
Not only did Breaking Bad give us a slew of television's greatest characters, but it also resulted in one of the greatest spinoffs of all time when it gave birth to Better Call Saul. Part of the reason that Saul Goodman's show has been so enjoyable involves the fact that we were given such a stellar character in the series that started it all but were left with so many questions about how he got to his precarious position.
Another character that offers a similar allure is Ed Galbraith, the vacuum salesman and underworld identity cleaner who helps the likes of Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Saul Goodman escape their perilous circumstances. We know almost nothing about Ed's backstory and little more about his present, besides the fact that he's highly knowledgeable when it comes to criminal lifestyles and that he seems to operate under a rigid code of honor.
How did Ed become the clandestine service provider we know him to be? How many people has he "disappeared?" And how many vacuums has he really sold? That's a story that we think every Breaking Bad fan would like to see told.
Where did Michael Lee go after The Wire?
Most of the shows named on this list have been mentioned as contenders for the greatest TV series of all time, but if there's one that truly might wear that crown, it's The Wire. And as far as spinoff worthy characters go, The Wire is packed from the first episode to the last with memorable figures who warrant expansion to their own series. But perhaps none deserve it as much as Michael Lee.
Raised under the direst of circumstances — oscillating between the mentorship of the angel on one shoulder in the guise of his boxing coach Cutty and the devils on the other in the form of his hitman training duo Chris Partlow and Snoop — we watch Michael attempt to navigate a tightrope between good and evil. At the end of the series, we see him leave behind organized crime to go it alone, as a stickup man robbing drug dealers, essentially assuming the role once played by Omar Little.
What would it look like to follow his venture into this dangerous and dubious career? Would he grow up to, like Omar before him, become the principled lone wolf with a code? Michael's future was left uncertain, but we would certainly like to see how it played out.
A spinoff could show us how Diane wound up in Twin Peaks
Director David Lynch created what was undoubtedly one of the most unique television series of all time in the form of Twin Peaks, a show that had no shortage of mysterious, fascinating characters. One such character that we knew only in name for the duration of the first two seasons was Diane, Agent Cooper's secretary to whom he dictated and mailed all of his investigating and musings. We never actually got to see Diane until she appeared in the 25-year postscript that came in the form of the show's third season, in which Diane was portrayed by the great Laura Dern, a frequent David Lynch collaborator.
When we finally meet Diane, we see her go through a range of bizarre tribulations, which may or may not be addressed again in a rumored fourth season. But what would perhaps be more interesting than what's to come for Diane would be to see where she's been. What was happening on her end when Dale Cooper was mailing her all those tapes? And what was she up to before she got linked up with the quirky agent? It seems to us that there's a lot of backstory there, and we'd like to see it.
We'd like to see J. Peterman journey across the world
In a show full of eccentric reoccurring characters, Jacopo Peterman — better known as J. Peterman — was one of Seinfeld's most eccentric. We were introduced to Peterman when Elaine Benes went to work for him at the J. Peterman Catalog, a clothing sales company that leveraged Peterman's years of world travel to advertise the fashion trends that he borrowed from various cultures. Remember the urban sombrero?
It's those travels that have us intrigued. J. Peterman was a weird guy, prone to excessive enthusiasm when it came to life's subtle mysteries, and he was in possession of endless tales pertaining to his odd escapades all around the globe. And it's exactly those escapades that we want to watch. Think of it like Indiana Jones, except that instead of looking for long-lost artifacts, Peterman would be on the search for the ideal pair of mittens or some other oddly specific fashion item. Peterman's spinoff would probably be strange, possibly exciting, but most certainly hilarious.
At least we can dream about a Lionel Hutz spinoff
As the longest-running scripted television show of all time — spanning over 30 years, 31 seasons, and nearly 700 episodes and counting — The Simpsons boasts a vast rolodex of quirky characters. One such character who appeared regularly over the series' first decade was Lionel Hutz, a shifty, feckless lawyer who was big on hilarious one-liners but short on legal acumen.
Voiced by the great Phil Hartman, Hutz had a tendency to get wrapped up in legal battles that were doomed to fail from the get-go, almost always because he was perpetually desperate for money. Usually, we saw him working his less than impressive magic at the behest of the Simpson family with humorously poor results.
A Lionel Hutz spinoff would be great because it would give us the chance to see him attempt to wrangle all manner of cases, getting caught up in sketchy shenanigans along the way. It would be something like Saul Goodman but more funny than tragic. Unfortunately no such show can ever be a reality, as Hutz voice actor Phil Hartman died in 1998.
The Priest could have his faith tested yet again
When Fleabag aired in 2016, it became a fast hit thanks to its uniquely pitch-perfect fusion of over-the-top comedy and deep tragedy. Written by the talented rising star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the series featured a collection of oddball characters who tended to be just as hilarious as they were confused and flawed. Fans of the show were saddened to learn that Fleabag won't be returning for a third season, as Waller-Bridge felt that the show's titular character had run her course. But one character who we think has more to offer is her love interest from the second season, the Priest.
After having his commitment to his faith shaken by his passion for Waller-Bridge's character, it would be fascinating to see how the Priest moves forward. Would he remain true to his path, or would he stray again? But that's not all. More interesting was the fact that he seemed to be the only character from the show capable of recognizing Fleabag's fourth-wall breaks. Maybe in his spinoff we could see him take over communication with the audience?
Malory Archer's spinoff could give us some witty spy adventures
When Archer first hit the scene in 2009, it was quickly recognized as a standout for its razor-sharp, intelligent wit. Boasting an outstanding ensemble cast, the show has been driven less by its storylines than the hilarious interactions between its variously neurotic characters. While it could be argued that virtually every character in the show's core group could deliver an effective spinoff, none of them offer as much potential as Malory Archer.
With her adventurous and often cryptic backstory involving her World War II engagement with the OSS and other secretive intelligence agencies around the globe, Malory Archer's life provides fertile source material for her own show. We already know a few details about how her son, Sterling, was born, her involvement with then-KGB head Nikolai Jakov, and a few other tidbits about her past, but just think of how many more escapades there are to uncover. It would be great to see her return to the espionage lifestyle that was the core of Archer's first few seasons, especially if the evolving premises of later seasons have left you a bit nostalgic for the team's Bond-like misadventures.
We need a Bob's Burgers spinoff about Louise's life
Part of the power of Bob's Burgers involves the way that it deftly weaves adult humor and themes into what's essentially a heartfelt family cartoon. We watch the Belcher family grow and learn lessons about the importance of family, oftentimes served with a side of hilariously bad puns and fart jokes.
A perfect continuation of the Belcher story would involve seeing its youngest daughter, Louise Belcher, once she's all grown up. In Bob's Burgers, Louise often struggles with issues of feeling older and more mature than her age, and she's always the first to suggest that the family abandon their duties at the restaurant in favor of adventure. What if we got to see Louise as an adult with a family of her own? Perhaps she's taken over her father's burger joint, and now we get to see her follow in his footsteps as she confronts the challenges of raising kids, perhaps even a daughter or son who possesses her same youthful penchant for mischief. We think this matured, more responsible Louise could provide great fodder for a new generation of Belcher tales, especially if she shares her dad's tendency to revert back to childishness.