Are These Spin-Offs Spinning Out?

Growing up in America, it’s common to be immersed in every form of media—especially through television. There are iconic TV shows and movies from the late 90s–2000s that many of us know and love still. These comical and exciting stories were passed down most likely by older siblings or parents, and I remember some aired when I was a young kid in the mid-2000s. Disney and Nickelodeon were the prime channels for kid and family entertainment; back then, those networks were considered a Mecca for fans of these fantastic shows and movies and continue to carry that legend. Boy Meets World, Full House, and the High School Musical series to name a few.

These shows connected generations and brought people together. What made them so great was the stories they would tell, the catchy tunes, and the iconic actors. The Olsen twins on Full House, Ben Savage from Boy Meets World and let’s not forget the anthem of 2006—“We’re All in This Together” brought to us by Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, and other acclaimed Disney stars. Aside from the commonalities between the exceptional storylines and memorable music, they all have remakes out on the market. That’s right—spin-offs.

Boy Meets World vs. Girl Meets World

To those unfamiliar, the show aired on the Disney-owned network ABC between 1993-2000 and starred Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel. This coming-of-age show encompassed many aspects of adolescence such as friendship, love, and education. Boy Meets World is about Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his journey through adolescence into adulthood, starting in middle school. As many of us know, middle school and high school are tough. Seven seasons were created, packed with relatable adventures including falling in love with Topanga (Danielle Fishel), building friendships with his classmates, and getting through school thanks to his favorite teacher. Not to mention the goofiness of it all; of course, they cracked jokes and embarrassing incidents occurred—that’s the life of a teenage boy. I remember watching reruns of this Friday night staple when I was younger, and it was (and still is) such a cute show to watch with family.

I also happened to be young enough to witness Boy Meets World’s sequel, Girl Meets World. This show aired on Disney Channel in 2014, and was only on air for three seasons. This show was nothing short of adorable. It debuted Sabrina Carpenter and Rowan Blanchard as leading characters. The show is much like the original, but comes years later after Cory (Ben Savage) marries Topanga (Danielle Fishel) and they have a child—Riley (Rowan Blanchard). Riley and her best friend Maya (Sabrina Carpenter) go on adventures together in the big city and take advice from their teacher, Cory.

The storyline is adorable, mimicking some of the same struggles Cory went through when he was young. Overall, Girl Meets World was done well. However, it may be viewed as more childish than its predecessor. However, we can all appreciate a good like-father-like-daughter sequel.

Full house vs. Fuller House

Full House—I mean come on, what a show! Many of us grew up watching the show as it aired or reruns. The show was an iconic and charismatic depiction of an atypical family crafted from the loss of a mother. Full House also claimed one of the best and most recognized theme songs, “Everywhere You Look.” It aired on ABC between 1987-1995 with eight seasons of American family fun. The show was about a dad, Danny (Bob Saget), a widower who was left to raise his three daughters DJ (Candance Cameron-Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle (Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen). Luckily with the help of his attractive brother-in-law, Uncle Joey (John Stamos), and his comedian friend Joey (Dave Coulier), he was able to get by raising his girls.

This show was a great depiction of friends coming together as family. It included love, heartache, and laughter through the struggles of three goofy guys tackling girl issues. Let us not forget Jesse and Becky’s love story! It was such a great show that it had—you guessed it—a spin-off.

If the house wasn’t full already, the girls grew up and had their own children! Fuller House, the after-story to Full House, aired on Netflix in 2016 with five seasons. This spin-off was a hit to some and a flop to others. In my opinion, it was cute to see the same actors to play their old characters, but older. Candace Cameron-Bure and Jodie Sweetin came back to play the girls: DJ and Stephanie. Unfortunately, no Michelle. Yep, no Olsen twins for this sequel. The storyline is good though, and if you grew up on these characters, it’s great to see them come back! However, the show was very childish, similar to Girl Meets World. Many jokes seemed too new-age Disney and did not appeal to many adults. It was nowhere near as iconic as the original, but props to the actors and actresses who came back and dedicated time to continue the Full House story.

High School Musical vs. High School Musical: The Musical the series

“We’re All in This Together,” “Get’cha Head in the Game”—any of this ringing a bell? In 2006, High School Musical went down in Disney channel history as one of the most iconic staples in late millennial and Gen Z history. This movie dramatized high school in a corny-yet-catchy way. Debuting Zac Efron (Troy Bolton) and Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella Montez) as star-crossed lovers, a jock and a nerd find common ground on stage while performing a musical. This accumulated so much hype that two more films were made showing what the HMS gang did over summer break, and then of course, their exciting senior year. This movie was great, and to some, it still is. Does it really need a spin-off TV show? Yes, that’s real.

The High School Musical show, one of Disney’s first originals on its Disney Plus platform, aired not too long ago on December 2019. As soon as I saw this pop up on my screen, I knew it was going to be cheesy. Don’t get me wrong, many don’t believe the original HMS to be a cinematic masterpiece, but this was just… bad. This series is about high school kids playing the characters from High School musical as a musical. Confusing, right?

The show is set with the same school and characters. The characters speak directly into the camera like an interview—ugh. The way it is produced appears as though it was a low-budget production. The humor was lacking and very naïve, but that makes sense for the demographic. Overall, it was a cool idea, but inevitably a flop. It lacks the same luster of the original because of the acting and cinematography of it. Some people may find the show amusing, or at least tolerable, but regardless it could have been a lot better. Disney, if you’re going to have Disney Plus originals based off of the classics, please make sure they’re as good—if not better—than the original.

Spin-offs Coming Soon

Guess what, Upper East Siders? There’s a Gossip Girl spin-off debuting on HBO soon. Will it meet expectations of Blaire and Serena wannabes, or the gals who spent their middle and high school years obsessing over Nate? We shall see. As more reboots, sequels, and spin-offs come out of iconic tv shows and movies, I suggest giving them a shot. They may blow you away, and hey, if it’s a disappointment—there’s always the original.