Spin-off (media)

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A spin-off or spinoff is any narrative work derived from an already existing work that focuses on different aspects from the original work.

Contents

History

One of the earliest spin-offs of the modern media era, if not the first, happened in 1941 when the supporting character Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve from the old time radio comedy show Fibber McGee and Molly became the star of his own program The Great Gildersleeve (1941–1957). [1] [2]

Description

A spin-off [3] (also spelt spinoff [4] ) is derived from already existing works that focus on more details and different aspects from the original work (e.g. particular topics, characters or events), and includes books, radio programs, television programs, films, video games, or any narrative work in any medium.

In genre fiction, the term parallels its usage in television; it is usually meant to indicate a substantial change in narrative viewpoint and activity from that (previous) storyline based on the activities of the series' principal protagonist, and so is a shift to that action and overall narrative thread of some other protagonist, which now becomes the central or main thread (storyline) of the new subseries. The new protagonist generally appears first as a minor or supporting character in the main storyline within a given milieu and it is very common for the previous protagonist to have a supporting or cameo role, at the least as a historical mention, in the new subseries.[ citation needed ]

Spin-offs sometimes generate their own spin-offs, leaving the new show in its own series only vaguely connected to the original series - for example, the police procedural franchises of NCIS/JAG and CSI have both spun multiple shows, including multiple spin-offs from series and spin-offs from spin-offs.[ citation needed ]

Types and variations

Sidequels

A spin-off may be called a sidequel, a portmanteau of "side" (as in side-by-side) and "sequel", when it occurs in the same time frame as the original, sometimes contacting with the main narrative at points. [5] In Japanese, the word gaiden (外伝, pronounced [ɡaideɴ] , lit. "outside legends") also refers to such contemporaneous spin-offs and is frequently translated as "side story". [6]

Crossovers

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King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Sometimes even where a show is not a spin-off from another, there will nevertheless be crossovers, where a character from one show makes an appearance on another. Sometimes crossovers are created in an attempt to provide closure to fans of another failed series. Sometimes show producers will re-introduce a character from an older series into a later one as a way of providing a connectivity of that particular producer's television "world".[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Fibber McGee and Molly</i> American radio comedy series

Fibber McGee and Molly (1935–1959) was a longtime husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sequel</span> Part of a linear narrative that continues the story of a previous work

A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same fictional universe as an earlier work, usually chronologically following the events of that work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Q. Bryan</span> American actor (1899–1959)

Arthur Quirk Bryan was an American actor and radio personality. He is best remembered for his longtime recurring role as well-spoken, wisecracking Dr. Gamble on the radio comedy Fibber McGee and Molly and for voicing the Warner Brothers cartoon character Elmer Fudd.

<i>Mobile Suit Victory Gundam</i> Japanese anime television series

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<i>The Great Gildersleeve</i> American radio comedy series

The Great Gildersleeve is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, it was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built around Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, a regular character from the radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly. The character was introduced in the October 3, 1939, episode of that series. Actor Harold Peary had played a similarly named character, Dr. Gildersleeve, on earlier episodes. The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest popularity in the 1940s. Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in four feature films released at the height of the show's popularity.

A story arc is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, video games, and films with each episode following a dramatic arc. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story arc is common in sitcoms, and even more so in soap operas. In a traditional Hollywood film, the story arc usually follows a three-act structure. Webcomics are more likely to use story arcs than newspaper comics, as most webcomics have readable archives online that a newcomer to the strip can read in order to understand what is going on. Although story arcs have existed for decades, one of the first appearances of the term was in 1973 by Time Magazine for a synopsis of the movie The Friends of Eddie Coyle: "He accomplishes this with no sacrifice to the pacing of his action sequences or the suspenseful development of his story's arc."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossover (fiction)</span> Film and video terminology

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Harold "Hal" Peary was an American actor, comedian and singer in radio, films, television, and animation. His most memorable role is as Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, which began as a supporting character on radio's "Fibber McGee and Molly" in 1938.

The Halls of Ivy is an American situation comedy that ran from 1950 to 1952 on NBC radio, created by Fibber McGee & Molly co-creator/writer Don Quinn. The series was adapted into a CBS television comedy (1954–55) produced by ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America. British husband-and-wife actors Ronald Colman and Benita Hume starred in both versions of the show.

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<i>Look Whos Laughing</i> 1941 film by Allan Dwan

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<i>Here We Go Again</i> (film) 1942 American film directed by Allan Dwan

Here We Go Again is a 1942 American film, a sequel to Look Who's Laughing. With RKO in financial trouble, with the success of the earlier zany comedy starring a bevy of radio stars, Here We Go Again put Fibber McGee and Molly in a search for where to celebrate the couple's 20th anniversary. They want to throw a big party but when everyone declines their invitation, they decide to go on a second honeymoon instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Driscoll Jordan</span> American actress

Marian Irene Driscoll Jordan was an American actress and radio personality. She was most remembered for portraying the role of Molly McGee, the patient, common sense, honey-natured wife of Fibber McGee on the NBC radio series Fibber McGee and Molly from 1935 to 1959. She starred on this series opposite her real-life husband Jim Jordan.

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References

  1. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 293. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  2. Stewart, R.W. (August 3, 1941). "One Thing and Another". The New York Times . p. X10. Gildersleeve has taken leave of his long-time fencing partner[,] Fibber McGee, and will be starred in his own show, "The Great Gildersleeve," beginning Aug. 31 at 6:30, P. M. on WEAF's hook-up. Harold Peary created the Gildersleeve...
  3. For example: Tucker, Ken (June 4, 2005). "The best (and worst) spin-offs". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  4. For examples:
  5. "sidequel". Double-Tongued Dictionary. A Way with Words. December 4, 2006. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  6. References for the translation of gaiden as "side story":