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| 3 | %% This page had been alphabetized by the title of the most recent show. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 6 | SpiritualSuccessor in [[{{Series}} Live-Action TV]]. |
| 7 | ---- |
| 8 | !!Shows with their own pages: |
| 9 | [[index]] |
| 10 | * ''SpiritualAdaptation/StrangerThings'' |
| 11 | [[/index]] |
| 12 | !!Individual examples: |
| 13 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 14 | |
| 15 | [[folder:#-E]] |
| 16 | * ''Series/The100'': |
| 17 | ** Generally speaking, the show feels a '''lot''' like what would've happened after the crew of the ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' initially settled on Earth, albeit with no Cylons, a bit more of a post-apocalyptic feel, and if they first sent down 100 juvenile delinquents to test the waters. |
| 18 | ** Fans have pointed out that before the series starts to go OffTheRails, the first season makes for a pretty good [=co-ed=] version of ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'' (albeit given a science fiction twist). |
| 19 | * ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'': |
| 20 | ** The show can be considered a spiritual successor to ''Series/PennAndTellerBullshit''. |
| 21 | ** The show is essentially ''Website/{{Snopes}}'' as a TV show, albeit with a lot of AffectionateParody (hence the show's title). |
| 22 | * Most of Creator/JackWebb's later series (e.g., ''Series/Adam12'', ''Series/{{Emergency}}'', ''Series/ProjectUFO'') can be considered spiritual successors to his own ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''. They all share a basic approach -- following the professional lives of dedicated public servants, filmed in the style of a PoliceProcedural. In the case of the first two, they also share a universe with ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''. |
| 23 | * ''Series/TheAdventuresOfBriscoCountyJr'' works well as an American TV adaptation of ComicBook/LuckyLuke, between its protagonist who has ImprobableAimingSkills, outlandish plots which sometimes edge into AffectionateParody of TheWestern, and especially both having a very similar CoolHorse taken up to eleven. |
| 24 | * ''Series/AllAmerican'' is essentially, what you would get if you combined ''Series/TheOC'' with ''Series/FridayNightLights''. |
| 25 | * ''Series/AllOfUsAreDead'' can easily be described as ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'' as a live-action series, sans the excessive {{fanservice}} of the anime and with the setting moved from Japan to South Korea. Both shows have, at the core, {{Second Year Protagonist}}s escaping an East Asian high school full of zombies, the handsome guy who has ShipTease with an upbeat tomboy and an AloofDarkHairedGirl, the fat friend being the PluckyComicRelief, a RichBitch with pink motifs, and green uniforms. |
| 26 | * ''Series/AllThat'' was a spiritual successor to Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s other sketch comedy series of the early [[TheNineties Nineties]], ''{{Series/Roundhouse}},'' which was an updated version of the network's fondly remembered ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision,'' which itself, was inspired by network [[VarietyShow variety shows]] such as ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' and ''Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn'' (see a few entries below). In a similar vein, ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' was a spiritual successor to ''Series/InLivingColor,'' being Fox's competitor to ''Saturday Night Live'' with there being only a year between the two. ''In Living Color'' is known for giving rise to the careers of Creator/JimCarrey, Creator/JamieFoxx, Music/JenniferLopez, and Shawn and Marlon Wayans, while ''[=MADtv=]'' did the same for Creator/OrlandoJones, Creator/{{Phil LaMarr}}, Creator/NicoleSullivan, Alex Borstein, Creator/BobbyLee, and current SNL featured player Creator/TaranKillam. As well as both of their rap theme songs were performed by Music/HeavyD. |
| 27 | * ''Series/{{Alphas}}'' is very clearly the successor to ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. And so is ''Series/NoOrdinaryFamily''. |
| 28 | * ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory'' is the closest thing that Millennials have to their very own version of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''. Though it's sold as a straight horror anthology, it's tackled almost as many flavors of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror as the original ''Twilight Zone'', so far doing [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryMurderHouse ghosts, the Antichrist,]] [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryAsylum aliens, Satan, the Angel of Death, Nazi doctors, mutants,]] [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCoven witchcraft, Voodoo, zombies,]] [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow sideshow freaks,]] [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryHotel vampires, famous serial killers,]] [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryRoanoke the Roanoke colony,]] and [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCult religious cults]]. Like ''The Twilight Zone'', it's praised for bringing together a talented cast of character actors who all play multiple roles, for showcasing strong writing that can make audiences ''think'' as often as it can scare them, and for emphasizing [[{{Anvilicious}} explicit morality plays]] delivered via unexpected {{plot twist}}s. Probably the biggest difference is that ''American Horror Story'' delivers its stories via multi-part serials that span entire seasons rather than standalone episodic stories, reflecting television audiences' growing preference for long-spanning story arcs in TheNewTens. |
| 29 | * ''Series/AmericanHousewife'' to ''Series/FamilyTies''. Like Alex on ''Family Ties'', Oliver on ''American Housewife'' is a [[OnlyInItForTheMoney money hungry]], [[YoungEntrepreneur entrepreneurially minded young man]] whose desire to be rich conflicts with his [[LikeFatherUnlikeSon father's]] artsy ways and his mother's [[SlobsVersusSnobs disdain]] for the wealthy neighbors. Meanwhile, like Mallory on ''Family Ties'', Taylor on ''American Housewife'' can be the total [[TheDitz airhead]] type. |
| 30 | * ''Series/AngieTribeca'' is a [[Film/TheNakedGun naked]] attempt to revisit ''Series/PoliceSquad'' in the age of [[Series/CSIVerse police procedurals,]] to the point where longtime ZAZ fans will recognize many of the same gags. |
| 31 | * ''Series/ANTFarm'' is a spiritual successor to ''Series/ThatsSoRaven''. |
| 32 | * ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' is the world's first, best and ''only'' modern sitcom reimagining of Creator/{{Aeschylus}}' ''Theatre/TheOresteia''. Practically all of the tropes of Classical Greek tragedy are there: intergenerational conflict, random mutilation and disfiguration, a powerful BigScrewedUpFamily's fall from grace, a complex web of backstabbings and infidelity, an [[EvilMatriarch ambitious scheming matriarch]] manipulating a clueless patriarch behind his back, an OnlySaneMan son trying to right his parents' wrongs, boatloads of IncestSubtext, and a surreal courtroom trial at the climax--all set against the backdrop of a brutal war in Asia Minor (though one involving [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror battle tanks]] instead of [[UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar a big wooden horse]]). Naturally, though, it's all PlayedForLaughs. |
| 33 | * Creator/TheBBC's ''Series/{{Atlantis}}'' is a spiritual successor to the much loved ''Series/{{Merlin 2008}}'', drawing influences and ideas from classical mythology and history rather than Arthurian legends. The series is also built around the relationship between the male leads, although Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules are considerably less [[VitriolicBestBuds vitriolic]] than Merlin and Arthur. |
| 34 | * ''Battle Dome'' to ''Series/AmericanGladiators''. Michael O'Hearn was in both (as Michael O'Dell in the former and as Titan in the latter's revival). Also, Terry Crews' schtick as the ''Old Spice'' spokesman could be a SpiritualSuccessor to his T-Money character on ''Battle Dome''. |
| 35 | * ''Series/BabylonFive'': Has strong elements of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' [-'''[[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]'''-] WordOfGod says it's specifically inspired by ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', which detailed the backstory of Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium. |
| 36 | * ''Series/BecomingElizabeth'', despite far more realistic costumes, is similar enough in tone to ''Series/TheTudors'' that some fans have called it a fan fiction sixth season of the earlier show. |
| 37 | * ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' was Creator/StevenSpielberg's companion piece to ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'', and can easily be thought of as a TV adaptation of such, albeit focused on [[BasedOnATrueStory real soldiers and battles]] instead of fictionalized versions thereof. |
| 38 | * The original '70s ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}'' was Creator/{{ABC}}'s attempt to create a ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'' TV series, with ShowRunner Glen Larson even hiring that film's special effects lead John Dykstra to help craft the show's look. Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox considered it similar enough that they tried to [[https://io9.gizmodo.com/battlestar-galactica-dubbed-too-expensive-and-star-w-326482 sue Universal]] (who produced the show) for UsefulNotes/{{plagiarism}}. |
| 39 | * Some people believe ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' to be not only a remake of the earlier [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 BSG]], but also to have adopted enough elements from ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' to be considered a spiritual successor. |
| 40 | * After ''Series/{{Shoestring}}'s'' star Trevor Eve quit, ''Series/{{Bergerac}}'' was created as a replacement. Both shows are about an eccentric DefectiveDetective who has recently recovered from a breakdown, and both shows are set in different parts of the British Islands (the west of England for ''Shoestring'', and Jersey for ''Bergerac''). |
| 41 | * ''Series/BeyondBeliefFactOrFiction'' is a spiritual successor to ''Series/InSearchOf'', as a TV anthology series about paranormal mysteries and phenomena hosted by an actor who played a first officer on ''Franchise/StarTrek'': Creator/LeonardNimoy on ''In Search Of...'', Creator/JonathanFrakes on ''Beyond Belief''. |
| 42 | * ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'': A concrete influence is the films of Creator/JohnHughes, with series co-creator Darren Star stating in the DVDCommentary for the pilot episode that his intention was to create a TV version of a Hughes movie. |
| 43 | * ''Series/BigTimeRush'' is the spiritual successor to ''Series/TheMonkees'' with a lot of elements of ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' thrown in. |
| 44 | * ''Series/TheBill'' was a spiritual successor to ''Series/TheSweeney''. It was made by a subsidiary of the same production house (Thames Television), and in its very earliest years it even shared some of the same production team (in particular original executive producer Lloyd Shirley). It's also similar in style to Euston's earlier ''Special Branch''. |
| 45 | * ''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy'' is a spiritual successor to ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' to the point that the original pitch for ''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy'' was simply "''Mr. Wizard'' meets ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse''". |
| 46 | * ''Series/BlackMirror'': |
| 47 | ** The show has been cited as a modern-day heir to ''The Twilight Zone'', being an episodic series that uses science fiction premises as the basis of morality plays that explore how people might use and ([[HumansAreTheRealMonsters more often than not]]) misuse various new technologies. |
| 48 | ** [[Recap/BlackMirrorSanJunipero "San Junipero"]], upon TheReveal, can be said to be an unofficial TV adaptation of [[spoiler:''Literature/ReadyPlayerOne'', with both works revolving around virtual worlds rooted in the iconography of TheEighties. (In ''Ready Player One'', it was 1980's geek culture, while "San Junipero" is based more on the broader pop culture of the time.)]] |
| 49 | ** The premise of [[Recap/BlackMirrorHatedInTheNation "Hated in the Nation"]] sounds like it came right out of the ''Manga/GhostInTheShell'' manga series, especially its anime adaptation ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Stand Alone Complex]]''. Some fans would argue that this episode has more in common with ''[=GitS=]'' than its [[Film/GhostInTheShell2017 2017 live-action film adaptation]]. |
| 50 | ** Fans of the Creator/DisneyChannel like to joke that [[Recap/BlackMirrorRachelJackAndAshleyToo "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too"]], on top of its {{homage}}s to ''Series/HannahMontana'' (including featuring its star Music/MileyCyrus), is a DarkerAndEdgier remake of the Disney Channel Original Movie ''Film/PixelPerfect'', another story about people creating a [[VirtualCelebrity virtual pop star]] that is then cynically exploited by the record industry while she starts to question her place in the world. |
| 51 | * ''Series/BlackSails'' makes for a good live-action adaptation of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' which itself is more or less a video game version of the series (see the Video Game page for more information). Both works are set in the Caribbean during the UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy with the protagonists commandeering their own ships and interacting with real-life historical figures as part of the short-lived Republic of Pirates in Nassau. It also helps that they're essentially prequels to a previous installment. |
| 52 | * ''Series/TheBleakOldShopOfStuff'' (surreal [[Creator/CharlesDickens Dickensian]] parody written by Mark Evans) is a Spiritual SoundToScreenAdaptation of ''Radio/BleakExpectations'' (surreal Dickensian parody written by Mark Evans). |
| 53 | * A lot of people consider ''Series/BlueBloods'' to be what ''Series/HillStreetBlues'' or ''Series/NYPDBlue'' would look like if they were remade in the post-9/11 world. They're not far off. |
| 54 | * The Creator/{{Syfy}} original series ''Series/BloodDrive'' was created as a GenreThrowback to '70s {{exploitation film}}s, but any gamers watching it are just as likely to be reminded of ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal''. The BigBad Julian Slink, a RepulsiveRingmaster running a high-octane, cross-country road race in which the losers are all killed, bears a strong resemblance to Calypso from the ''Twisted Metal'' games, right down to him working for a MegaCorp (Calypso was the CEO of one in the 2013 reboot) and being implied to be demonic or otherwise supernatural. Likewise with the flamboyantly-characterized drivers and vehicles, even if there aren't any {{Weaponized Car}}s nor one-to-one comparisons with the competitors in ''Twisted Metal''. |
| 55 | * ''Series/BlueMountainState'' is considered the closest we've ever got to an actual ''Film/AnimalHouse'' series. There were in fact not one, but ''three'' Spiritual Adaptations of ''Animal House'' back when the film first came out, one on each of the Big Three American networks (''Delta House'' on ABC, ''Brothers and Sisters'' on NBC, and ''Co-ed Fever'' on CBS, all of them short-lived), but it wasn't until the rise of pay TV that there was a place on television with standards relaxed enough to show an ''Animal House'' series in all its depraved glory. |
| 56 | * ''Series/TheBorgias'': This show is just close enough to being an adaptation of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' that one half-expects [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood Ezio and company]] to show up at any time. |
| 57 | %%* ''Series/TheBorgias'' to ''Series/TheTudors''. |
| 58 | * ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': So close to being ''Film/YoursMineAndOurs: [[RecycledTheSeries The Series]]'' that the filmmakers threatened to sue. ''The Brady Bunch'' also seemed to use the Creator/DorisDay vehicle ''Film/WithSixYouGetEggroll'', another comedy about BlendedFamilyDrama, as a role model. |
| 59 | * ''Series/BreakoutKings'' is one to ''Series/PrisonBreak''. The show also falls victim to BetterByADifferentName. Also a StealthSequel with the appearance of Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell and mention of the Fox River Eight. |
| 60 | * ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'' has been frequently compared to the previous series ''Series/FawltyTowers'', considering the fact that they're both sitcoms that focus on an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist boss causing chaos in the businesses they manage, and the fact that the main source of humor comes from the crazy and ridiculous situations that come as a result. |
| 61 | * Creator/JossWhedon was disappointed with a 1992 movie he wrote called ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', so he [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer made it into a TV series]] in order to do it right. While the ''Buffy'' TV show retains the lead character of the film and some of its mythology, the actual meat of the show feels like it was adapting a different vampire movie: ''Film/TheLostBoys''. Both are horror-comedies about teenagers raised by single mothers who move to a small California beach town only to find it crawling with vampires, and team up with other local kids and an older mentor in order to fight back against them, all while wearing the style, music, and attitude of their respective decades on their sleeves and frequently making GenreSavvy comments about vampire stories. Whedon has acknowledged the influence, saying that the character of Spike, a bleached-blond vampire with flamboyant, PunkRock-meets-Music/BillyIdol mannerisms and fashion sense who was initially introduced as the BigBad of ''Buffy''[='=]s second season, was [[http://www.slayage.com/news/020609-joss_dvd.html partly inspired]] by David, the villain of ''The Lost Boys'', and that he [[http://mentalfloss.com/article/73728/9-found-facts-about-lost-boys took the idea]] of the vampires' GameFace on ''Buffy'' from that film. |
| 62 | * Some people consider ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'' to essentially be what ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' would look like if it were remade in the post-9/11 world. |
| 63 | * Constance M. Burge has acknowledged that ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' was partly inspired by the 1996 horror film ''Film/TheCraft'', another story about a group of [[HotWitch attractive young witches]], though in this version, the witches are heroic rather than [[WickedWitch evil]]. Creator/RobinTunney and Creator/RachelTrue, two of the stars of ''The Craft'', [[https://ew.com/movies/2017/10/17/the-craft-oral-history/ were less]] [[http://toofab.com/2017/06/22/the-craft-remake-charmed-rachel-true-thowback-thursday/ diplomatic,]] calling ''Charmed'' a flat-out ripoff. (Tunney even said that, in the past, she'd been mistakenly thought to have starred on ''Charmed''.) The show's RealSongThemeTune, Love Spit Love's cover of [[Music/TheSmiths "How Soon Is Now?"]], was even originally recorded for the soundtrack to ''The Craft''. |
| 64 | * The Creator/CookingChannel show "Cheap Eats" is one of Creator/FoodNetwork's "$40 a Day." "$40 a day" had Creator/RachaelRay from 2002 to 2005 going to a city to find three meals and a snack/drink for under a budget of 40 US Dollars (or 40 Euros when they were still less than a US Dollar) in a 12-hour (later 24-hour) limit. "Cheap Eats" had host Ali Khan do the same task in just 12 hours, but for under a buget of just ''35 US Dollars'' (five dollars less than before, AND when the US dollar isn't as strong as it had been 2002-2005). Twice Rachael blew her budget ''on purpose'' (Philadelphia and Arizona) while Ali only blew his in Charleston (the pulled pork BBQ dinner he had put him over by just under 4 dollars, but for a dinner like that, he said he wouldn't do a thing differently). |
| 65 | * ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' is basically a modern-day remake of ''Series/BarneyMiller'' set in the New York City borough of Brooklyn with a similar style of sitcom comedy and a diverse cast. |
| 66 | * ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' is a spiritual successor to ''Series/FawltyTowers'' and was actually written as an American version of the selfsame. It was only when the writers realized that the overwhelming majority of the plots were taking place in the hotel bar that they cut the hotel out and just set the show in the bar. |
| 67 | * ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder'' was produced by Creator/{{Toei}} to be a [[TheEighties 1980s]] version of ''[[Series/{{Kikaider}} Jinzou Ningen Kikaider]]''. Both involved robotic superheroes with a two-tone color scheme on their body (blue on the left side and red on the right), both end their names with "der" ("Kikaider" literally means "Machineder"), their human forms are modeled after the likeness of their creator's dead son (Jiro's likeness came from Taro's, while Ryusei Tsurugi's was from Tatsuo Koga), and they're both assisted by a rival cyborg in black who formerly worked for the enemy (Hakaider and Topgunder). |
| 68 | * ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman'': This show is what ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' would've been had it been remade into a live-action series. |
| 69 | * ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', in a lot of ways, is a combination Spiritual Successor. Take one part ''Series/{{Jake 20}}'' (everyday geek infused with AppliedPhlebotinum to make him a badass), one part ''Series/SheSpies'' (a borderline AffectionateParody of the spy genre), mix well, top with Creator/AdamBaldwin, and serve. The short-lived ''Intelligence'' was this to ''Series/{{Chuck}}''. |
| 70 | * The Creator/{{CBS}} series ''Series/ColdCase'' is this to the series ''Series/WithoutATrace'', which premiered a year before. Likely because they were both produced by Creator/JerryBruckheimer, they followed a very similar format—an opening sequence in which we meet the victim and get a hint of what led to their disappearance/death, victim disappears/is seen dead, the cops are brought in, we get numerous interviews with friends and family that lead to flashbacks that start to spell out what happened culminating in one that finally tells us everything, then the victim is found dead or alive/killer is found and we get a final montage of the cops and the victim's loved ones. What truly makes it this is that it's at the polar opposite of the crime spectrum from ''WAT''--in most episodes of ''WAT'', the victim disappeared very recently and there is tremendous urgency to find them while they're presumably still alive. In ''CC'', the victim has been dead or missing for years, if not ''decades''. |
| 71 | * The ''Series/ColgateComedyHour'' to ''Vaudeville''. |
| 72 | * ''Series/{{Community}}'': |
| 73 | ** Many see the show as the spiritual successor of ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''. Smart comedy? Check. Vastly under appreciated hilarity? Check. Loved by the internet? Check. [[DownplayedTrope To a lesser extent]], ''Series/ModernFamily'' is also seen as one for similar reasons. |
| 74 | ** Whenever the idea of a ''Series/{{Spaced}}'' American remake comes up, many bring up the fact that it would be a lot like ''Community''. Both shows are about a gang of weirdos coming together to [[CharacterDevelopment help each other grow]], both are thoroughly obsessed with pop culture and both have had memorable [[PaintballEpisode paintball episodes]]. |
| 75 | ** The show is ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' if it they were in college and were more meta-obsessed, clever, and [[RefugeInAudacity audacious]]. (Although ''not'' to be confused with ''Saved By The Bell: The College Years.'') |
| 76 | * ''Series/CougarTown'' to ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''. Both have the same creator and share many of the same writers and actors, and are very similar in tone and humor. They even [[CharacterOverlap share at least one character]]. One episode {{lampshade|Hanging}}d it in the opening title. "Welcome to Cougartown. No, it's not just Scrubs in Florida with a lot of wine." ''Series/{{Community}}'' also feels like one. "Mundane" setting, every character is strange at the very least, lots of improbable [[BunnyEarsLawyer Bunny Ears Lawyers]] at anything, loads of characters all known for a quirk or a gimmick (POP POP!), and a lot of "unique" episodes which do something different. |
| 77 | %%* ''Series/CovertAffairs'' to ''Series/{{Alias}}'' |
| 78 | * While ''Film/TheCraft'' already had an acknowledged Spiritual Adaptation in the form of ''Series/Charmed1998'' (see below), one could make the case that ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCoven'' captured the film's spirit more faithfully, albeit with the '90s {{goth}}ic fashion sense and iconography swapped out for SouthernGothic and {{camp}}. Both are about the potent, ancient powers of witchcraft falling into the hands of teenage girls who, while skilled at wielding such for their own ends, have little idea of how to do so ''responsibly'', and use their powers to [[WitchWithACapitalB turn their catty infighting up to the next level]]. Madison Montgomery can easily be seen as the show's analogue to Nancy Downs, both being [[ItsAllAboutMe ragingly narcissistic]] {{Alpha Bitch}}es who see their powers solely as a means to satisfy their desires no matter who gets hurt along the way. They even both have subplots in which the heroine uses her powers to get revenge on a sexually-harassing JerkJock, only for it to [[GoneHorriblyWrong go horribly wrong]] one way or another. |
| 79 | * ''Series/TheDailyShow'' spawned several successors by former correspondents. First, ''Series/TheColbertReport'', hosted by Creator/StephenColbert which was a direct sister show to ''The Daily Show''. Later, Creator/JohnOliver and Creator/SamanthaBee went on to create ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' and ''Series/FullFrontalWithSamanthaBee'', both of which were cited as its successors after Creator/JonStewart left. Even after the post-Stewart incarnation of ''The Daily Show'' was perceived as having [[GrowingTheBeard grown the beard]] after a while, consensus was that Creator/TrevorNoah had a very different approach to political humor than Stewart did, while ''Last Week Tonight'' and ''Full Frontal'' were perceived as more reminiscent of Stewart's style. ''Series/TheNightlyShow'' with Creator/LarryWilmore and ''Series/PatriotActWithHasanMinhaj'' with Creator/HasanMinhaj, were also seen as similar successors. |
| 80 | * ''Series/DarkAngel'' was Creator/JamesCameron's attempt to make an unofficial live-action version of ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' after the official version he was scheduled to direct went into DevelopmentHell. Said [[Film/AlitaBattleAngel film adaptation]] would eventually be SavedFromDevelopmentHell and released in 2019, albeit with Cameron only co-writing and producing it and Creator/RobertRodriguez directing. |
| 81 | * ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'' is a spiritual successor to ''Series/AnimalFaceOff''. Other successors to ''Series/AnimalFaceOff'' include ''Series/JurassicFightClub'', ''Series/TheTruthAboutKillerDinosaurs'' and ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle''. |
| 82 | * ''Series/{{The Defenders|2017}}'' has nothing to do with [[Comicbook/TheDefenders the comic of the same name]], and is actually much closer in tone and premise to the short-lived ''Marvel Knights'' team book from the 90's. |
| 83 | * ''Series/{{Defiance}}'' shares a lot with the earlier ''Film/AlienNation'' (including the same creator). Both are based on the premise of man making FirstContact with desperate refugees. The major difference is that in ''Alien Nation'' our relations are reasonably good, while ''Defiance'' starts after a war that devastated the planet. |
| 84 | * Many entries of the Giant Hero genre are made by several creators from the Franchise/UltraSeries even if they don't have the license to make them official ones. As such, they have all the same rules and designs, to the point that the comic book equivalent would be having a character named Superguy, alias Mark Mint, with all the same powers. Expect some argument among fans about whether or not the likes of ''Series/DenkouChoujinGridman'' are "real" Ultraman series. |
| 85 | * The Creator/DisneyChannel's ''Film/{{Descendants}}'' films, about the children of the villains and protagonists of fairy tales and Disney films past, are probably the closest thing that ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'' has had to a LiveActionAdaptation. |
| 86 | * ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' to ''Film/AmericanBeauty''. Both examine the StepfordSuburbia, and Marc Cherry even announced the inspiration. Even the music sounds a little similar at times. ''Series/DeviousMaids'' is the spiritual successor to ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' as it's also created by Creator/MarcCherry and produced by Creator/EvaLongoria, with the same feel. |
| 87 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 88 | ** The UNIT stories clearly draw from ''Franchise/{{Quatermass}}'', with the Third Doctor taking on the Quatermass role of a cantankerous scientific advisor aiding military authorities to repel aliens invading Britain, while hampered by the occasional ObstructiveBureaucrat. In fact we're first introduced to TheBrigadier in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E5TheWebOfFear "The Web of Fear"]], which, like ''Quatermass and the Pit'', featured an alien menace in UsefulNotes/TheLondonUnderground. The 2009 Easter special, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E15PlanetOfTheDead "Planet of the Dead"]], has a direct ShoutOut by having a geeky UNIT scientist name a unit of measurement after Bernard Quatermass. Earlier, "Remembrance of the Daleks" had a slightly more subtle shout out with a reference to "Bernard" and his British Rocket Group. It should be noted that Quatermass creator Creator/NigelKneale strongly disapproved of ''Doctor Who'': not because he thought that it was ripping off his show, but because he thought that it was too irresponsibly horrific for a series marketed to an all-ages audience, whereas his series were marketed solely to adults. |
| 89 | ** The show has been going on [[LongRunners for long enough]] to have some stories be spiritual successors ''to previous stories from the same show''. For instance, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]] heavily draws inspiration from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E3ThePowerOfTheDaleks "The Power of the Daleks"]]. Similarly, the Silurians were re-introduced in a manner similar to their debut. (This was because the original series increasingly used them as generic 'evil aliens.' Starting fresh with a newly-awakened colony let them be used the way they [[CharacterRerailment always meant to be]]. |
| 90 | ** The two-parter "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E8TheImpossiblePlanet The Impossible Planet]]" / "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E9TheSatanPit The Satan Pit]]" together form a better ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' (and particularly ''[[VideoGame/{{Doom3}} Doom 3]]'') movie than [[Film/{{Doom}} the one that actually came out]]. |
| 91 | * ''Series/DogWithABlog'' can be considered the second coming of ''Series/ImInTheBand'', due to the shared staff and cast members. |
| 92 | * ''Series/DontForgetTheLyrics'' is almost a carbon copy of ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader'', using song lyrics instead of elementary school knowledge. |
| 93 | * ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' can be considered a spiritual successor to ''Series/UpstairsDownstairs'', given the similar themes (both deal with the lives of a large aristocratic family and their servants, both are period pieces, and both feature numerous characters) that both shows share. As a bonus, Julian Fellowes, the creator of ''Downton'', even admits to his show being a successor to ''Upstairs Downstairs''. It can also be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to Fellowes' film, ''Film/GosfordPark''. Actually, Fellowes reportedly intended to have Downton Abbey exist in the same universe as Gosford Park, but ultimately decided against it. |
| 94 | * ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' is the spiritual successor of ''Series/KenanAndKel'' and ''Series/TheAmandaShow'', to the point of being a very indirect spinoff. Drake and Josh were regular cast members on ''The Amanda Show''. ''The Amanda Show'' itself, and the aforementioned ''Kenan and Kel'', were both spiritual successors to ''Series/AllThat''. |
| 95 | * ''Creator/DrewCarey's Green Screen Show'' and ''Series/DrewCareysImprovAGanza'' are this to ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway''. |
| 96 | * ''Driven Crazy'' could be considered a spiritual successor to the first two seasons of ''Series/RoundTheTwist'', both being adapted from short stories by Creator/PaulJennings (unlike the latter two seasons). |
| 97 | * ''Series/EliStone'' to ''Series/AllyMcBeal'', both about a lawyer who hallucinates, though both in different ways. |
| 98 | * ''Series/{{Emergence}}'' seems an awful lot like a modern version of the film ''Film/{{Daryl}}'', only with more mystery and intrigue, a different villainous entity and [[GenderFlip a little girl instead of a little boy.]] |
| 99 | * ''Series/{{Endurance}}'' was a clear successor to JD Roth's previous kids-reality show ''Moolah Beach''. |
| 100 | * ''Series/TheEqualizer'' can be seen as a Successor to Creator/EdwardWoodward's late '60s spy drama ''Series/{{Callan}}'', which was something of a SpiritualAntithesis to ''Series/DangerMan''. And ''Series/BurnNotice'' to ''Series/TheEqualizer''. |
| 101 | * ''Series/TheEricAndreShow'' is essentially a live-action ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'', both being surreal talk shows on Creator/AdultSwim that feature oddball hosts and frequently troll their guests (until the guests eventually catch on to what they're getting themselves into and willfully contribute to the zaniness.) |
| 102 | * ''Series/{{Euphoria}}'' is what Creator/{{HBO}} would create if it was ordered to create a ForeignRemake of ''Film/AllAboutLilyChouChou'' to contemporary American audiences. |
| 103 | * ''Series/TheExpanse'' is a downplayed case since it's '''already''' [[Literature/TheExpanse based off of a book series]]. That being said, some fans have favorably compared the series to the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novels, especially in regards to the main similarities in how their long-term world building, political maneuvering and progressive technological developments that dramatically alter the military and political landscape are utilized within the narrative. |
| 104 | [[/folder]] |
| 105 | |
| 106 | [[folder:F-L]] |
| 107 | * ''Fairly Secret Army'' is a "spiritual spin-off" to ''Series/TheFallAndRiseOfReginaldPerrin''. It was created by David Nobbs, and the lead character, Major Harry Truscott, played by Geoffrey Palmer, was essentially Palmer's ''Perrin'' character, Major Jimmy Anderson, without the "bit of a cock-up" catchphrase. However, ''Fairly Secret Army'' was a Creator/Channel4 show, while the rights to ''Perrin'' characters remained with Creator/TheBBC. |
| 108 | * ''Series/FakingIt'' could be considered the spiritual successor to both MTV's own ''Series/{{Awkward}}'', with it's neurotic teens, goofy adult characters and humor heavy on the DeadpanSnarker variety, as well as a more satirical ''Series/SouthOfNowhere'', with it's exploration of a teen girl discovering her sexuality and coming to terms with her attraction to her female best friend (although with ''Faking It'' it's a case (probably) of IncompatibleOrientation where as ''South of Nowhere'' [[spoiler: it ends up being mutual]]). |
| 109 | * ''Falling Water'', a show about people who can enter and manipulate other people's dreams, has been outright [[http://www.polygon.com/tv/2016/8/3/12369800/falling-water-usa-syfy described]] as "Creator/{{USA|Network}}'s take on ''Film/{{Inception}}'', but without the tricks." |
| 110 | * It may or may not have been deliberate, but ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' is essentially ''Series/BlakesSeven'' with an actual budget, a cruder sense of humour, and more explicit sexuality. Both series are about a bickering team of eccentric and morally-questionable {{Nominal Hero}}es, most of whom are escaped criminals, on the run from an oppressive government in a SapientShip, and sometimes managing to do good, at times by complete accident. ''Series/{{Crusade}}'' could also be considered a spiritual successor to ''Series/BlakesSeven'', with a similar crew of rag-tag misfits (Eilerson in particular could be considered something of an {{Expy}} of Avon), although the parallels would have been stronger if the series had continued down the path its creator intended before it was ScrewedByTheNetwork. |
| 111 | * ''Series/FateTheWinxSaga'' looks more like Live-Action ''[[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} RWBY]]'' than Live-Action ''[[WesternAnimation/WinxClub Winx Club]]''. a team of girls training in special academy designed to fight monsters? Check. Not to mention the fact that Magics in ''fate'' work more like Semblances than what we see on ''Winx club''. |
| 112 | * ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman'' was this to ''Series/{{Zoom}}'', the first season of FETCH! even having one of the same castmates. |
| 113 | * ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': |
| 114 | ** Some consider it to be a very well done live-action version of ''Manga/OutlawStar''. |
| 115 | ** ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' fans sometimes joke that Creator/JossWhedon must have been having a few beers with Robert Mandell and made a Galaxy Rangers series told from the criminals' point of view. |
| 116 | ** ''Firefly'' is also often compared to ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'', and there has been [[https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/13668/is-joss-whedons-firefly-based-on-the-traveller-rpg-he-played speculation]] that the series was actually based on a campaign. |
| 117 | * The entire Creator/{{FOX}} television network has been called the spiritual successor to the Creator/DuMont network, and not just because it's the "fourth network" in the American TV lineup — after [=DuMont=] went bust in 1956, the two remaining owned-and-operated stations (WABD and WTTG) formed the [=DuMont=] Broadcasting Corporation, which grew and became the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company in 1957 and Metromedia in 1961; in 1986, UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch bought Metromedia's television operations and used them to launch the FOX network. The Fox Broadcasting Center is right where [=DuMont=] flagship WABD (now WNYW) sits — the former [=DuMont=] Tele-Centre, later called the Metromedia Telecenter during that era. |
| 118 | * ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' is almost universally considered a spiritual successor to ''Series/TheXFiles''. It's also a spiritual successor to ''Film/AlteredStates.'' |
| 119 | * ''Series/FTroop'': This show is seen by some as a derivative of the Glenn Ford comedy film, ''Advance To The Rear''. |
| 120 | * ''Series/TheFugitive'' shares several plot and thematic elements with the novel and film ''Film/DarkPassage'', to the point where the novel's author (unsuccessfully) sued the show's producers for copyright infringement. |
| 121 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': |
| 122 | ** The series has been compared to ''Series/{{Rome}}'', HBO's first foray into the lavish, politically-driven sword and sandal genre. Several veteran actors from ''Rome'' re-enlisted to ''[=GoT=]'' and some others declared half-jokingly that the show stole ''Rome'''s thunder and wouldn't join ''Game of Thrones'', citing ItsBeenDone. |
| 123 | ** Due to shared inspiration (specifically, the real life UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses), fans have considered ''Series/GameOfThrones'' the closest thing to a DarkerAndEdgier (as if that was necessary) live action adaptation of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' they're ever likely to see. |
| 124 | ** Arya's story arc in Seasons 5 and 6 of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' actually makes for a pretty decent ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' miniseries. It's even set in Braavos (a {{fictional counterpart}} of Venice, Italy) in a time period based loosely on the 15th century, making it surprisingly close to the look and feel of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII''. |
| 125 | ** The series is also considered UsefulNotes/TheNewTens' equivalent of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', as both are epic-scale adaptations of {{doorstopper}} fantasy literature that are considered genre-definers in their respective media (TV and film). Both works also broke the FantasyGhetto in their respective media, and while the ''LOTR'' films were groundbreaking for being highly successful adult-oriented HighFantasy adaptations, ''[=GoT=]'' takes this even further by catering ''exclusively'' to mature audiences with its graphic content and intricate plot and characters. Many jokes were made about Creator/SeanBean featuring in both franchises and getting killed off in the earliest installment both times. |
| 126 | * Yet another Schneider example: ''Series/GameShakers'' is this to both ''Series/{{iCarly}}'' and ''Series/{{Victorious}}''. |
| 127 | * Bunheads to ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': both created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, both have a fast-talking, pop culture savvy, cynical (though Michelle is INFINITELY more bitter than Lorelai), thirty0something female lead. Both take place in small towns, both shows share Kelly Bishop, Creator/ChrisEigeman, and others, etc. |
| 128 | * ''Series/GirlsOnTop'' can be seen as The80s' answer to ''Series/ItsAwfullyBadForYourEyesDarling'', with both series revolving around four young women sharing a flat - a bossy one (Amanda/Virginia), a dim one (Jennifer/Clover), a man-hungry one (Candice/Samantha), and a greedy one (Shelley/Pudding). |
| 129 | * ''Series/{{Glee}}'': |
| 130 | ** The show could be seen as a successor to both the short-lived series ''Cop Rock'' and ''Viva Laughlin''. Albeit '''''much''''' more successful and well-known. |
| 131 | ** The series resembles ''Series/{{Fame}}: The TV Series'' with its theme of people wanting to be special and being a musical, except set in a regular school instead of a performing arts school. |
| 132 | ** ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' and ''Series/DreamHigh'' can be seen as screwball comedy and KoreanDrama versions of ''Glee''. |
| 133 | ** The 2003 movie ''Camp'' was, essentially, ''Glee'' with a smaller budget and way more [[SubvertedTrope subversion]]. It takes place in a musical theater summer camp, all of the numbers are ShowWithinAShow, and the lead character is a [[PetHomosexual Pet Heterosexual ]] in a CastFullOfGay. |
| 134 | ** ''Glee'' similar to the Ryan Murphy high school-based show ''Series/{{Popular}}'' (except without the music). |
| 135 | ** The show frequently invites comparisons to ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', to the point that there was even an ''[[http://glee.wikia.com/wiki/Archie_Meets_Glee Archie Meets Glee]]'' comic-book crossover between the two, with Dilton explicitly naming several characters from ''Glee'' as analogues to his own friends in Riverdale and noting that music plays a major role in both works. Archie is Finn, Dilton is Artie, Kevin is Kurt, Reggie is Puck, Veronica is Rachel, and Betty is a nicer version of Quinn, and while Archie Comics isn't built around a musical group the way that ''Glee'' is, it does have the students performing in the [[FakeBand bands]] ComicBook/JosieAndThePussycats and The Archies. Perhaps not coincidentally, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the current chief creative officer at ''Archie Comics'' and the ShowRunner for its LiveActionAdaptation ''Riverdale'', had previously been a writer on ''Glee''. |
| 136 | ** When it first premiered, it was often described as "''Film/HighSchoolMusical: [[RecycledTheSeries The Series]]''", though this died down once it became clear that the show was more of a {{deconstructive|Parody}} BlackComedy take on the concept. |
| 137 | ** Creator/RyanMurphy has [[https://deadline.com/2011/08/emmys-qa-with-ryan-murphy-about-glee-153242/ said]] that ''Film/{{Election}}'' was also a major inspiration, particularly with the interactions between Mr. Schuster and Rachel being based on those of that film's Mr. [=McAllister=] and Tracy Flick. |
| 138 | * ''Series/TheGoldbergs'': |
| 139 | ** The show is essentially the 1980s set version of the 1960s set ''Series/TheWonderYears'', sans the warm fuzzy nostalgia. Both feature a family of five, with the main character being the youngest of three siblings, along with his aloof sister and pain in the ass older brother. Both feature a sometimes grouchy father with a subtle heart of gold, and both feature ongoing retrospective narration from the now-adult main character. |
| 140 | ** The show is the closest anyone has come to doing a sitcom InTheStyleOf Creator/JeanShepherd. The influence of ''Film/AChristmasStory'' is very obvious (and they naturally did a tribute episode to it), but it also manages to replicate Shepherd's deconstruction of the NostalgiaFilter, broadly-drawn characters fond of the ZanyScheme, and use of pop culture to evoke a certain era. |
| 141 | * ''Series/TheGoodDoctor'' is [[AdvertisingByAssociation from the creators of]] ''Series/{{House}}'', and uses the same structure as the PatientOfTheWeek. It may be seen as that show's family-friendly counterpart, with an infinitely more friendly protagonist (although like Gregory House, Shaun Murphy also has his share of emotional baggage that interferes with his coexistence with patients and co-workers). |
| 142 | * The short-lived sitcom ''Series/GoodNews'' is this to ''Series/{{Amen}}'' as they were both created by the same people, took place in a church, shared the same sets, shared a Hettabrink sister (Amelia), and most of the plots involved an AmoralAttorney and the church's reverend. The only thing that's different on GN is that there's no Thelma or Rolly, and GN is set in inner-city UsefulNotes/LosAngeles while Amen is set in Philadelphia. |
| 143 | * ''Series/TheGoodNightShow'' is this to ''Series/PJsBedtime'', a programming block that used to air on the British version of Creator/PlayhouseDisney, as Andrew Beecham, who founded the hosted formats international versions of Playhouse Disney utilized, became Creator/{{Sprout}}'s senior vice president of programming when the latter launched. Both blocks help kids get ready for bed through things like stories and songs. |
| 144 | * ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' |
| 145 | ** The first season's CruelTwistEnding makes the season's events one to [[spoiler:[[UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} Existentialist]] philosopher Creator/JeanPaulSartre's famous play ''Theatre/NoExit''. All of the main characters were selected to torture each other by making each other's lives an [[IronicHell Ironic]] SelfInflictedHell through their conflicting egos and clashing personalities, all while [[ThisIsntHeaven believing they'd been sent to the "Good Place"]] (which is depicted as a MundaneAfterlife paralleling Hell being portrayed in ''No Exit'' as an [[HellHotel ordinary hotel room]]). The parallels go further, with two-thirds of the series' main characters being blatant {{Exp|y}}ies of the cast of ''No Exit'' - [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Eleanor Shellstrop]] is Inès Serrano[[note]]a nasty antisocial lady who hits on their female companion, freely admits that she was a terrible person in life, and [[OnlySaneMan is the first to realize how and why they're all being tortured]][[/note]], [[TheDitherer Chidi Anagonye]] is Joseph Garcin[[note]]Garcin feigns being an honest man mistakenly punished, and Chidi has no reason to believe, as a moral philosopher, that he would end up in the Bad Place; both men are also cowardly French-speakers caught between the two women in their stories[[/note]], [[BrokenAce Tahani Al-Jamil]] is Estelle Rigault[[note]]a haughty socialite who never seems to fully realize [[InnocentlyInsensitive how grating she can be]][[/note]], and [[BitchInSheepsClothing Michael]] is the Valet[[note]]a humble, unassuming afterlife employee administering a torture chamber[[/note]].]] The series' showrunner Creator/MichaelSchur even explicitly [[https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/the-good-place/275396/the-1944-existentialist-play-that-inspired-the-good-place described the play]] as a major inspiration for the show. |
| 146 | ** It's also a pretty good TV adaptation of the computer game ''VideoGame/Afterlife1996'', with Michael serving as the PlayerCharacter from that game designing a custom [[{{Heaven}} "Good Place"]] for the main characters. [[spoiler:It still works even after TheReveal, when it turns out that he was ''actually'' designing a custom [[{{Hell}} "Bad Place"]] to torment them, largely for [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential the amusement of himself and the demons working for him]].]] |
| 147 | * ''Series/TheGoodWife'' is perhaps this to ''Canterburys Law'', as both are courtroom dramas starring Julianna Margulies. |
| 148 | * One could draw a direct line from ''Series/GoOn'' succeeding ''Series/MrSunshine2011'', ''Mr. Sunshine'' succeeding ''Series/BetterOffTed'', and ''Better Off Ted'' succeeding ''Series/AndyRichterControlsTheUniverse''. |
| 149 | * ''Radio/TheGoonShow'': Creator/MontyPython is its closest spiritual successor. |
| 150 | * Gossip Girl is the spiritual successor to The OC as both had the same creator and similar premises of focusing on rich kids. |
| 151 | * ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' can be one to ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', since both are prequels based on Creator/DCComics. However, Smallville stars a younger Franchise/{{Superman}}, while Gotham focuses more on the Franchise/{{Batman}} mythos. |
| 152 | ** The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' shows are also a spiritual successor to ''Smallville'' as they both are DC Comics-based shows that aired on The CW as well as airing on nights that ''Smallville'' aired. Some of the things the Arrowverse shows have done, such as having ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' end up with the blond hacker chick and paying homage to earlier DC Comics-based productions, have already been done by ''Smallville''. |
| 153 | * ''Series/TopGear'' was a show on the BBC about three very British VitriolicBestBuds messing around with some cars. ''Series/TheGrandTour'' is a show about the same three very British VitriolicBestBuds messing around with some cars... but now they're on Amazon. |
| 154 | * ''Series/GreatNews'' to ''Series/ThirtyRock''. The show is produced by the creator of the latter, and is another WorkCom focusing on the story of the wacky crew running a show. It also follows the original plan of the latter show, which is to focus on a news program. |
| 155 | * ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' is this to ''{{Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}''. Many characters in Grimm have prior equivalents in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and there are features such as the trailer library/Sunnydale HS library and Rosalee's Spice Shop/The Magic Box. |
| 156 | * ''Series/HannahMontana'' is this to ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'', due to the show's lead Music/MileyCyrus having Music/HilaryDuff as her idol and reason why the show was made. |
| 157 | ** ''Hannah Montana'' can also be seen as a sitcom version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'', since both series deal with the main characters with a pop star secret identity. |
| 158 | ** ''Series/ShakeItUp'' is the spiritual successor of ''Series/HannahMontana''. |
| 159 | ** ''Series/ShakeItUp'' is also something of a spiritual successor of ''Series/LaverneAndShirley'' when you consider its creator used to be a writer on the latter. |
| 160 | *** Speaking of Lizzie [=McGuire=], ''Series/AndiMack'' is this too to ''Lizzie'', but it also shares its spiritual successor status too with ''Series/TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager'' as well. |
| 161 | * ''Series/HappyDays'' owes a lot to ''Film/AmericanGraffiti'' - it's [[Creator/RonHoward star]], introductory theme song, setting and nostalgia, even if it took the bittersweet themes of ''American Graffiti'' and made them more straightforwardly sweet. |
| 162 | * ''Series/HappyEndings'' is pretty much ''{{Series/Friends}}'' for a new generation, a group of six, a bimbo Rachel, a blonde Monica, a Metro Ross, a black Chandler, a Gay Joey, and an even more dorky Phoebe. |
| 163 | * Creator/TylerPerry's television drama ''Series/TheHavesAndTheHaveNots'' is pretty much the television series version of his film ''Film/TheFamilyThatPreys''. |
| 164 | * ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': |
| 165 | ** The show itself is the spiritual successor to ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred''. |
| 166 | ** There are those who consider this show a jazzier version of the ''Comicbook/XMen''. Others consider it the television version of ''ComicBook/DP7''. |
| 167 | * ''Series/HogansHeroes'' drew inspiration from many POWCamp movies, but it's especially close to being a PlayedForLaughs version of ''Film/Stalag17''. ''Stalag'' has the sadistic Col. von Scherbach, ''Hogan'' has [[{{Expy}} the sadistic Col. Klink]], and the addition of a T to his surname is [[CaptainErsatz basically the only difference]] between ''Stalag'' 's Sgt. Schulz and ''Hogan'''s Sgt. Schultz. The writers of the original play sued for copyright infringement and won, but it got overturned on appeal (on the grounds that the tones of the two works were vastly different). |
| 168 | * ''The Holy Pearl'': This Chinese Drama has been said to be an unofficial adaptation of ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}''. |
| 169 | * ''Series/{{Homeland}}'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/TwentyFour''. In addition to sharing a lot of writers, executive producers and production staff, both shows are concerned with intelligence and counter-terrorism work, what motivates terrorists and double agents, the personal costs of such a life (both terrorists and counter-terrorism agents) and the lengths that both sides will go to. ''Homeland'', however, skips ''24'''s [[RealTime major gimmick]]. |
| 170 | * Some viewers consider ''Series/HomeMovieThePrincessBride'' to be in the same vein as ''Film/BeKindRewind'', with the premises of both being about recreating a classic film in an amateur way. |
| 171 | * ''Series/TheHouseOfEliott'' was one to ''Series/UpstairsDownstairs'', both being British period dramas created by the same team of Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, though they were shown on different channels, ''Upstairs Downstairs'' on ITV and ''The House Of Eliott'' on the BBC. |
| 172 | * ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' is very much a spiritual successor to ''Series/{{Friends}}'', which is itself a spiritual successor to ''Series/{{Cheers}}''. All three are sitcoms with some form of restaurant as their default set (''Friends'' is the odd man out, using a cafe instead of a bar), and are centered around a group of unmarried ~30-year-olds, with sexual tension amongst the group. This was lampshaded by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c_-gzE5OAM early publicity]] for the UK broadcast, in which the voiceover guy kept "accidentally" called the characters by the wrong names (Chandler for Ted, Joey for Barney, Pheobe for Lily, and "the hot one with hair" for Robin), before eventually admitting "It's basically new episodes of ''Friends'' without boring ruddy Ross." It's also something of a spiritual successor to ''Series/TheWonderYears'', using the framing device of an older narrator telling the audience stories about his past. ''How I Met Your Mother'' took the idea and instead of the fairly straightforward application in ''The Wonder Years'', ran with the concept and branched out like crazy, turning the show into a convoluted mystery built on AnachronicOrder and ContinuityPorn. |
| 173 | * ''In the House'' could be considered as a spiritual successor to ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' due to both sitcoms sharing the same executive producer (Winifred Hervey) and that one of the cast members of ''Bel-Air'' (Alfonso Ribeiro) joined the cast of ''In the House'' after the show's end. |
| 174 | * A few months after new episodes of ''Series/IntoTheDark'' were suspended due to [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]], a similar streaming anthology series, ''Welcome to the [[Creator/BlumhouseProductions Blumhouse]]'', made its debut on Creator/PrimeVideo. The new series is essentially ''Into the Dark'' without the loose holiday theming, right down to the same studio being behind it. |
| 175 | * ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' is one to ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', both being sitcoms where the entirety of the basic premise is that the main characters are [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist terrible people who never learn anything]]. The elevator pitch for the show was "''Seinfeld'' on crack." It's also been noted that it's essentially an Irish-American {{foil}} to the quintessentially Jewish-American sitcom ''Seinfeld''. |
| 176 | * ''Series/{{JAG}}'': |
| 177 | ** Following its second season revamp, the show was considered by some in the late '90s to be spiritual successor of ''Series/LALaw'', albeit in a military setting. |
| 178 | ** [[Recap/JAGS05E07Rogue "Rogue"]], a fifth season episode of the show, works out to be the best ''Literature/RogueWarrior'' work never made. The level of detail in both the basic plot and the characterization is incredible, to the point one can't help but think this would be what Creator/DonaldPBellisario would love to work on if given half a chance. |
| 179 | * ''Series/{{Jam}}'' is this to ''Series/BigTrain'' - made by the same people, featuring the same actors and using the same general sketch style. The only difference is that the humour in ''Jam'' is far darker (due to Creator/ChrisMorris being its main creator). |
| 180 | * ''Series/{{Jessie}}'' could be considered a successor to ''Series/TheNanny'', since they are both about regular women being hired as nannies for wealthy families through pure happenstance. Not to mention that the creator/executive producer for the former, Pamela Eells O'Connell, was one of the original writers for the latter. It's also a ''double''-case, as it's pretty much a SpinOff of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'' (once again, another O'Connell creation) focusing on Bailey Pickett but with the SerialNumbersFiledOff. |
| 181 | * ''Series/TheJoelMcHaleShowWithJoelMcHale'' is very much a revival of ''Series/TheSoup'' due to similar format (Creator/JoelMcHale riffing on reality-show clips). |
| 182 | * In broad strokes, ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'' bears something of a resemblance to ''Manga/InuYasha''. Both are heavily focused on collecting scattered {{Plot Coupon}}s that create monsters. Both have one deuteragonist who's an animal-themed monster from hundreds of years in the past and wants to gain the Plot Coupons to become more powerful, because [[spoiler: he is not a 'complete' monster]]. Both have a protagonist who is an ordinary human that is often forced to restrain the amoral deuteragonist, and [[spoiler: who also ends up with a PlotCoupon inside their body, giving them extra power]]. In both cases, the two main characters have a lot of friction in their attempts to get what they want (and both need each other). While Inuyasha and Kagome are explicitly implied to be attracted to one another, however, Eiji and Ankh are not, [[HoYay at least officially]]. |
| 183 | * ''Series/KanpaiSenshiAfterV'' was broadcast in Japan during 2014 at the same time the third season of ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'' would have aired. Though ''After V'' is not produced by Creator/{{Toei}}, it does parody ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' in a similar vein to ''Akibaranger'', but with more focus given on the activities of our heroes at night rather than their battles against evil. |
| 184 | ** Similarly, the {{Dorama}} ''Series/TokusatsuGaGaGa'' also fits being one to Akibaranger as well. Kano's fangirling over tokusatsu and tendencies to go into delusions to overcome struggles in life would fit right at home at Akibaranger. |
| 185 | * While the Creator/DisneyChannel's [[Film/KimPossible live-action film adaptation]] of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' met [[BrokenBase a mixed reception]], there'll always be ''Series/KCUndercover'' if one wants to picture what a live-action version of that show would look like. Creator/{{Zendaya}}, the show's star, was well aware of the similarities, and [[https://twitter.com/Zendaya/status/398247722404151296 described the show]] as a throwback to ''Kim Possible'' and the "cool Disney Channel" of the early '00s. |
| 186 | * While ''Series/KevinCanFuckHimself'' doesn't get nearly as depraved as ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'', the show's deconstruction of DomCom tropes can come off as a great TV adaptation of the "I Love Mallory" scenes in that film showing Mallory's backstory. In both works, a clear-cut case of DomesticAbuse is {{Played for|Laughs}} BlackComedy and dark satire by framing it as a sitcom, complete with a LaughTrack that gets a lot less appropriate as the viewer realizes how ugly the situation is, while the suffering woman in the situation eventually snaps and decides to kill the man responsible for her abuse. |
| 187 | * ''Series/KillingEve'' is often compared to ''Series/{{Hannibal}}''. Both are about troubled law enforcement officers fascinated with killers and alternately pursuing or working with those killers. |
| 188 | * ''{{Series/Killjoys}}'' gets compared a lot to ''{{Series/Firefly}}''. |
| 189 | * ''Series/KirbyBuckets'' can be seen as the successor to ''Series/ZekeAndLuther'' or ''Series/OutOfJimmysHead''. |
| 190 | * Though ''Series/{{Knightmare}}'' never got an [[TransAtlanticEquivalent American adaptation]] (they tried, but it was apparently "too costly"), ''Series/NickArcade'' and ''Series/MastersOfTheMaze'' both served as unofficial American versions. ''Arcade'' mainly took after ''Series/{{Starcade}}'' in the main game, but took a ''Knightmare''-esque approach in the endgame. ''Maze'', meanwhile, centered more around mental challenges and the titular maze, which had contestants wearing ''Series/VRTroopers''-style armor, making it a bit more like ''Series/LegendsOfTheHiddenTemple'' with video game-style elements and a dash of ''Knightmare''. |
| 191 | * ''Series/LastManStanding'' is a DistaffCounterpart to ''Series/HomeImprovement'', being a sitcom about a man's man played by Creator/TimAllen trying to navigate his way through family life, only with his ''LMS'' character having all daughters instead of all sons. |
| 192 | * Creator/TheBBC's music show ''Series/LaterWithJoolsHolland'' is without a doubt the SpiritualSuccessor to ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. |
| 193 | * ''Series/LabRats'' could be seen as this to ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', with both shows revolving around three siblings who were created in a lab and raised as the children of a renomed scientist, and who find themselves having to balance ordinary lives while using their superhuman powers for heroic purposes. [[spoiler:Both sibling trios also discover one of their foes was responsible for their conception.]] |
| 194 | * ''Series/LastWeekTonight'' can be this to ''Series/ThatWasTheWeekThatWas'', with both shows being hosted by British comedians, and focusing on news of the week with satire added to the mix. |
| 195 | * ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert'' is this to ''Series/TheColbertReport'', with the major difference being that Creator/StephenColbert is playing himself instead of an idiotic, know-it-all conservative political pundit. Virtually all of the production and writing staff from the ''Report'' moved to ''The Late Show'' with Stephen (including, [[HeterosexualLifePartners of course]], Creator/JonStewart as executive producer); they share a set designer and set aesthetic; Stephen continues to have on an eclectic mix of political, business, and celebrity guests; and political snark abounds. |
| 196 | * ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' could be as close to ''Series/DoctorWho'' as a Superhero show can get. Rip Hunter, time traveling badass that lost his family to a giant war, wears a BadassLongcoat and has people traveling with him shares an actor with the companion Rory from Doctor Who, while his background is a mix of The Doctor and Captain Jack Harkness (without Jack’s libido). Also, his time machine/ship, the Waverider, literally is outfitted with a TARDIS console. |
| 197 | * ''Series/TheLibrarians2014'' has many similarities to ''Series/DoctorWho''. We have an eccentric genius with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of magic and several others fitting in the companion role. Just replace aliens with magic, and the Time travelling TARDIS with a magic door that can send someone to any other door on Earth. |
| 198 | * ''Series/LifeWithBoys'', although a CanadianSeries broadcast on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} with a low concept, can be considered a SpiritualSuccessor to the glory years of 2006-2007-era Creator/DisneyChannel [[KidCom kidcoms]] like ''Series/HannahMontana'', ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'' and ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' in feel and in comedy, as it was created by ''Hannah'' creator Michael Poryes, features plenty of [[ZanyScheme zany schemes]], cool losers and SiblingRivalry (though that can be said of many [[KidCom KidComs]]), and co-stars ''Series/CoryInTheHouse'' alum Madison Pettis. Star Torri Webster seems to have a very Music/MileyCyrus-like charisma and energy, and Creator/EmilyOsment got to guest-star as herself in one episode. |
| 199 | * ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'' [[note]]both are Westerns featuring Creator/MichaelLandon in the cast, and both were made by the same unit at Creator/{{NBC}}[[/note]], and ''Series/HighwayToHeaven'' is one to ''Little House''[[note]]it featured Michael Landon in the lead role, and brought over some of the staff from the first two series, including composer David Rose[[/note]]. |
| 200 | * ''Series/LivAndMaddie'' is a modern day ''Series/SisterSister'' but replace the part about twin sisters SeparatedAtBirth with sisters seeing each other again after one of them was done with a TV show. Both series also share much in common, at least in the concept of twin relatives with opposing personalities, with ''Series/ThePattyDukeShow''. Also similarly to TPDS, Creator/DoveCameron plays both "twin" roles. Creator/PattyDuke herself appeared in the episode "Grandma-a-Rooney" as their grandmother Janice and her twin sister Hillary. |
| 201 | * ''Series/{{Llanargollen}}'' (2013): |
| 202 | ** It is often compared to ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'' (1996). Both shows feature a live-action man solving mysteries with their animated female dog (a la the RogerRabbitEffect). The former show would have done a great job filling the gap that was left by the latter if it weren't for [[NoExportForYou the non-existant distribution of the show]], and for the fact that ''Blue's Clues'' would receive [[WesternAnimation/BluesCluesAndYou a reboot]] years later. |
| 203 | ** ''Llan-ar-goll-en'' also isn't without its comparisons to ''Series/LazyTown'', as both are [[CultClassic cult classics]] from relatively obscure countries (Iceland and Wales) with a similar style of MediumBlending (one uses puppets while the other uses animated animals, both interacting with humans), and a great usage of EccentricTownsfolk. |
| 204 | * Despite both being adaptations in different continuities of the same work, ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' clearly tries to invoke intentionally the nostalgia of the ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', and borrows so many elements from the trilogy, that one could consider them being part of same continuity: the filming style like having over the top epic music while the camera films the landscape before stopping at showing a wide shot of a location; the score emulates sometimes Music/HowardShore, something Music/BearMcCreary acknowledged in the case of the Harfoots; having a similar storyline to Aragorn and Arwen happening between Habrand/[[spoiler:Sauron]] and Galadriel who both are played by actors physically resembling Aragorn and Galadriel; and the number of MythologyGags is endless, from having an exact replica of the Narsil from the movies, to one of the Istari ([[spoiler:implied to be Gandalf]]) saying "when in doubt, --insert Hobbit full name--, always follow you nose" -- a line taken straight up from ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship Of The Ring]]''. Also, they involved a lot of people who worked on the original trilogy: Music/HowardShore composed the opening theme, co-production with Creator/NewLineCinema, having Creator/{{WETA}} involved in the CGI department, Creator/JohnHowe once again serving as conceptual designer chief for another Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium work, and almost having Creator/PeterJackson involved in the creation of the show, which went to nothing because of the Tolkien Estate. |
| 205 | * JM [=McNab=], writing for ''Website/{{Cracked}}'', has [[https://www.cracked.com/article_26510_we-already-got-myst-tv-show-it-was-called-lost.html said]] that a then-announced TV adaptation of ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' would be redundant, because ''Series/{{Lost}}'' was already the best adaptation of the game ever made. Both are about protagonists who wake up on an island filled with puzzles, mystery, dangers, and MindScrew, with a startling number of similarities in some of the finer details. ''Lost''[='=]s ShowRunner Damon Lindelof even [[http://entertainment.time.com/2007/03/19/lyst_cuse_and_lindelof_on_lost_1/ cited]] ''Myst'' as an inspiration. |
| 206 | * ''Series/LostLoveInTimes'' is made by the same producer, director, and scriptwriter who made the 2015 series ''Series/TheJourneyOfFlower'', so comparisons between the two are inevitable. |
| 207 | * ''Series/LoveAndDestiny'' is one to ''Series/TenMilesOfPeachBlossoms''. Technically the two series are unrelated, and ''Love and Destiny'' is about completely new characters who never reference the events of ''Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms'', but there are enough similarities between the plots for this series to be considered a spin-off of [=TMOPB=]. |
| 208 | [[/folder]] |
| 209 | |
| 210 | [[folder:M-S]] |
| 211 | * ''Series/MadMen'' is one to ''Series/TheSopranos'', no doubt in part due to the former's creator being an executive producer and writer for the latter. Despite ''The Sopranos'' being a CriminalProcedural focusing on TheMafia and ''Mad Men'' being a [[PeriodPiece period drama]] focusing on an advertising agency, both are dialogue-heavy character-driven dramas that make use of BlackComedy, nuance, and moral ambiguity. Furthermore, both tackle many introspective topics such as mental illness, addiction, and morality as well as societal issues such as racism and sexism by using DeliberateValuesDissonance. Even more emphasized when considering both Don Draper and Tony Soprano are [[BrokenAce Broken Aces]] in their respective lines of work, are serial adulterers married to a blonde StepfordSmiler, and have unresolved childhood trauma from the actions of their parents among other similar traits. |
| 212 | * ''Series/MarieAntoinette2022'' was ordered by Canal+ following the end of ''Series/{{Versailles}}'', and much of it is set at the same eponymous place nearly one century after the final season of ''Versailles''. |
| 213 | * The Lifetime mini series, ''Marry Me'' is a spiritual successor to ''Maneater''. |
| 214 | * Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: |
| 215 | ** When the Netflix series ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' premiered, many noted that the show felt like an adaptation of a famous non-Marvel (and non-comic book) superhero property: ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}''. Both are {{Capepunk}} psychological thrillers with an emphasis on the characters rather than their superpowers, a super-strong hero pitted against a purple-clad MagnificentBastard, and even a NighInvulnerable hero who calls himself "unbreakable". |
| 216 | ** [[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jun/23/loki-episode-three-recap-is-this-just-doctor-who-with-a-big-budget Arguments have]] [[https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/loki-is-an-american-riff-on-doctor-who been made]] that ''Series/Loki2021'', with its TimeyWimeyBall, running around with [[NeverTheSelvesShallMeet multiple versions of the same person]], and the story being centered around a millennia-old person trying to make sense of their role in the universe ([[WalkingDisasterArea and the destruction they cause in their wake]]) makes it a big-budget American version of the Creator/RussellTDavies and Creator/StevenMoffat eras of ''Series/DoctorWho'' set in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, only [[PerspectiveFlip with the twist]] that this time, [[https://www.cbr.com/loki-doctor-who-master-protagonist/ a Master-like character]] is [[VillainProtagonist the focus]].[[note]]It's also appropriate to note that Marvel actually has assigned an official number to a universe inhabited by the Doctor: [[https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/The_Doctor_(Earth-5556) Earth-5556.]][[/note]] |
| 217 | ** ''Series/WandaVision'': |
| 218 | *** The show is a parody of classic {{sitcom}}s, complete with a DeliberatelyMonochrome first two episodes, in which the protagonists' idyllic life in an artificial StepfordSuburbia slowly unravels as the seams in the setting grow increasingly visible and eventually tear the world apart. In short, it's ''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'' in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, albeit done less as a social satire and more as a {{surreal|Horror}}, {{psychological|Horror}} SuperheroHorror story. |
| 219 | *** Many fans and even some critics have favorably described the miniseries as what would happen if Creator/DavidLynch ever helmed a Marvel Cinematic Universe project, to the point that Creator/BobChipman [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF5tkIXjtE0 outright described]] the series' slow burn as a melancholic {{Deconstruction}} of the American Dream interspersed with moments of psychological/surreal horror as "Baby's first David Lynch". |
| 220 | * Creator/{{VH1}} Classic has the show ''Metal Mania'', which airs late at night and plays a 2-hour block of HeavyMetal and HairMetal music videos from the 1980s and 1990s. It's a spiritual successor to the old Creator/{{MTV}} show ''Series/HeadbangersBall''. |
| 221 | * ''Series/TheMiddle'' is one to ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle''. The creators don't even try to hide this by... at least giving the show a different name. |
| 222 | ** Arguably, ''Series/TheMiddle'' is more the ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' to ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'''s ''Series/MarriedWithChildren''. The former both shows are interested in finding comedy in the lives of an ordinary-ish blue collar family (with the wife being the central character both times), while the latter shows used it as a backdrop to show the family's wacky antics. |
| 223 | * ''Series/MockTheWeek'' is a spiritual successor to ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'', even sharing several identical games and a couple of guests. |
| 224 | * ''Series/ModernFamily'' can also be seen as ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' updated for TheNewTens. Both are among the defining {{Dom Com}}s of their respective decades, each being about a large extended family that bucked the conventions of the "traditional" nuclear family. The titular Brady bunch was formed by a widowed father and a single mother (she was originally supposed to be a divorcee, but they ultimately left it ambiguous to avoid controversy) who remarried and brought their kids with them, while the extended Pritchett-Dunphy-Delgado clan on ''Modern Family'' includes a [[MayDecemberRomance May-December]] interracial couple in Jay and Gloria (both of whom are also on their second marriage) and a same-sex couple in Mitchell and Cameron. |
| 225 | * ''Series/TheMonkees'' was, more or less, a spiritual successor to Music/TheBeatles' films ''Film/AHardDaysNight'' and ''Film/{{Help}}'' |
| 226 | * ''Series/MonstersWeMet'' and ''Wild New World'' are epilogue series to WWD's sequel series, ''Series/WalkingWithBeasts'', showing CGI Pleistocene megafauna outside of Europe. |
| 227 | * ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': Most alternative (sketch) comedy shows all have something similar in common with them. |
| 228 | * ''Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing'' has been compared to the earlier ''Detectorists''; both are BBC comedy series featuring middle aged men sitting around chatting while engaged in an outdoor hobby. Both have seriously relaxed vibes, and both have lots of drone SceneryPorn. The only major difference being that one is a scripted sit-com and the other is two real life friends hanging out. |
| 229 | * ''Series/MrShow'' is often called a spiritual successor to ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' due to its avant-garde sketch comedy format and theme of blending one sketch into another. |
| 230 | * ''Series/MutantX'' was an absolutely blatant attempt at making a live-action ''ComicBook/XMen'' TV show without the X-Men; it even borrowed the name of [[ComicBook/MutantX an actual X-Men spinoff book]]. Funnily enough, it was made by Creator/MarvelStudios shortly after they sold ''X-Men'''s film and TV rights to Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox. Fox wasn't fooled, and they ultimately sued Marvel for copyright infringement. |
| 231 | * ''My Summer With Des'' (one-off slice-of-life dramedy by Arthur Smith against the backdrop of Euro '96) is a spiritual successor to ''An Evening With Gary Lineker'' (one-off slice-of-life dramedy by Smith and Chris England against the backdrop of the 1990 World Cup). |
| 232 | * ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' is a spiritual successor to all the various local "creature feature" shows such as Creator/{{Ghoulardi}}'s. On some of these shows, the host would mock the movie while it was running. |
| 233 | * ''Nazotoki Battle TORE!'' is like ''Series/DasshutsuGameDERO'' but with a Franchise/IndianaJones theme. The premise is the same as the previous show's battle format, but with a few differences. |
| 234 | * ''Series/{{Newhart}}'' was a better Americanization of ''Series/FawltyTowers'' than any of the three failed attempts at an official TransatlanticEquivalent (''Snavely'', ''Amanda's'', ''Payne''), even though it wasn't trying to be one. By taking the setting of a small inn with quirky guests, but instead of a {{Jerkass}} owner, making the owner the OnlySaneMan and AudienceSurrogate, ''Newhart'' was able to stand apart from ''Fawlty Towers'' and give the concept its own spin. |
| 235 | * ''Series/NightCourt'' could be considered one for ''Series/BarneyMiller'' as it focuses on the wacky misadventures of the staff of a New York city courthouse and also mixes comedy with some dramatic moments (though it also goes outside the courtroom more than the latter show did). The series' creator, the late Reinhold Weege, was a writer for ''BM'', and several actors like Kenneth Tigar, Florence Halop & Florence Stanley appeared on both shows. ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' can also be considered a modernized version of ''Barney Miller''. |
| 236 | * ''Series/NightGallery'', a supernatural anthology narrated by Creator/RodSerling, can be considered one for ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}''. Although considering that Serling didn't have script approval on ''Series/NightGallery'' it might be more of a dispirited sequel. |
| 237 | * ''Series/TheNoddyShop'' is this to ''Series/ShiningTimeStation'': Both shows take place in a magical setting related to the stories the live action segments were [[FramingDevice framing devices]] for, have puppets singing songs [[OncePerEpisode once an episode]] and were created by Rick Siggelkow. Ironically, ''The Noddy Shop'' itself referenced a location from ''Shining Time Station''. On ''Shining Time Station'' itself, the "flying saucer" segments from the first season are this to Teeny Little Super Guy from ''Series/SesameStreet''. Same creator, same set, same animation style. Both use stop-motion to depict inanimate kitchen objects as living characters. |
| 238 | * ''Series/NorthernExposure'' is also this to ''Film/LocalHero;'' both are FishOutOfWater stories with [[MagicRealism magical realist]] elements set in a QuirkyTown full of EccentricTownsfolk. |
| 239 | * ''Series/NotTheNineOClockNews'' was hailed as the natural successor to ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', due to its Footlights-originating castmembers, anarchic humour and satirical edge. In fact, Creator/JohnCleese even recorded [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdbXNREYVtk an intro for the series]]. |
| 240 | * ''Series/NowhereMan'' can be considered a spiritual successor to ''Series/ThePrisoner1967''. |
| 241 | * ''Series/TheOA'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/SoundOfMyVoice'', by the same creators. They both star co-writer Creator/BritMarling as a mysterious woman who is associated with a disability and collects followers based on her claims of extraordinary knowledge. She gives sermons that are mostly recollections from her past experiences and also teaches her followers a specific sequence of bodily movements. Ultimately, [[spoiler:her claims are neither verified nor debunked by the end]]. |
| 242 | * ''Series/OnceUponATime'': |
| 243 | ** The series is similar to ''Series/{{LOST}}''. Despite the former being a bit LighterAndSofter, the shows share many of the same themes of about belief and destiny, as well as a healthy dose of {{grey|AndGrayMorality}} [[WhiteAndGreyMorality morality]], two writers, various Lost-related Easter Eggs, and several actors. |
| 244 | ** Set in a world where fairy tale characters live in the modern day, having been exiled from their real home after it was taken over by an evil conqueror, it is almost a TV adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', albeit starring the Creator/{{Disney}} versions of those characters. |
| 245 | ** Convoluted plots with plenty of memory tempering and world-hopping, a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover with just about everything in the Creator/{{Disney}} catalog, and a naïve kid caught in the center and trying to set things right. It's also the closest we get to a TV adaptation of ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''. |
| 246 | * ''Series/TheOppositionWithJordanKlepper'' is the spiritual successor to ''Series/TheColbertReport'', with Klepper acting as a satirical take on Alex Jones, Breitbart, and the alt-right of the 2010s just as Colbert's persona was a parody of Bill O'Reilly and 2000s-era neoconservatism. |
| 247 | * ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'' to ''Series/{{Weeds}}''. Both shows have the same creator. |
| 248 | * ''Series/TheOrville'' is not even trying to hide its ''Franchise/StarTrek'' roots, mainly the idealism of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. |
| 249 | * OWN's ''Series/OurAmericaWithLisaLing'' (originally ''Inside With Lisa Ling'') ran for several seasons. A few years afterwards, CNN began ''This is Life With Lisa Ling'', which is the exact same show except under a different label. |
| 250 | * ''Series/{{Outcasts}}'': This unsuccessful BBC SF series looked very much like a UK version of 21st-century ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''. |
| 251 | * ''Series/{{Ozark}}'' is often cited as a spiritual successor to ''Series/BreakingBad'', as both focus on a brainy, middle-class family man who plunges into organized crime and gets more than he bargained for. |
| 252 | * ''Series/ThePacific'' to ''Series/BandOfBrothers'', sharing the same producer team, telling the story of the Pacific theater instead of the European theater. |
| 253 | * ''Series/PairOfKings'' could be considered as one to ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' as they're both fantasy comedy with action elements and some grim world elements here and there. |
| 254 | * ''Series/TheParentHood'' is TheNineties' spiritual successor to ''Series/TheCosbyShow''. |
| 255 | * ''Series/ParkerLewisCantLose'': This show is sometimes called "''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''[='s=] real adaptation". An actual ''Ferris Bueller'' TV series fizzled out around the same time. |
| 256 | * ''Series/PartyDown'' captured the tone of ''Series/TheOfficeUK'' ([[CringeComedy Cringey]] [[WorkCom Workplace Comedy]] set in a hopeless corner of the world) more than [[Series/TheOfficeUS the American version]] did. |
| 257 | * HBO, Prohibition, crime, police corruption, racism, old timey show business, HolierThanThou hypocrites, UsefulNotes/WorldWarI veterans, Tim Van Patten directing, Creator/SheaWhigham, Creator/GretchenMol, Creator/StephenRoot... It would not be a stretch to consider ''Series/PerryMason2020'' to be the spiritual succesor to ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire''. |
| 258 | * ''Series/PlanetDinosaur'' is the BBC's way to showcase [[ScienceMarchesOn new information]] learned about dinosaurs after ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'' came out. |
| 259 | * ''Series/PlayForToday'' is a successor to ''The Wednesday Play''. |
| 260 | * ''Series/PokerFace'' began its life through talks of a ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' reboot, and though the names ultimately ended up changing, the end result - a ReverseWhodunnit starring a folksy talking-out-loud protagonist - very clearly harkens back to the original. |
| 261 | * ''Pompeii: The Last Day'' (2003) was followed by other BBC semi-documentary dramatizations of historical disasters, such as ''Hiroshima'' (2005), ''Krakatoa: The Last Days'' (2006) and ''Atlantis: End of a World, Birth of a Legend'' (2011, actually based on the Thera eruption). |
| 262 | * ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'' may be considered a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/DangerMan''. Creator/PatrickMcGoohan plays the same type of secret agent character in both. Some fans (and George Markstein, one of the co-creators of the series) go farther, arguing that Number Six ''is'' John Drake, which would make it a true sequel series rather than a SpiritualSuccessor. However, [=McGoohan=] (the other co-creator) denies this, and character differences between Number Six and John Drake call it into question as well. For more details, see the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_Six_%28The_Prisoner%29#John_Drake.3F "John Drake?" section]] of [[Website/TVTropes The Other Wiki]]'s article on Number Six. |
| 263 | * ''Series/{{Psychoville}}'', to ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen''. |
| 264 | * ''Series/APrinceAmongMen'' is this to ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'', being both work coms starring Creator/ChrisBarrie in a {{Jerkass}} leader role to a bunch of misfits. The major differences are that Barrie plays an ex-footballer here instead of a leisure centre manager and that Prince was much more of a jerk than Brittas. |
| 265 | * The rich colors and whimsical feel of ''Film/{{Amelie}}'' inspired the creation of ''Series/PushingDaisies''. |
| 266 | ** ''Series/PushingDaisies'' is the third (unsuccessful) series created by Creator/BryanFuller and is seen as a successor to both ''Series/DeadLikeMe'' and ''Series/{{Wonderfalls}}''. |
| 267 | *** Several characters (portrayed by the same actor/actress) have appeared from one show to the other. All of them do carry themes of fantasy, uniqueness, life and death, golden retrievers and touching people. But the universes are clearly different, with ''Pushing Daisies'' being retro-cute, ''Dead Like Me'' being fairly normal (save the supernatural elements) and ''Wonderfalls somewhere'' in between. |
| 268 | * A year after ''Series/AquiNoHayQuienViva'' ended on Antena 3 in 2006, Telecinco premiered another SliceOfLife comedy similar to it, ''Series/LaQueSeAvecina'', with the same production company and most of the cast and creative team of its predecessor. In fact, the arrival of ''La que se avecina'' is subtly hinted during the final scene of ''Aquí no hay quien viva'': |
| 269 | -->'''Concha:''' Well, but don't get sad! We're starting a new life!\ |
| 270 | '''Higinio:''' No, not new. It's the same as always, but somewhere else. |
| 271 | * ''Series/QueenForSevenDays'''s star Park Min-young described the series as "''Series/LoveInTheMoonlight'' five years later". |
| 272 | * ''Series/RealTimeWithBillMaher'' is basically ''Politically Incorrect'' with stronger language and more of a focus on Maher. |
| 273 | * ''Series/{{Reaper}}'' to ''Series/TheLoop''. Both had Bret Harrison playing a guy named Sam, who hangs out with his slacker friends. And they both got worse the second season, although YMMV on The Loop. Also Bret Harrison played a guy named Sam on ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', who (like in ''Reaper'') had a blonde mother named Linda. |
| 274 | * ''Series/RedDwarf'' is one to "Dave Hollins: Space Cadet", a recurring sketch that featured on Grant Naylor's radio show ''[[Radio/SonOfCliche Son of Cliché]]''. ''Series/{{Hyperdrive}}'' could be considered a spiritual successor to ''Red Dwarf''. |
| 275 | * ''Reed Between The Lines'' is intended to be a new millennium version of ''Series/TheCosbyShow''. Both shows even have Malcolm-Jamal Warner in starring roles. |
| 276 | * ''Series/RescueMe'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/TheJob''. |
| 277 | * The 2018 NBC series ''Reverie'' could be described as a spiritual prequel to ''Film/{{Inception}}'' (the lead actress even states in [[http://collider.com/sarah-shahi-reverie-interview/ this article]] that it was pitched to her as "''Inception'' meets ''Alice in Wonderland''"). |
| 278 | * ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' maybe a spiritual successor to ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' (and to a lesser extent, ''Series/TwinPeaks'') with [[Characters/ArchieComics Archie Andrews]] being [[Characters/BeverlyHills90210OriginalSeries Brandon Walsh]], [[BettyAndVeronica Betty Cooper]] being Brenda Walsh, Veronica Lodge being Kelly Taylor, Jughead Jones being Dylan [=McKay=], Reggie Mantle being Steve Sanders, Ethel Muggs being Andera Zuckerman, Midge Klump being Donna Martin, Cheryl Blossom being Valerie Malone, Jack [=McKay=] being Hiram Lodge, Fred Andrews being Jim Walsh, and the Chocolate Shop being the Peach Pit. |
| 279 | * ''Series/LaRosaDeGuadalupe'' is considered to be a Mexican adaptation of ''Series/BlackMirror''. |
| 280 | * After ''Series/RoomAtTheBottom1967'', there was a later series in TheEighties also called ''Room at the Bottom''. This too followed the people who worked out of the bottom floor of an office building who also were looked down upon by the higher-ups. |
| 281 | * ''Series/Route66'' was easily recognizable as a sanitized ''Literature/OnTheRoad'' retooled into a framework for an {{Anthology}} series, right down to two lead characters who were obvious {{Expies}} of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty. Creator/JackKerouac even considered taking legal action against the show. |
| 282 | * Since both shows involve a protagonist played by Creator/MelissaJoanHart who is quirky with an interest in journalism and a rather unique first name, more than a few people have described ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' as "[[Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll Clarissa]] gains magical powers." ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' could also be considered a spiritual successor to that of ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' as also with another female-strong Witchcraft-themed show that Sabrina would later share the same network, ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''. |
| 283 | * ''Series/SEALTeam'' is essentially this to ''Series/TheUnit'', albeit from a different branch of the U.S. military (Navy rather than Army). |
| 284 | * ''Series/SeventhHeaven'' to ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie''. Both shows were set in a [[SmallTowns town]] where [[CloseKnitCommunity everyone knew each other]]. The main characters' parents were [[GoodParents always right and wise]]. They [[CousinOliver added]] tons of [[FosterKid foster children]] and teens to the cast after the original kids got too old to be cute or have [[TeenDrama teenager problems]]. Laura and Lucy are very similar, [[SpiritedYoungLady spirited]] and [[MiddleChildSyndrome a bit jealous]] of their [[TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry more beautiful]] older sisters, who both end up [[MiseryBuildsCharacter suffering great tragedies]]. The [[TheBabyOfTheBunch youngest children]] are just there to be there, like [[LivingProp living props]]. |
| 285 | * ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/QuantumLeap''. The shows share a similar episode formula, ''Sliders'' was advertised at least once as "''Quantum Leap'' with an edge," and dialogue in a later episode implies that Maggie Beckett may be Sam Beckett's niece. |
| 286 | ** Beginning in the middle of season 2 (or the start of season 3), the show also became a successor to ''Series/DoctorWho'' during that time between the original series' cancellation and the revived series' beginning. |
| 287 | * ''Series/SproutHouse'' is this to ''[[Series/TheSunnySideUpShow Sunny Side Up]]'', but pre-recorded since the crew didn't like how live broadcasts of ''Sunny Side Up'' were handled (although it was had [[LiveEpisode]]s on occasions). It borrows much from its predecessor, including birthday, craft and recipe, and celebrity segments. On ''The Sunny Side Up Show'' itself, the "theme jar" (seen in the first links of "blockisodes") is this to the Goodnight bell and basket from the first five season of ''Series/TheGoodNightShow'', as both had stickers which were hints to the day's theme. |
| 288 | ** ''The Sunny Side Up Show'' itself is a spiritual successor to ''The Birthday Show'', an interstitial series on Sprout that aired when the channel launched in 2005 and was hosted by Kevin Yamada, who read birthday cards delivered by [[WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfMrMailman Mr. Mailman]]. |
| 289 | * ''Series/SomeAssemblyRequired'' is a spiritual successor to ''Series/MrYoung''. |
| 290 | * Mike Rowe's ''Somebody's Gotta Do It'' is this to his cancelled Creator/DiscoveryChannel series ''Series/DirtyJobs''. |
| 291 | * ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'' to ''Series/TheSopranos''. Though their settings and subject matter differ (East Coast vs. West Coast, urban New Jersey vs. small town California, upper-class Italians vs. working-class [=WASPs=], TheMafia vs. [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels biker gangs]], etc.), both are intergenerational crime sagas that balance in-depth portrayals of the criminal underworld with {{black comedy}} and family drama, and both examine the American Dream and the nature of family at length; in particular, the [=DiMeo=] crime family and the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club are both portrayed as [[TrueCompanions surrogate families]] that sometimes distract the protagonists from their biological ones. Fittingly, ''Sons of Anarchy'' debuted on FX almost exactly a year after ''The Sopranos'' ended its run on HBO. Creator/DreaDeMatteo also appears prominently in both, playing Adriana La Cerva in ''The Sopranos'' and Wendy Case in ''Sons of Anarchy''. |
| 292 | * ''Series/TheSopranos'' was heavily influenced by ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', being a similarly [[GenreDeconstruction gritty and unglamorous]] take on [[TheMafia Mafia]] fiction with flashy editing and cinematography, a catchy pop soundtrack, and [[ShownTheirWork an eye for authenticity]]. Several actors from ''Goodfellas'' also made it into the main cast, including Creator/LorraineBracco (Karen Hill and Dr. Jennifer Melfi), Michael Imperioli ("Spider" and Christopher Moltisanti), Tony Sirico (Tony Stacks and Paulie Gualtieri), Frank Vincent (Billy Batts and Phil Leotardo), and Vincent Pastore ("Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and an unnamed Lucchese mobster). Adding to the parallels: Creator/RayLiotta was apparently HBO's first choice for the role of Tony Soprano, and Lorraine Bracco was originally offered the role of Tony's wife Carmela; she asked to play Dr. Melfi instead, feeling that Carmela was too similar to her character in ''Goodfellas''. |
| 293 | * ''Series/SoRandom'' was pretty much this to ''Series/AllThat'' despite being on rival networks. |
| 294 | * ''Series/TheSoup'', formerly "The What the? Awards" is a spiritual successor to ''Talk Soup''. |
| 295 | * In the UK, every new drama series about the Fire Brigade, such as ''Steel River Blues'' and ''Series/TheSmoke'', is invariably described as a "new ''Series/LondonsBurning''". |
| 296 | * ''Creator/{{Sprout}} Control Room'' was this to ''Series/TheSproutSharingShow'', borrowing the [[OfficialFanSubmittedContent viewer-submitted]] videos concept from its predecessor. |
| 297 | * ''The Stranger'' was an independent direct-to-video (and audio) spiritual successor to ''Series/DoctorWho'', starring Creator/ColinBaker and other actors from the show during its long hiatus. |
| 298 | * ''Series/StuckInTheMiddle'', is essentially a Disneyfied version of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', complete with the lack of laugh track, scheming intelligent protagonist, and talking directly to the audience that the previous show featured. |
| 299 | * ''Series/SupermanAndLois'', featuring a grown-up Clark Kent's return to Smallville and a blend of small-town drama with superhero action, shares a lot of narrative DNA with ''Series/Smallville''. Fitting, since the people who were in their teens or twenties when Smallville came out would now be the same age as Clark and Lois in this show. Moreover, Clark's kids Jonathan and Jordan deal with coming of age high school drama tinged with super powered strangeness that's practically a modern day retelling of Smallville. |
| 300 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' to ''Series/TheXFiles'', at least before they got deeper in the MythArc and it was mosly about the MonsterOfTheWeek. The first couple seasons (at least) of ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' included at least three ''Series/TheXFiles'' alumni, including Kim Manners, John Shiban, and Creator/DavidNutter; John Shiban was hired specifically because of his writing work on ''Series/TheXFiles.'' As a result, season one, especially, has an "X-Files" vibe. |
| 301 | * While a spin-off of ''Series/{{LazyTown}}'', ''Series/TheSuperSproutletShow'' is considered this to ''Series/TheLetsGoShow'', and it is clear to see why - both blocks aired on Sprout on Afternoons, both involved cooking segments, and both had hosts who wore "Sprout spotters." |
| 302 | [[/folder]] |
| 303 | |
| 304 | [[folder:T-Z]] |
| 305 | * ''Series/TeenWolf'' Is more a DarkerAndEdgier spiritual successor to ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus''. |
| 306 | * ''Series/That70sShow'' was a show in the 90s that reminisced the 70s, which is what ''Series/HappyDays'' did in the actual 70s to the 50s. Both were also set in Wisconsin, right outside of UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}.[[note]]Even though That 70's Show suffered from a bit of WhereTheHellIsSpringfield, most references placed Point Place near Kenosha, a Milwaukee suburb.[[/note]] |
| 307 | ** ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' similarly reminisced (very accurately) 1980 in 2000, and likely would have gone on to play to popular 80s tropes had it survived. |
| 308 | * ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' is spiritual successor to ''Series/YesMinister''. Both take a very cynical and comedic look at British politics at a cabinet minister level. Both have an invisible 'frienemy' style Prime Minister. Both show the Minister being worked over and having his chain yanked by the media as well as Malcolm Tucker and Sir Humphrey Appleby respectively. ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' is also notably the SpiritualAntithesis to ''Series/TheWestWing''. |
| 309 | * Ever wonder what ''Film/TheyLive'' would look like as a TV political dramedy, with virtually all of the satire intact? Look no further than ''Series/BrainDead2016''. |
| 310 | * ''Series/TheThundermans'' is widely seen as ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'', but with superheroes. |
| 311 | * While not ''exactly'' a case of SpiritualSuccessor, ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' and ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' have a lot in common with each other. Both shows are about InsufferableGenius physics prodigies with [[NoSocialSkills terrible social skills]] and all of their (equally) weird and socially inept friends, both have vaguely science based titles, and both Creator/JohnLithgow and Creator/JimParsons have won Emmy's for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series. |
| 312 | * Creator/TimAndEric are the spiritual successor to Creator/MontyPython, with the bizarre visual style and AntiHumor in their shows. |
| 313 | * ''Series/TinMan'' has Spiritual Successors in the form of ''Alice'' and Neverland''. |
| 314 | * ''Series/TomicaHeroRescueForce'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/MadanSenkiRyukendo'', made by the same people and sponsored by the same [[MerchandiseDriven toy company]]. |
| 315 | * Creator/NicolasWindingRefn's miniseries ''Series/TooOldToDieYoung'' is a spiritual successor to his previous film ''Film/OnlyGodForgives''. Both works feature: |
| 316 | ** Stories set in a criminal underworld with gray and black characters |
| 317 | ** [[LeaveTheCameraRunning Long, slow scenes]] filled with pauses |
| 318 | ** Compositions of bright, colorful light, including lots of neon, contrasting with deep darkness. |
| 319 | ** Stoic characters |
| 320 | ** Sudden and shocking violence |
| 321 | ** A serious Oedipal complex between a man and his crimelord mother. |
| 322 | ** A character [[MagicRealism hinted to be]] an incarnation of death. |
| 323 | * The two episodes of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' written by P J Hammond ("Small Worlds" and "From Out of the Rain") are quite untypical of the show, with their enigmatic DarkFantasy atmosphere. They are, however, very reminiscent of Hammond's late-70s-early-80s horror series ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''. "From Out of the Rain", in particular, has major conceptual similarities to the ''Sapphire and Steel'' story "Assignment Four". |
| 324 | * ''Series/TwinPeaks'' was a SpiritualSuccessor to an unrealised Mark Frost/Creator/DavidLynch plan to dramatise the life of Creator/MarilynMonroe. Both stories featured the mysterious death of a beautiful blonde with a murky secret life, all recounted in a secret diary. Lynch's film ''Film/BlueVelvet'' could also be considered the spiritual ancestor of ''Twin Peaks''. At the time, ''Series/NorthernExposure'' was also seen as a LighterAndSofter spiritual successor to ''Series/TwinPeaks'' |
| 325 | * ''Franchise/UltraSeries'': Due to the nature of the franchise as a LongRunner, expect to see similar series to one another after a while. |
| 326 | ** ''Series/UltramanX'': To ''Series/UltramanCosmos'', both series feature a CentralTheme of co-existance, the main characters of both shows are {{Technical Pacifist}}s who desire to create a world where everyone can live in harmony and are friends with a Kaiju since their childhood, furthermore the BigBad of each series (Chaos Header in ''Cosmos'' and Greeza in ''X'') are {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that warp reality and corrupt living beings with their essence driving them berserk and empowering them along the way along with the Ultra mostly sparing his corrupted opponents instead of destroying them. |
| 327 | ** ''Series/UltramanOrb'': To ''Series/UltramanTiga'', aside from debuting in the year of its 20th anniversary. Both Orb and Tiga are Ultras who had been on Earth since the ancient times, fighting against monsters and had involved with ancient civilizations during said period. Lampshaded in-series when Tiga is the other component alongside Ultraman for Orb to access his first form, Spacium Zepellion, with the former is also the first Ultraman cars that Gai collected. In fact, [[spoiler:Orb's true form, Orb Origin debuted when his body shrouded with glittering lights, which was an allusion to Tiga's final form, Glitter Tiga]]. |
| 328 | ** ''Series/UltramanGeed'': |
| 329 | *** To ''Series/UltramanLeo'', due to a crippled Ultraseven-based Ultra being TheMentor to the titular hero, as well as a DownerBeginning (coincidentally, the crippled Ultra in ''Geed'' is the son of Ultraseven, who was Leo's mentor). Somewhat lampshaded in-series by Geed's Solid Burning form, which uses assets of both Leo and Seven. |
| 330 | *** Also one to ''Series/UltramanDyna'', due to having a larger emphasis on outer space and AlienInvasion, as well as directly following the previous series (''Series/UltramanTiga'' for ''Dyna'', ''Series/UltramanOrb'' for ''Geed'') in some form (''Dyna'' being a direct sequel to ''Tiga'', ''Geed'' expanding upon the [[AllYourPowersCombined power fusing]] introduced in ''Orb''). Doesn't hurt that 1) Dyna as well follows up Tiga's Type Change gimmick, not unlike how Geed did so to Orb and 2) Geed's series debuted in the 20th MilestoneCelebration of Dyna's 20th anniversary. |
| 331 | ** ''Series/UltramanRB'': Much like with ''Series/UltramanOrb'' being one to ''Series/UltramanTiga'' and ''Series/UltramanGeed'' being one to ''Series/UltramanDyna'', ''R/B'' continues the trend by being one to ''Series/UltramanGaia'', due to its focus on two Ultras, as well as ditching the transformation gimmick from the previous series (''Gaia'' ditched the Type Change gimmick present in ''Tiga'' and ''Dyna'', and ''R/B'' ditches the idea of fusing powers used by 2 different Ultras that ''Orb'' and ''Geed'' featured). It even debuted in the year that ''Gaia'' turns 20! |
| 332 | ** ''Series/UltramanTaiga'': To ''Series/UltramanTiga''. Apart from their similar-sounding names, they are the first Ultra shows of a new Japanese imperial era (Heisei for ''Tiga'', Reiwa for ''Taiga''), and also breaking the trend of the Ultra Series (multicolored forms and body coloration for ''Tiga'', three Ultras sharing the same human hosts in ''Taiga''). |
| 333 | ** ''Series/UltramanZ'': |
| 334 | *** Keeping up with ''Series/UltramanTaiga'' being one to ''Series/UltramanTiga'', Z is one to ''Series/UltramanDyna'' in that they are both the second entries of their respective eras (Heisei for Dyna, Reiwa for Z) and serving as a followup for their previous series in some form (Tiga and Dyna share the same universe and the latter series serves as a sequel to the former. Whereas Taiga and Z are Ultras from the Land of Light who are connected to one of the Ultra Brothers -- [[spoiler:Taiga is the son of Series/UltramanTaro and Series/UltramanAce is later revealed to be Z's godfather]]). Both series' endgame arc even deal with a splinter faction within the main attack team's organization who plan to construct their artificial Ultraman (Terranoid and Ultroid Zero) to be used to protect humanity, only to be hijacked by an alien force (Spheres and Celebro), resulting them into being mutated into an EldritchAbomination (Zelganoid and Destrudos) to be used against mankind. It also helps that Dyna, along with Tiga and [[Series/UltramanGaia Gaia]] serve as the main component for Z's psychic-oriented Gamma Future. |
| 335 | *** Also, to ''Series/UltramanMax''. Both shows are also set on different universes separate from the main Showa continuity, but nonetheless have a SequelEpisode to a Showa entry (''Max'' has "The Untargeted Town" and ''Z'' has "Do-Over in the Year 2020", both of which are continuations of storylines started in ''Series/{{Ultraseven}}'' and ''Series/UltraQ''). Both series have a fair share of lighthearted moments, though that doesn't mean their respective series does not have its serious moment. Matters also help that ''Max'' was aired concurrently at the time of ''Z'''s own original airing. |
| 336 | ** ''Series/UltramanTriggerNewGenerationTiga'': |
| 337 | *** To the ''Series/HeiseiUltraSeven'' spin-offs in that both series take place in an AlternateUniverse rather than in the original continuity of their respective shows--as ''Trigger'' is an alternate modern retelling of the story of the original ''Series/UltramanTiga'', whereas ''Heisei Ultraseven'''s story is a WhatIf Ultraseven was the only Ultra to set foot on Earth and the Ultra Guard never disbanded after he finished his mission on Earth. |
| 338 | *** Also to ''Series/UltramanMebius''. In addition to both shows commemorating the franchise's MilestoneCelebration, both series take stroll back to a previous continuity from the preceding Japanese Imperial era. The only main difference however, is ''Mebius'' takes place in the same universe with the Land of Light Ultras that have previously set foot on Earth (i.e., ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' to ''Series/UltramanLeo'' and ''Series/UltramanEighty'') whereas ''Trigger'' is an alternate retelling of the original ''Series/UltramanTiga'' series in an AlternateUniverse separate from the World of Neo Frontier Space (aka., the universe of Tiga and Dyna) intended for the current generation of audience. ''Mebius'' served as the 40th Milestone Celebration for the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'', while ''Ultraman Trigger'' celebrates the franchise's 55th anniversary, and the 25th anniversary of ''Series/UltramanTiga''. |
| 339 | * ''Series/{{Undeclared}}'' to ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks''. Others would say ''Do Over'' to ''Freaks and Geeks''. |
| 340 | * YTV's ''Undercover High'' is a spiritual successor to ''Series/PrankPatrol'', with both series focusing on elaborate pranks being set up on new unsuspecting targets in each episode. The main differences are that the action happens in high schools, and no [[GratuitousNinja ninjas]] are involved. |
| 341 | * ''Series/UnhappilyEverAfter'' was the spiritual successor to ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', made by the same creator, with each character on UEA an {{Expy}} of someone on ''Married with Children''. |
| 342 | * ''Series/TheUnusuals'' is a successor to ''Series/TheJob''. |
| 343 | * The Australian sitcom ''Series/{{Utopia|2014}}'' is the spiritual successor to ''Series/TheHollowmen''. Both are Creator/WorkingDogProductions shows about fictitious Australian Government departments and star Working Dog's Rob Sitch. |
| 344 | * ''Series/VeronicaMars'' has been compared to ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' a lot. Both shows are postmodern twists on a popular genre (Noir for ''Series/VeronicaMars'', Horror for ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'') set in high school and with a female blonde lead, both shows adopted the same structure of telling season-long {{Story Arc}}s through MonsterOfTheWeek (or MysteryOfTheWeek) episodes, and both shows displayed [[WorldOfSnark copious amounts of snark]]. Creator/JossWhedon is a notable fan of ''Series/VeronicaMars'' and even had a small part in an episode. |
| 345 | * ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' could be considered the spiritual successor of ''Series/Zoey101'' since it starred the latter series regular cast member Music/VictoriaJustice and came from the same creator (Creator/DanSchneider), but in plot it was more the successor of ''Fame'' and Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s own ''Series/{{Taina}}'', and in style and tone, ''Series/{{iCarly}}'', also from Schneider. |
| 346 | * ''Series/WaywardPines'' was a better American remake of ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'' than [[Series/ThePrisoner2009 the official]] ContinuityReboot. As a BaitAndSwitch, pre-release publicity falsely suggested instead that it would be a Spiritual Successor to ''Series/TwinPeaks''. |
| 347 | * ''[=WeeSchool=]'' is the spiritual successor to ''Series/BabyEinstein''. |
| 348 | * ''Series/TheWestWing'' was born of material and ideas left over from Creator/AaronSorkin's movie ''Film/TheAmericanPresident.'' |
| 349 | ** ''Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip'' was a spiritual successor to ''The West Wing.'' In fact, the show's biggest problem was often cited as the fact that the style and tone that worked so well for a show about running the government of the United States felt hilariously out of place on a show about running a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' {{Expy}}. |
| 350 | *** Studio 60 actually works better as a spiritual successor to ''Series/SportsNight'', being about the running of a TV show. Many jokes and references from the former are either very similar to, or directly taken from, episodes of Sports Night. Ditto for ''Series/TheNewsroom''. |
| 351 | * ''Series/{{Westworld}}'' is this to at least ''five'' different works: |
| 352 | ** First off, it's one to ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', Creator/{{Jonathan Nolan}}'s previous series. Before Westworld even started, he admitted that the two series basically look at the same question (what if AI became truly intelligent?) but from vastly different points of view, with ''Westworld'' having the A.I.s be anthropomorphized while the A.I.s in ''Person of Interest'' were always mainframe-based. The similarities actually become emphasized in Season 3, which introduces an omnipotent AI called Rehoboam that observes and controls society from the shadows (functioning in many ways like [=PoI's=] Samaritan), operated by a ruthless corporation willing to do anything to maintain its hold. |
| 353 | ** Alternately, it can also be seen as a spiritual "interquel" to ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}''. Both shows examine the use of advanced technology to exploit "lesser" individuals (robots in one, mind-wiped humans in the other) for the entertainment of the wealthy elite. It even extends to an attempt to grant the rich and powerful a form of immortality using this tech, only for the indentured subjects to rise up and buck their programming, leading to an apocalyptic nightmare world. Dolores and Echo parallel each other in their "special" ability to draw upon multiple backstories, and are the leaders of their respective rebellions. Pretend the hosts are actually dolls, and the Delos uprising could easily slotted in between the main timeline of that show and its "Epitaph" finales. |
| 354 | ** [[invoked]] There are many elements and themes drawn not only from the original film but also Čapek's nearly century old play ''[[Theatre/{{RUR}} Rossum's Universal Robots]]'' (and the works it influenced). There's enough of these references to make the series a Spiritual Adaptation of the play. In ''R.U.R.'', the robots are manufactured on assembly lines, but are otherwise organic, the biochemistry of their tissues consisting of artificially derived organic compounds. The series' depiction of host-manufacturing, via synthetic analogues close to real organic tissues, assembled on loom-like futuristic 3D printers, is probably the closest visualization of what Čapek could only loosely describe in TheRoaringTwenties. In this sense, it's almost LifeImitatesArt (though we're still nowhere near building artificial organisms that convincing). Initially, R.U.R.'s robots couldn't feel pain and kept hurting themselves at work by sheer ignorance, in a bit of a parallel to the hosts glitching out or willfully ignoring things at odds with their programming. There are also some similarities between the series' characters and those of the play. James Delos is in some respects similar to his corporate counterpart Harry Domin, a self-assured man who doesn't fully understand the ramifications of what he's investing in. Dr. Ford himself has plenty of parallels to professor Rossum himself, including his apparent misanthropy and cynicism, but Ford's MadScientist public image is more about him playing things up, rather than actual fact. Arnold, Ford's more meek and less cynical friend, and more host-caring former colleague, has several similarities to the other scientists from the play. He has an element of Rossum's "reclusive MadScientist" backstory too. When using [[spoiler:her Wyatt-based persona, Dolores has parallels to RUR's [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters robot revolt leader]] Radius. Otherwise, she also resembles the human character Helena Glory, an activist for robot rights early in the play. And if some of the implications about the six parks' location are true, the parks might be situated on an isolated island... just like the RUR headquarters and production facilities were]]. |
| 355 | ** And, of course, ''Westworld'' is heavily reminiscent of Creator/{{Michael Crichton}}'s most famous adapted work - ''Franchise/JurassicPark''. Both stories are about carefully monitored & artificially created organisms being used as entertainment at huge theme parks [[spoiler:located on isolated islands]]. Both stories have common themes of chaos and how life will refuse to be constrained & desires freedom (though ''Westworld'' cynically implies that this desire for freedom and finding a purpose is futile). ''Westworld'' and ''Jurassic Park'' also has both central corporations having lots of backstabbing and internal turmoil as the titular theme parks become increasingly unsafe & their main inhabitants begin to create more & more security risks. And that's all without the fact that both [=InGen=] and Delos are established as having many nefarious goals for the advanced technology being used in their parks that conflict with how it's currently being utilized by the respective park owners. |
| 356 | ** The third season's setting is inspired by Production I.G.'s anime series, ''Anime/PsychoPass'', where there's an A.I. system called Rehoboam that analyzes data which gives the person a direction to their lives which is very similar to the Sibyl System except the latter is commonly used for law enforcement. Likewise, the technology of both shows also rely on holographs and virtual reality. There are also outliers (people who are threat to the system) and the system uses some outliers to neutralize other outliers which is similar to the Sibyl System using latent criminal as Enforcers to neutralize other latent criminals. |
| 357 | * The 2012 British MiniSeries ''White Heat'' drew comparisons to ''Series/OurFriendsInTheNorth'' due to it focusing on the lives of a group of friends over many years of British history. The creator, Paula Milne, rejected a direct comparison, however: |
| 358 | -->''Our Friends in the North'' was absolutely seminal. But it didn't have a lot to do with women, and it didn't have a lot to do with race, and it didn't have a lot to do with sexual politics. |
| 359 | * ''Series/WhiteRabbitProject'' has been dubbed the spiritual successor of ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' due to it taking taking on a similar premise and starring the universally fan-loved build team from the predecessor. |
| 360 | ** ''Series/TimeWarp'' tried to replicate the Mythbusters' success but studying on slow motion rather than exploring myths. The Mythbusters eventually even tackled at least one "myth" that Time Warp had already explored. |
| 361 | * ''Series/Whodunnit2013'' is one to classic early 2000s reality shows like ''Series/TheMole'' and ''Series/MurderInSmallTownX'', although those programs played things much more straight compared to ''Whodunnit?'' And in turn, ''Webvideo/EscapeTheNight'' is this to ''Whodunnit''. Its a ClosedCircle [[TenLittleMurderVictims Murder mystery]] (although they don't solves mysteries as they more solve RoomEscapeGame puzzles and vote each other off to die.) Hell, it even features a similar grey-hared host! |
| 362 | * ''Series/SproutsWigglyWaffle'' is this to ''Series/MusicalMorningsWithCoo'', as it was an early morning block on Sprout full of songs, music videos, and musical shows. Coo even made appearances in several segments. |
| 363 | * ''Series/TheWire'' is generally seen as a spiritual successor to the earlier Baltimore police series, ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'', which was based on Creator/DavidSimon's book and for which he wrote. It's also a successor to another of Simon's shows, ''The Corner''. |
| 364 | * ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' is this to ''Series/PhilOfTheFuture'', in the sense that its Disney's current show with supernatural/magical elements. It's been said that the money Disney gained from the success of ''Phil'' was used to create ''Wizards''. |
| 365 | * ''Series/WizardsVsAliens'' is this to ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''. Both are Creator/{{CBBC}} fantasy sci-fi shows aired in two-part serials and created by Creator/RussellTDavies (and are both more [[LighterAndSofter child friendly]] than his usual shows). |
| 366 | * ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' had two spiritual successors, ''Series/FilthyRichAndCatflap'' and ''Series/{{Bottom}}''. One of the live ''Bottom'' stage shows had them going back in time and reverting to their characters from ''The Young Ones''. |
| 367 | * ''Series/{{Younger}}'' to ''Series/SexAndTheCity''. Being produced by Darren Star, set in the Big Apple, and focusing on someone working in the publishing/literary field, even Star himself said he hopes this show will be to the currently-gentrifying Brooklyn what ''Sex and the City'' was to Manhattan. |
| 368 | [[/folder]] |
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