电视衍生节目是一个电视节目，它要么从另一个节目中选取一个角色，要么从类似的情节结构和同一个虚构的世界中选取一个角色，来创建一个新的节目。真正的衍生产品往往是在前一个前提下产生的，并且从以前的节目中涌现出了许多好的电视衍生产品的例子，尤其是在情景喜剧中。例如，最成功的衍生情景喜剧之一是《Frasier》，该剧将角色Frasier Crane从极受欢迎的《欢呼》节目中脱颖而出。

要想成功，新节目必须和原来的节目一样好或更好。弗雷泽就是这样。这部新剧没有简单地依赖凯尔西·格拉默饰演的弗雷泽这个角色，而是吹嘘了一个令人难以置信的演员阵容。尤其是大卫·海德·皮尔斯饰演弗雷泽的弟弟尼尔斯的表演，成为观看这部电影的主要原因之一。弗雷西尔和奈尔斯之间的互动非常出色，创造了无数的喜剧瞬间。

有时候，一部非常成功的电视剧可以推出一部真正的电视衍生剧，但它并不成功。广受欢迎的情景喜剧《老友记》启发了情景喜剧《乔伊》。不幸的是，乔伊没有《老友记》那么严格的编剧和导演，很快就失去了原著的大部分观众。

其他为一个或多个成功电视衍生产品做出贡献的节目包括：

• All in The Family inspired The Jeffersons, and Maude
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show launched Lou Grant, Phyllis and Rhoda.
• Beverly Hills 90210 spun off into Melrose Place.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer gave rise to the series Angel.

  The list of spin-offs is somewhat large, and some make the distinction between a true spinoff like Frasier and an engineered TV spinoff like Melrose Place. In an engineered spinoff, a character is briefly introduced to an existing show for one or more episodes. The character then becomes the main part of the TV spinoff.

  This was the case with Melrose Place, where the character of Jake appeared in a few episodes of 90210 first. This spinoff is thought to be engineered because the producers of the original show always planned for the new character to begin a new show. On the show CSI Horatio Caine, played by David Caruso appeared in one episode of the original show only, before anchoring CSI, Miami. The creators of CSI really didn’t need another engineered TV spinoff for their next series CSI New York.

  In fact, some shows become so wildly popular that they give rise to other shows with the same thematic elements. When there are more than two shows, like the CSI group, these may also be called a franchise, as well as a spinoff. One of the largest franchises currently is the Law & Order series, which has had six spinoffs. Two have been quite successful. Both Law & Order Special Victims Unit and Law & Order Criminal Intent have quite loyal followings and sometimes even surpass the popularity of the original program.