“Happy Days” was the sitcom we all needed, it revolved around the squeaky-clean Cunningham family and their dynamic with The Fonz, a motorcycle-riding Casanova. Over the course of its 11-season stint, the show covered a lot of ground while garnering a lot of laughs. The series went on to become a hugely successful show, not least because The Fonz was so popular.
A few spin-offs were made following “Happy Days,” including “Mork & Mindy” and “Laverne & Shirley,” with both of them being popular in their own right.
30 Rock
After Tina Fey worked as the head writer at SNL, she brought her talents and experience to her own series, "30 Rock," and it turned out to be one of the most critically acclaimed television comedies so far, earning a record-breaking 22 Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 2009 alone. The show is based on her time at SNL, so "30 Rock" is a show within a show. The writing is spot-on, and her offbeat humor shines in this sitcom made for broadcast.
"30 Rock" has an exquisite cast, fast-paced writing, and the perfect amount of silliness, and it all meshes together in this unforgettable, very quotable comedy.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
If it's possible to be hopelessly optimistic, this show is it, with Kimmy Schmidt as the lead character, she may just be the most resolutely positive and optimistic character anywhere on our list. After all, she's spent half her life confined in a basement by a cult leader, and yet she still manages to remain positive.
Fortunately, the cast around her – notably aspiring singer flatmate Titus Andromedon and her strange landlady Lillian – stop things from getting too sentimental as Kimmy adjusts to modern-day life in the bustling city of New York.
Frasier
It's incredibly rare that spin-offs become as successful as this one did, but "Frasier" beat the odds. Producers pulled Frasier Crane out of "Cheers" and gave Kelsey Grammar his very own show, which was a great decision as the show became a hit. The series followed the stern psychiatrist as he made his way back to his home town of Seattle, introducing his father and his brother.
As with many beloved shows of its era, the possibility of a revival hangs in the air as reruns are still heavily watched, 16 years after the show ended.
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Dick Van Dyke may be most remembered as Burt, the winsome chimney cleaner in 1964's "Mary Poppins," but before that, he was a household name. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" lasted for six years before it wrapped up in 1966. During the course of its successful run, Dick and his crew scooped 15 Emmy Awards.
A few years later, Van Dyke and Moore reunited on-screen for a one-hour special, but that wouldn't be the last time they graced screens. In 1979, the audience also encountered the pair as they reprised their roles on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."