Star Trek question

DeleyanLee · Dec 7, 2009

So my best friend and I were talking and she made a comment about Star Trek that I can't dispute and was wondering if anyone could come up with something that I couldn't.

She said that Star Trek is the most expansive franchise in the world which started out as a TV series.

Not counting the original series, it has spawned 4 separate TV series, 1 animated series, and 11 feature motion pictures.

While Sherlock Holmes has spawned a lot of movies and series, its origin in a book, not a TV show. Star Wars only has 5 sequel movies, but started as a movie. I thought of Dr. Who, but besides the original long-running series, it has a rebirth series and a couple of movies. All in the Family only had 1, maybe 2, spin-off series, but no movies.

Can anyone think of something that started as a TV that rivals Trek's record?

What really struck me is that this legacy came from a "failed" TV show too. Whoa.

Stargazer · Dec 7, 2009

If it is the most expensive... I can't answer.

But I do recall seeing Trek in the Guinness Book of World Records once for being the title with the most spin-offs. And that was before Entershite... Uh, I mean, Enterprise came on the scene.

I guess the only thing that might come close to rivalling Trek are the and twenty nine Police Academy films and the forty three Rocky films that have been made to date... God forbid!

Rob.

DeleyanLee · Dec 7, 2009

Stargazer said:
I guess the only thing that might come close to rivalling Trek are the and twenty nine Police Academy films and the forty three Rocky films that have been made to date... God forbid!

Rob.

But neither Police Academy or Rocky started as a TV series.

Kitty Pryde · Dec 7, 2009

For sheer number of items, Trek definitely wins if you include all the books. How are you counting "most expansive"? One point for each spun off thing? Are you counting individual books, games, video games, and comics too? Live shows? It would take a long time to tally all that stuff up.

That Japanese Power Rangers show spawned 16 American series and two movies. Plus a dozen video games and a billion books

VH1's The Surreal Life spawned 17 different shows. Tragic but true:
The Surreal Life: Fame Games,
My Fair Brady,
The Salt-N-Pepa Show,
Strange Love.
Flavor of Love'.
Rock of Love
Rock of Love: Charm School.
Daisy of Love."
Megan Wants a Millionaire
"Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School".
"Charm School with Ricki Lake."
"I Love New York,"
"New York Goes to Hollywood,"
"New York Goes to Work."
"Real Chance of Love."
I Love Money.
"For the Love of Ray J"

Shadow_Ferret · Dec 7, 2009

Dragnet? Granted it started at a Radio show, but that was Television before pictures. It then had 2 TV shows with Jack Webb. 2 after he was dead. A movie when he was alive and then a shit movie with Dan Akroyd. Dragnet also spawned Adam-12 and Emergency!

I wonder if any westerns spawned anything? Like Gunsmoke or Bonanza or Rawhide?

DeleyanLee · Dec 7, 2009

She wasn't counting books or comics, but Trek does have a publishing history back to the late 70's/early 80's. *shrug*

Kitty Pryde said:
That Japanese Power Rangers show spawned 16 American series and two movies. Plus a dozen video games and a billion books

That really frightens me.

Shadow_Ferret · Dec 7, 2009

DeleyanLee said:
She wasn't counting books or comics, but Trek does have a publishing history back to the late 70's/early 80's. *shrug*

Late 60s you mean. James Blish wrote many adaptations of the original series. I have them on my shelf.

DeleyanLee · Dec 7, 2009

Shadow_Ferret said:
Late 60s you mean. James Blish wrote many adaptations of the original series. I have them on my shelf.

I sit corrected. I forgot about those.

JoshEllingson · Dec 7, 2009

there are actually11 star wars movies. episodes 1-6, 2 ewok movies, a 2 hour holiday special, an hour long t.v. movie called the great heep, and that shite clone wars. an ewoks s.v. series, and a droids tv series. not to mention the 250 or so books....

I will not even attempt to count the star trek books. i would say they are about even, when you think about the fact that star trek is older, and some of the books have probably gone out of print, other than that, trek wins, unfortunately

DWSTXS · Dec 7, 2009

DeleyanLee said:
So my best friend and I were talking and she made a comment about Star Trek that I can't dispute and was wondering if anyone could come up with something that I couldn't.

She said that Star Trek is the most expansive franchise in the world which started out as a TV series.

Not counting the original series, it has spawned 4 separate TV series, 1 animated series, and 11 feature motion pictures.

While Sherlock Holmes has spawned a lot of movies and series, its origin in a book, not a TV show. Star Wars only has 5 sequel movies, but started as a movie. I thought of Dr. Who, but besides the original long-running series, it has a rebirth series and a couple of movies. All in the Family only had 1, maybe 2, spin-off series, but no movies.

Can anyone think of something that started as a TV that rivals Trek's record?

What really struck me is that this legacy came from a "failed" TV show too. Whoa.

My advice is to tell her something that she probably doesn't know, which is: That it was Lucille Ball who greenlighted Star Trek. When she and Desi split up, she owned Desilu productions, and she convinced NBC to take on Star Trek.
So, without Lucille Ball, the show Star Trek may have never made it to the air.

DeleyanLee · Dec 7, 2009

DWSTXS said:
My advice is to tell her something that she probably doesn't know, which is: That it was Lucille Ball who greenlighted Star Trek. When she and Desi split up, she owned Desilu productions, and she convinced NBC to take on Star Trek.
So, without Lucille Ball, the show Star Trek may have never made it to the air.

She already knows that.

DavidZahir · Dec 7, 2009

Methinks Doctor Who has Star Trek beat.

Apart from two major motion pictures (which sucked, but that is another matter) the show has had a half-dozen spinoffs on television. It spawned hundreds of novels as well as several lines of audio books, numbering in their dozens at least. Fan fiction, including fan-made films, are plentiful. Mind you, with DW there was and is much more upon which to draw.

childeroland · Dec 7, 2009

Yeah, I was about to mention Dr. Who.

Seaclusion2 · Dec 7, 2009

Just to be accurate, All in the Family has five spin-off series. Well, four spin-off series and a spin-off of a spin-off.

Richard

maxmordon · Dec 7, 2009

Twilight Zone has spawned a couple of revivels, some dozens books and comics, a feature film and even a radio show. Still no match to Trek, though.

Chumplet · Dec 7, 2009

How about Sesame Street? Muppet Movies, books, toys etc. A few spin-offs like The Muppet Show, plus all the SNL parodies LOL!

BigWords · Dec 7, 2009

The biggest franchise, though not based on a television series but a real life person, has to be the Wong Fei Hung bandwagon. Hundreds of films and dozens of television shows have been based on his life, and he's appeared as a character in many, many other shows and games. You could probably triple the list of media when you take into account the characters which are only loosely based on him.

Beats Dracula and Sherlock Holmes' media appearances hands down.

Shadow_Ferret · Dec 7, 2009

Seaclusion said:
Just to be accurate, All in the Family has five spin-off series. Well, four spin-off series and a spin-off of a spin-off.

Richard

And didn't it start from a BBC show, Till Death Do Us Part?

Seaclusion2 · Dec 7, 2009

Yes it did. Just like most of the big hit shows in this country start from a hit foreign show.

Richard

Jcomp · Dec 7, 2009

It'd take some research to find out but I'm wondering if there's an anime series out there that could compete with the Trek legacy. Most of those will be discounted since they started as manga comics first, but it'd be interesting to see.

BigWords · Dec 7, 2009

Doraemon? There's at least three distinct manga series, probably up to thirty or so films, two (maybe three) cartoons, several books (admittedly aimed at young children, but stilll) and the computer games.

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