Spin off shows are a strange thing; we seem to either love them as much – if not more – than the show that birthed them or we absolutely hate them, so what is it that makes one work and another fail dismally?

Good examples of this are Frasier and Joey. Frasier was a spin off from Cheers of course, and Joey a spin off from Friends, and while Frasier was every bit as popular, if not more popular, than Cheers, Joey flopped totally.

On the face of it, the principles of both shows were the same; a well loved character moving geographical areas and introducing a whole host of new characters and storylines, but why did Joey fail and Frasier do so well?

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