The Simpsons could've made one spin-off idea work
Unlike most other popular TV series, The Simpsons has avoided being spun off into counterpart shows, but one scrapped spin-off idea from the ‘90s could’ve been spectacular. The Simpsons poked fun at the notion of spin-offs in season 8, episode 24, “The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase,” with such ideas as a variety show starring the Simpson family and a detective show starring Chief Wiggum and Principal Skinner solving crimes in New Orleans.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT After the success of season 7, episode 21, “22 Short Films About Springfield,” which gave a spotlight to various colorful characters around Springfield who are usually relegated to cameo appearances, the writers considered making a spin-off series about the lives of random Springfieldians. The proposed spin-off, simply titled Springfield, was pitched to Simpsons creator Matt Groening by former Simpsons showrunner Josh Weinstein.
Any individual Simpsons supporting character would be stretched thin in a solo spin-off series. A Ned Flanders series would be the ultimate example of Flanderization. A Krusty the Clown series could play like a Simpsons version of The Larry Sanders Show, but it would eventually become repetitive. Mr. Burns works best as a foil for other characters, so a Mr. Burns-focused spin-off show would get old fast.
Why A Simpsons Spinoff Never Happened Although Weinstein felt that the Springfield series “could’ve been great,” the Simpsons staff ultimately decided that they didn’t have time to take on an entire second series. There’s already so much work involved in making 20+ Simpsons episodes every year without also having to come up with 20+ Springfield episodes in the same amount of time.