Has this ever happened in a TV show or movie...
- Thread starter gblews
- Start date
Not that I can think of, but we've had close examples. The big one of course being Frasier Crane moving from "Cheers" to "Frasier", with some guest appearances of some of the characters.
And two main characters, Frank Black and his daughter, from "MillenniuM" guest appearing on an episodes of "The X-Files".
Then we had double main characters doing guest episodes from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena". Same with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel".
And two main characters from another series appearing on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air". I think Urkle from "Family Matters" made an appearance on another series as well.
And then the odd appearances of a main character from "Scrubs", Ted, on another TV series with a cameo by another character, Bob Kelso, although not spoken by name.
I'm not sure we count count the Huckstables from the various Cosby sereis, as it seems although they share similar main characters, they aren't necessarily the same show continued.
And two main characters, Frank Black and his daughter, from "MillenniuM" guest appearing on an episodes of "The X-Files".
Then we had double main characters doing guest episodes from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena". Same with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel".
And two main characters from another series appearing on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air". I think Urkle from "Family Matters" made an appearance on another series as well.
And then the odd appearances of a main character from "Scrubs", Ted, on another TV series with a cameo by another character, Bob Kelso, although not spoken by name.
I'm not sure we count count the Huckstables from the various Cosby sereis, as it seems although they share similar main characters, they aren't necessarily the same show continued.
I don't think so, not in my recollection. I have seen regular characters move from one existing series to being regulars on another existing series but that tends to happen more often with supporting-ish characters.
After Stargate SG-1 ended, Samantha Carter became the new leader of the Atlantis expedition in the 4th season of Stargate Atlantis.
A couple years after Star Trek: The Next Generation ended, Worf became the new Strategic Operations Officer during the 4th season of Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
After Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, Spike became a regular during the 5th season of Angel.
Connie Rubirosa was the ADA during the final 4 seasons of Law & Order. She then became the new ADA on Law & Order: Los Angeles when they retooled the show midway through the 1st season.
Then there's John Munch, who had been a regular on Homicide: Life on the Street. After that show ended, they made a snap decision to make him a regular on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He was there from the beginning but I believe he was a fairly last-minute addition to the pilot.
I suppose I can recall a few series leads going on to become leads on other shows.
Alan Shore from The Practice to Boston Legal.
Mike Logan had been one of the 2 main detectives on Law & Order during its first 5 seasons. Then, about a decade after he left, he became one of the co-leads on Law & Order: Criminal Intent during Seasons 5-7.
Lennie Briscoe had been one of the main detectives on Law & Order during Seasons 3-14. When he left, he had a major supporting role on the short-lived spin-off Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Sadly, he only appeared in the first 2 episodes before the actor died of cancer. (Also, Arthur Branch served double duty that year as a regular on both Law & Order and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.)
Sarah Jane Smith was a sort of co-lead on the original Doctor Who during Seasons 11-14. About 3 decades after she left, the BBC gave her a spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures. (They had also attempted an earlier spin-off with her in the early 1980s called K-9 & Company, pairing her up with the Doctor's robot dog companion from the late 1970s.)
Then you've got series regulars that jumped from one series to another & back again.
IIRC, one of the daughters from The Cosby Show left to go to college, launching the spin-off A Different World. While A Different World continued for 6 seasons, the Cosby daughter left Hillman College after only 2 seasons and ended up back on The Cosby Show.
Alexandra Cabot was the ADA for several seasons on Law & Order: SVU. In Season 5, she went into the witness protection program. A couple years later, she came out of witness protection and was the new bureau chief on the short-lived Conviction spin-off. After Conviction was canceled, she came back semi-regularly on Law & Order: SVU during Seasons 10-13.
After Stargate SG-1 ended, Samantha Carter became the new leader of the Atlantis expedition in the 4th season of Stargate Atlantis.
A couple years after Star Trek: The Next Generation ended, Worf became the new Strategic Operations Officer during the 4th season of Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
After Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, Spike became a regular during the 5th season of Angel.
Connie Rubirosa was the ADA during the final 4 seasons of Law & Order. She then became the new ADA on Law & Order: Los Angeles when they retooled the show midway through the 1st season.
Then there's John Munch, who had been a regular on Homicide: Life on the Street. After that show ended, they made a snap decision to make him a regular on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He was there from the beginning but I believe he was a fairly last-minute addition to the pilot.
I suppose I can recall a few series leads going on to become leads on other shows.
Alan Shore from The Practice to Boston Legal.
Mike Logan had been one of the 2 main detectives on Law & Order during its first 5 seasons. Then, about a decade after he left, he became one of the co-leads on Law & Order: Criminal Intent during Seasons 5-7.
Lennie Briscoe had been one of the main detectives on Law & Order during Seasons 3-14. When he left, he had a major supporting role on the short-lived spin-off Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Sadly, he only appeared in the first 2 episodes before the actor died of cancer. (Also, Arthur Branch served double duty that year as a regular on both Law & Order and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.)
Sarah Jane Smith was a sort of co-lead on the original Doctor Who during Seasons 11-14. About 3 decades after she left, the BBC gave her a spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures. (They had also attempted an earlier spin-off with her in the early 1980s called K-9 & Company, pairing her up with the Doctor's robot dog companion from the late 1970s.)
Then you've got series regulars that jumped from one series to another & back again.
IIRC, one of the daughters from The Cosby Show left to go to college, launching the spin-off A Different World. While A Different World continued for 6 seasons, the Cosby daughter left Hillman College after only 2 seasons and ended up back on The Cosby Show.
Alexandra Cabot was the ADA for several seasons on Law & Order: SVU. In Season 5, she went into the witness protection program. A couple years later, she came out of witness protection and was the new bureau chief on the short-lived Conviction spin-off. After Conviction was canceled, she came back semi-regularly on Law & Order: SVU during Seasons 10-13.
Well, I'll be a gorram turncoat -- this has happened.
The entire main cast of "Firefly" went to the film "Serenity", which took place in-verse something like a year or two after the series ended.
That's multiple people:
Mal
Jayne
Inara
Book
Zoe
Wash
Simon
and River.
The entire main cast of "Firefly" went to the film "Serenity", which took place in-verse something like a year or two after the series ended.
That's multiple people:
Mal
Jayne
Inara
Book
Zoe
Wash
Simon
and River.
Or, for a more obscure example, the sitcom Ellen actually spent its last season or 2 titled These Friends of Mine. (IIRC, it was changed to avoid confusion with Friends.)
Stanley and Helen Roper were part of the main cast on Three's Company. Then they got their own show called The Ropers.
There was an All in the Family spinoff with Gloria and Joey (Joey was seen as a baby on All in the Family). I don't recall the name of the spinoff series.
This doesn't match the criterion of 2 main characters, but Trapper John from M*A*S*H* turned up years later on Trapper John, MD (played by a different actor, but the OP didn't specify the same actor
).Again, an instance of different actors, but the same characters: Several years after the movie The Crow was released, a TV series was made (The Crow: Stairway to Heaven). The main characters in both were Eric Draven, Shelley Webster, Sarah, and Albrecht. Also in the TV series as recurring characters: Top Dollar, Fun Boy, and the rest of their gang.
I was wrong again. Three of the main cast members, Klinger, Mulcahey and Potter, were the main cast (in every episode) of the spin-off series that lasted two seasons, "After M*A*S*H".
I should have also mentioned that the 2 main characters are their show's "leads" (not support characters) and they move to a completely different franchise, shall we say, to eliminate spinoffs. Definitely not talking about spinoffs here.
Where say, Dean and Sam Winchester move to "Criminal Minds" or the like, and remain the show's leads.
Where say, Dean and Sam Winchester move to "Criminal Minds" or the like, and remain the show's leads.
I don't see how that would classify as anything other than a spinoff.
Yeah, I forgot about the full criteria of the thread while thinking about cast members going to other shows.
But then, by definition, it wouldn't be a "completely different franchise."
In Shakespeare, Falstaff is practically a co-lead of Henry IV, Part One, a history play, and then becomes the definite lead of The Merry Wives of Windsor, a comedy.
If the OP meant a different genre instead of a different franchise, these could almost work. gblews specified two characters, though.
Kermit the Frog was a major character on Sesame Street (children's entertainment) and then headed up The Muppet Show (variety/comedy).
Lou Grant was a lead character in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (sitcom) and also the lead in Lou Grant (drama).
The Three Stooges were the same (more than two) characters in movies and TV shows that had no continuity whatsoever and were made by different people.
Here's the crowner, though (if you'll forgive the pun):
Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot. Transplanted to multiple movies made by different people at different times in different genres (epic blockbuster, fictionalized character study, historical biopic, etc.). Same main characters each time. No spinoffs. This meets the definition exactly.
The same can be said for other historical figures with a lot of movies or TV shows about them.
Kermit the Frog was a major character on Sesame Street (children's entertainment) and then headed up The Muppet Show (variety/comedy).
Lou Grant was a lead character in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (sitcom) and also the lead in Lou Grant (drama).
The Three Stooges were the same (more than two) characters in movies and TV shows that had no continuity whatsoever and were made by different people.
Here's the crowner, though (if you'll forgive the pun):
Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot. Transplanted to multiple movies made by different people at different times in different genres (epic blockbuster, fictionalized character study, historical biopic, etc.). Same main characters each time. No spinoffs. This meets the definition exactly.
The same can be said for other historical figures with a lot of movies or TV shows about them.
Along with some mentioned above, particularly by Timewalker, the earliest prominent example I can think of are Harry Morgan and Verna Felton from December Bride, which ran from 1954-1959. Morgan, 39 when the show started, played neighbor Pete who would talk about his wife Gladys, who was never seen, like Fraser Crane's Mavis. Felton, 65, played star Spring Byington's best friend Hilda. When Bride went off the air, Morgan and Felton were spun off into Pete and Gladys in 1960, with Cara Williams as the previously unseen wife.
Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and seemingly, Uncle Tom Cobley and all from The Lord of the Rings also appeared in The Hobbit.
Close one from early days of TV. There was a show called "December Bride" in which the aforementioned Harry Morgan played a character named Pete who was always talking about his wife Gladys, but she was never actually seen. (Kind of like Norm Peterson's wife on Cheers.) Then, a few years later, Morgan played the same character in a spin-off called "Pete and Gladys" in which the wife character did appear. Given Morgan's later stints in Mash and AfterMash, he has to take the prize here.
If you count cartoons, I can think of a lot of examples: the Brady Kids, Laverne and Shirley join the Army, Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, etc. I wouldn't classify these as spinoffs insofar as they are animated franchises that don't per se share a continuity with the live action series.
The only live action versions I can think of are POSSIBLY "Lou Grant" and "Trapper John MD," because in each case the old show was a sitcom and the new one a one-hour drama, but even those are arguably spinoffs. (And MASH always blurred the line between comedy and drama to begin with).
Maybe "Archie Bunkers Place," but, again, that's a spinoff.
Who the fuck is uncle Tom Cobley?
Okay, don't everyone get all pissed off, but I should also have mentioned that the characters move to an already existing franchise. 
Someone mentioned "Munch" from Homicide moving over to Law and Order. This is close to what I'm talking about, except that Munch wasn't a lead character in either show.
Melakon, how the FRACK did you remember the ancient TV shows, December Bride and Pete and Gladys? I haven't thought or heard of these shows in a hundred years. But I don't think Pete was a lead character on December Bride.
Most of what folks have mentioned as examples are actually spinoffs, I think, but that's partially my fault for not being more clear.
My original question wasn't meant to imply that what I suggest had never been done before. It was to find out just how common, (or not), lead characters jumping to other franchises and remaining leads, has been, especially in TV shows.
After it's second season, the entire cast of Enterprise moved to Star Trek: Enterprise.
Someone mentioned "Munch" from Homicide moving over to Law and Order. This is close to what I'm talking about, except that Munch wasn't a lead character in either show.
Melakon, how the FRACK did you remember the ancient TV shows, December Bride and Pete and Gladys?
I haven't thought or heard of these shows in a hundred years. But I don't think Pete was a lead character on December Bride. Most of what folks have mentioned as examples are actually spinoffs, I think, but that's partially my fault for not being more clear.
My original question wasn't meant to imply that what I suggest had never been done before. It was to find out just how common, (or not), lead characters jumping to other franchises and remaining leads, has been, especially in TV shows.
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