PRO: crossover potential
How good is it when multiple shows combine characters and storylines for events that continue from one show to the next? The crossovers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel were momentous, if for no other reason than they allowed the titular ex-lovers to spend time together again.
CON: fans have to watch multiple shows
For full enjoyment, you can’t just watch one Chicago series, you have to watch Fire, P.D. and Med (and, for a time, Justice). Also Law & Order: SVU. As for all those DC series – staying up to date with them is like a full-time job.
PRO: continue the adventures of an existing character
It can be sad to say goodbye to characters you’ve loved for years, but you don’t have to if they are given their own spin-off, like Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) in The Good Fight. Alternatively, some second-string characters have more potential than is afforded them in their original show, which makes spinning them off into their own series the only logical move. Think Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) moving from Grey’s Anatomy to Private Practice.
CON: some characters wear out their welcome
Two words: Joey Tribbiani.
PRO: it’s a new idea without coming up with a new idea
Hey, our teen drama based on Archie comics worked, let’s do another! But in the case of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, it stands alone as something quite different.
CON: it’s not actually a new idea
All those CSIs, Criminal Minds and NCISes? All the same show. Fight me.