The sitcom Happy Days was a television institution, and its overwhelming popularity resulted in an astounding number of spinoffs. First airing in 1974, Happy Days told the story of a gang of teens in middle America during the '50s and '60s, and their nostalgic adventures were exactly what television audiences wanted at the time. Just a few short years into its run, Happy Days began receiving a slew of spinoffs that were met with varying degrees of success, though were popular enough to spawn other shows themselves. While no spinoff series ever eclipsed the original, Happy Days was a fertile product for new TV shows.
With Happy Days' simplistic format and a slew of memorable characters, spinoffs came naturally for the sitcom, and audiences couldn't get enough of the "good old days" on their TV sets. Even after the notorious "jump the shark" episode, the series was still popular enough to warrant new and exciting offshoot shows. Though other series have become spinoff machines, Happy Days was one of the first TV shows to become an institution, and its 11-season run bridged over multiple generations of television history. Here's a comprehensive guide to all of Happy Days' many spinoffs.
Laverne & Shirley (1976-1983)
Just two years into the run of Happy Days, its first spinoff series came into being on the same network, ABC. Laverne & Shirley followed the titular characters, who had appeared sporadically throughout the first few seasons of Happy Days and were acquaintances of Fonzie. Set in the 1960s, Laverne & Shirley was just as family-friendly as its predecessor but delved deeper into the characters of Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney as working women in that time period. The chemistry between stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams was the anchor for the program, and it explored issues that Happy Days never touched.
Laverne & Shirley was the most successful Happy Days spinoff, and its impressive eight-season run was complimented by a slew of Golden Globe and Emmy Award wins. The series was such a success that it gained its own animated spinoff in the form of Laverne & Shirley in the Army, which lasted two seasons of its own. Blazing its own trail, Laverne & Shirley was another one of the best spinoff series ever and stood exclusively on its own. It was the most-watched show on television during its third and fourth seasons, according to the ninth edition of The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows.
Blansky's Beauties (1977)
Hot on the heels of the first Happy Days spinoff, the ill-fated Blansky's Beauties was rushed into production to catch the wave of popularity surrounding the original series. Richie Cunningham's cousin Nancy Blansky (Nancy Walker) was introduced in Happy Days season 3, episode 17, "The Third Anniversary Show," and the first episode of her standalone series aired the very next week. It followed Blansky as she was the den mother to a troupe of young performers in Las Vegas. Though Happy Days was set in the '50s, Blansky's Beauties was inexplicably a show set in the 1970s. Despite repeated crossovers, the series was canceled after only one season.
Mork & Mindy (1978-1982)
Now best ed as featuring the breakthrough role of comedy legend Robin Williams, Mork & Mindy actually started as one of the strangest episodes in Happy Days history. Spun off from season 5, episode 22, "My Favorite Orkan," Mork & Mindy followed the titular Mork of Ork, who was sent to Earth under the guise of observing human behavior but was actually kicked off of his planet for being too silly. Williams was electric in his performance and was undoubtedly the most popular aspect of the show. Despite Williams' newfound star power, it declined in popularity quite quickly and was canceled unceremoniously in 1982.
Out Of The Blue (1979)
Unlike Happy Days, which was one of the longest-running sitcoms, its controversial spinoff Out of the Blue barely made a ripple on the airwaves before disappearing. The series followed a guardian angel who was sent to Earth to watch over a typical Midwestern family. Its status as a spinoff has been a hot topic among TV fans because the first episode of Out of the Blue actually aired before its lead character, Random (Jimmy Brogan), made an appearance on Happy Days. Nevertheless, it was intended to be part of the Happy Days universe and even featured a crossover with Mork & Mindy before being canned after only seven episodes aired.
The Fonz & The Happy Days Gang (1980-1981)
Not deterred by a few failed spinoffs, the producers at ABC greenlit Happy Days' first animated series in the form of The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang in 1980. Like many animated spinoffs featuring fan-favorite characters, this one saw most of the original cast reprise their respective roles. Instead of simply making a child-friendly version of Happy Days, the baffling cartoon saw the Fonz and his friends travel through time and visit different periods of history. Despite its impressive cast and production by Hanna-Barbera, the series only stuck around for two quick seasons that amounted to 24 episodes in total.
Joanie Loves Chachi (1982-1983)
Unlike many of the rushed spinoffs that Happy Days produced, Joanie Loves Chachi was actually built up over several years, and the relationship between the two title characters was a big part of the original series after season 5. The spinoff followed the lovebirds as they moved to Chicago to pursue a career in music just as the British Invasion was changing rock forever. Though the show had everything going in its favor, it was another underwhelming TV spinoff because it failed to capture the magic that the characters had on Happy Days. As a result, Joanie Loves Chachi was canceled midway through its second season.
Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour (1982-1983)
As Happy Days had tried animated spinoffs before, the Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour was an example of throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck. The series was split into two half-hour segments, the first of which was an animated version of Mork & Mindy with the second being a rehash of Laverne & Shirley in the Army but with the Fonz thrown in. Most of the original cast returned, including Henry Winkler and Robin Williams, but it was clear that the bloom had come off the rose by 1983. The last Happy Days spinoff was canceled just a year before the original series ended.