We're not sure that the world really needs a spinoff to Criminal Minds, but then again, we didn't think sub-divisions of Law & Order were necessary and SVU and Criminal Intent proved us wrong by being far more enjoyable than their mothership. And while spinoffs may not always grab us right off the bat (like NCIS: Los Angeles), sometimes a new series just needs a little time before it starts improving upon its predecessor. Case in point: The City returned this week with new characters and a compelling new focus that made it far more watchable than the now totally contrived LC-less The Hills. But these aren't the only shows that have been better than their originals. Here's our look back at the best spinoffs from the past two decades:

Tags: 90210, angel, Beavis and Butt-head, buffy the vampire slayer, Cheers, Daria, Deep Space Nine, Doctor who, Frasier, Greys anatomy, Hercules, melrose place, Private Practice, Star Trek, the simpsons, torchwood, tracey ullman, Xena

James Marsters knows what he likes, and he knows what people like to see him in. From Buffy to Angel to Smallville to Torchwood, he's made legendary appearances on some of the greatest science-fiction and fantasy shows of the past decade, and he's about to start yet another. Marsters will tackle the role of religious fanatic Barnabas, the man behind the Caprica bombings for a multi-episode run on Syfy's new series Caprica. Never ones to turn down talking to Spike, we sat in on a conference call to ask him about his character, whether he'll return to Torchwood or the Buffyverse, and what he thinks of all these new vampires running around.

Tags: Angel, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Caprica, interview, James Marsters, Smallville, Spike, Torchwood

The news that the producers of The Real Housewives are creating a spin-off with an all-male cast has shaken us to the core. The traditionally woman-centric franchise, changed to be all about men? Everything we know and believe has been turned on its ear! What's next, Mad Women starring Dawn Draper? Actually, that's not a bad idea. Here are some other shows that should get remade with their characters' genders reversed, either because they're already pretty great and we want more, or because they can't possibly get any worse. You be the judge!

Tags: 24, Americas Next Top Model, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter, House, Real Housewives, sex change, Supernatural, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist

If you don't regularly read Jane Espenson.com, it's worth checking out -- especially of late.  She's got a strike Fan Day update in her latest entry, and she's still talking about writing stuff as well.

"What's Fan Day?"  Click here to visit Fans4Writers.com, a resource for viewers who want to get involved.

Tags: angel, buffy, jane espenson, wga strike

Given its blatant catering to the youth of America, I was always stunned by the WB's use of Michigan J. Frog as their mascot. The (then) 40-year-old cartoon character was most famous for belting out old-timey music like "Hello My Baby" and "The Michigan Rag," and was not at all as well-known as the rest of the Looney Tunes stable... and probably the only one not already licensed out to a T-shirt company, which is likely why Warner Bros. chose him. Of course, since the network's demise in 2005, no one has seen hide nor hair of him, so I'm curious if he'll make a comeback now that The WB has resurfaced as a website, The WB.com, where you can watch all of your favorite WB (and Warner-produced) shows. Somehow I doubt it.

Tags: Angel, Babylon 5, Buffy, Everwood, Firefly, Friends, Gilmore Girls, Looney Tunes, Michigan J. Frog, One Tree Hill, Roswell, Smallville, Sorority Forever, The O.C., The WB, Veronica Mars, Warner Bros., Whatever Hollywood

If you were like me, you saw that BBC America was bringing over a show called Primeval, and said, "Wasn't that that movie about a giant crocodile starring Orlando Jones?" Well, in Britain, they were either blissful unaware of that film, or they felt that a crummy movie should not have the right to bogart an awesome title, because a month after the movie was inflicted on American audiences, UK viewers got a much better Primeval, in the form of an hour-long sci-fi drama in the vein of X-Files, Angel and Stargate SG-1. And with a new episode premiering this Saturday, followed by a mini-marathon on Sunday, I wanted to get the word out that there is nary an Orlando Jones in sight.

Tags: Angel, BBC, BBC America, dinosaurs, Hannah Spearritt, Primeval, S Club 7, sci-fi, Stargate SG-1, X-Files

There have always been two kinds of supernatural shows on TV: those that were trying to be funny, like I Dream of Jeannie and Big Wolf on Campus, and those that were trying to be scary, like The Twilight Zone and Friday the 13th: The Series. Some straddled the line, managing both with equal skill, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Supernatural manages to be pretty scary most of the time, but many shows have aimed for scary and fallen horribly short. Here are a few of the most egregious examples.

Tags: Angel, Blood Ties, Buffy, Charmed, Dark Shadows, Forever Knight, Ghost Whisperer, Haunted, Kolchak, Moonlight, Sabrina, Supernatural, Swamp Thing, The Night Stalker, The Others