Leaving the mothership
Some sitcom spin-offs soar while others flop — so what’s the secret to making one that really takes off?
BBC
- Caroline Frost
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It is a truth universally acknowledged by TV commissioners that a successful sitcom in possession of critical acclaim, big audiences and fans chomping for more must be in want of a spin-off. So to Amandaland, from the team who brought us three flawless series of Motherland with all its trials and occasional triumphs of west-London mums (and Kevin) assembled at the school gate.
In the absence of Anna Maxwell Martin and co, step forward Lucy Punch, back in tireless social-climbing action as Amanda, down on her luck but by no means daunted, even if she’s had to – clutch pearls – leave Chiswick.
I had reservations going in. Representing the worst of socially anxious narcissism among the mums, Motherland’s Amanda was the selfish sun around whom the others united, the nearest the show had to a villain. But the last few episodes saw her come an emotional cropper – divorce, shelling out (and receiving) home truths, and finally realising the goodness of her wing-woman, Anne. Her redemption was secured, her narrative arc complete. What else is there to say?
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Well, plenty it seems, starting with her geographical move. “I’m all about SoHar,” she beams. Meaning south of Harlesden, or “that area around Wormwood Scrubs prison?” asks Anne. Yes, Anne (Philippa Dunne) is back, more confident and poised, but still somehow in thrall to her former queen. Joanna Lumley also returns to scene-steal as Amanda’s mum Felicity, while new characters filling the table at the local brasserie include a celebrity chef Amanda is determined to befriend, and a single dad in the flat below (I trust we all know where this is heading).
Amanda was the nearest Motherland had to a villain
The rationale behind creating such a show is obvious. Writers can lean into character-recognition and audience goodwill and, as we flick through channels, a familiar face is a reassuring presence among a flurry of new titles. Precedents are multiple: we discovered Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, as well as the inmates of Porridge in Going Straight and, in Grace & Favour, the staff of the Are You Being Served? department store.
The cast of Motherland UK. BBC
What makes it work – or not? On paper, Joey, Matt LeBlanc’s solo effort after Friends, should have been a surefire hit. Joey’s move to LA felt feasible and he was the only one of the gang left suitably solo to build stories around. But, cancelled after two seasons, the show’s relative failure proved how special Friends had been. Without the unique chemistry he enjoyed with his five cast-mates, Joey wasn’t just solo, he was stranded.
(L-R) Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, John Mahoney as Martin Crane, Moose as Eddie, and David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Niles Crane Andrew Eccles/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
On the other hand, Frasier (the original Cheers spin-off, not the recently cancelled reboot) won 37 Emmy Awards and is considered one of the greatest comedies of all time. Because in this complete Seattle world, the singular psychiatrist had his brother Niles, dad Martin with carer Daphne, producer Roz and another scene-stealer, Eddie the Jack Russell. Who needed Boston?
The beating heart of the show was Frasier’s status anxiety, and this has proved a frequent low-hanging comedy fruit for spin-off writers – although Only Fools and Horses’ Boycie and Marlene’s class campaign in The Green, Green Grass wasn’t a patch on my favourites George and Mildred, two beautiful phoenixes who emerged fully formed from the ashes of Man About the House. What these social climbers lack in self-awareness they make up for in enthusiasm – like originals Rupert Rigsby (Rising Damp), David Brent (The Office) and, of course, the indefatigable Hyacinth Bucket (Keeping Up Appearances).
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Whether Amanda will join these flawless, sympathetic grotesques in the great comedy canon, time will tell. But the signs are good that, in SoHar, she’s found a happy new home.
Authors
Caroline Frost
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