Returning To The Well.
Spin-off Series.
If you have watched TV in recent years, you have probably noticed the plethora of so-called ‘spin-off series’ – original TV series that take their inspiration from a tiny part of an existing film or TV franchise. Results are mixed, obviously. The Disney corporation has become especially adept at this in recent years, with multiple TV series based on Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The seed of the new series can vary enormously. Sometimes that link is very explicit, other times less so. For example, the Marvel series Loki centres on Thor’s brother, portrayed several times already in various Marvel film entries, such as the Thor films or The Avengers by Tom Hiddleston. Before then, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D took a very minor character from the Marvel film series, Agent Coulson, and crafted a show around him that ran for seven years and 136 episodes. Both of these examples (and numerous others besides) often have lots of cameos from other characters in the franchise. Early in its run, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D would often have actors from the film series briefly reprise their role in an episode.
At the other end of the spectrum, the critically-acclaimed Mandalorian series is based, indirectly, on a very briefly seen character in the original Star Wars film trilogy (the armour-clad bounty hunter Bobba Fett). He is only in a couple of scenes in The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) and Return of the Jedi (Ep VI). His backstory is further fleshed out in the prequel film, Attack of the Clones (Ep II) – of course the twist here is that the Mandalorian in the eponymous TV series is not Bobba Fett, rather a bounty hunter from the same race as Boba Fett. The concept of Bobba Fett led to the exploration of a whole new corner of the Star Wars universe that is familiar in look and feel, and follows the ‘rules’ of that fictional creation, without being heavily reliant on existing characters from the original source material.
Of course, this is not a new phenomenon. Spin-off or tie-in novels from TV and film franchises have been around for decades. I own hundreds of Star Trek novels (and have read even more). The most common are ‘additional episodes’, if you like, of the various Star Trek TV series. I have many dozens of Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST:TNG) books which could easily have been a TV episode. Excitingly, the freedom of the format allows the writers to tell stories that can’t be filmed, either because of expense, limitations in visual effects, or in later years because the actors that portrayed these beloved characters are no longer with us. I also own books that create new characters, set within the Star Trek universe. Peter David’s New Frontier series, which first appeared in the nineties, featured a new starship and entirely original characters. It was unquestionably part of the existing and ongoing ST: TNG universe, with ‘cameos’ from Captain Picard etc, and it followed the ‘rules’ of that universe. As a huge fan of the TV series, when reading the books, my mind’s eye easily conjured up images based on the TV series’ aesthetic.
So, where is this going? As a writer, we are often looking for inspiration, and a spin-off from an existing work can be a great way of creating of original material. You may be fortunate enough to have an existing work of your own that you can expand. For example Harlan Coben has taken characters from his incredibly popular Myron Bolitar series and given them their own novels.
Otherwise an option is to take inspiration from someone else’s creation. Unfortunately, unless you are writing not-for-profit fan fiction, using intellectual property that is still under copyright without permission will likely land you in hot water. Neither Lucasfilm or CBS are going to look kindly on you writing spin-off novels set in the Star Wars or Star Trek universes (please note, I still await the call from Pocket Books to write a Star Trek-based detective novel). Even older franchises can have some limitations – some of the characters from the later Sherlock Holmes books will remain off limits for a few more years. But there are plenty of older, public domain, novels. Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster have been reimagined many times, with other characters from those novels sometimes taking centre stage. The much-lauded crime writer, PD James, continued Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with her own Death Comes To Pemberley.
Could a spin-off be the inspiration for your writing? What spin-off series do you think work particularly well? What spin-off series would you really love to see?
As always feel free to share here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
The seed of the new series can vary enormously. Sometimes that link is very explicit, other times less so. For example, the Marvel series Loki centres on Thor’s brother, portrayed several times already in various Marvel film entries, such as the Thor films or The Avengers by Tom Hiddleston. Before then, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D took a very minor character from the Marvel film series, Agent Coulson, and crafted a show around him that ran for seven years and 136 episodes. Both of these examples (and numerous others besides) often have lots of cameos from other characters in the franchise. Early in its run, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D would often have actors from the film series briefly reprise their role in an episode.
At the other end of the spectrum, the critically-acclaimed Mandalorian series is based, indirectly, on a very briefly seen character in the original Star Wars film trilogy (the armour-clad bounty hunter Bobba Fett). He is only in a couple of scenes in The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) and Return of the Jedi (Ep VI). His backstory is further fleshed out in the prequel film, Attack of the Clones (Ep II) – of course the twist here is that the Mandalorian in the eponymous TV series is not Bobba Fett, rather a bounty hunter from the same race as Boba Fett. The concept of Bobba Fett led to the exploration of a whole new corner of the Star Wars universe that is familiar in look and feel, and follows the ‘rules’ of that fictional creation, without being heavily reliant on existing characters from the original source material.
Of course, this is not a new phenomenon. Spin-off or tie-in novels from TV and film franchises have been around for decades. I own hundreds of Star Trek novels (and have read even more). The most common are ‘additional episodes’, if you like, of the various Star Trek TV series. I have many dozens of Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST:TNG) books which could easily have been a TV episode. Excitingly, the freedom of the format allows the writers to tell stories that can’t be filmed, either because of expense, limitations in visual effects, or in later years because the actors that portrayed these beloved characters are no longer with us. I also own books that create new characters, set within the Star Trek universe. Peter David’s New Frontier series, which first appeared in the nineties, featured a new starship and entirely original characters. It was unquestionably part of the existing and ongoing ST: TNG universe, with ‘cameos’ from Captain Picard etc, and it followed the ‘rules’ of that universe. As a huge fan of the TV series, when reading the books, my mind’s eye easily conjured up images based on the TV series’ aesthetic.
So, where is this going? As a writer, we are often looking for inspiration, and a spin-off from an existing work can be a great way of creating of original material. You may be fortunate enough to have an existing work of your own that you can expand. For example Harlan Coben has taken characters from his incredibly popular Myron Bolitar series and given them their own novels.
Otherwise an option is to take inspiration from someone else’s creation. Unfortunately, unless you are writing not-for-profit fan fiction, using intellectual property that is still under copyright without permission will likely land you in hot water. Neither Lucasfilm or CBS are going to look kindly on you writing spin-off novels set in the Star Wars or Star Trek universes (please note, I still await the call from Pocket Books to write a Star Trek-based detective novel). Even older franchises can have some limitations – some of the characters from the later Sherlock Holmes books will remain off limits for a few more years. But there are plenty of older, public domain, novels. Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster have been reimagined many times, with other characters from those novels sometimes taking centre stage. The much-lauded crime writer, PD James, continued Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with her own Death Comes To Pemberley.
Could a spin-off be the inspiration for your writing? What spin-off series do you think work particularly well? What spin-off series would you really love to see?
As always feel free to share here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
