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TV spin-offs usually have failure written all over them, but not all of them are "Joey." In fact, many are actually very successful. So with the "Family Guy" spin-off around the corner and an "Office" spin-off in the works, we decided to shine the spotlight on the spin-offs that actually worked, even if you didn't realize they were spin-offs at all.

7. Mork and Mindy

As unlikely as it sounds, this show about Mork, the alien from Ork, and his human roommate Mindy is a spin-off of..."Happy Days"? That's right, the show that usually focused on Richie Cunningham and the Fonz hanging out in a diner did in fact introduce the other worldly Mork to the American public. Before the infamous jumping the shark moment by Fonzie the show was already beginning to stray into the bizarre and absurd, with Mork arriving on earth in an attempt to abduct Richie and bring him back to Ork as an example of a human. Of course Fonzie saved Richie with the same ease as pounding a jukebox to make it magically work. However, Robin Williams' performance as Mork was memorable enough to earn him a starring role on his own show for 4 years. And it makes perfect sense. What better role for Robin than an annoying, hyper creature from another planet?

6. The King of Queens

Before Kevin James ever got to declare himself the king of anything he was at best a feudal lord under the rule of Ray Romano. Kevin began appearing as Ray's friend, also named Kevin, on "Everybody Loves Raymond" frequently until CBS decided to grant him his own spin-off show as the same character. Of course the geniuses at CBS decided to confuse everything by re-naming him Doug, because obviously Kevin was just an unacceptable name for a leading character. To confuse things even further, Kevin James continued to show up as Ray's friend with the new name of Doug. At least out of all this confusion came a pretty decent sitcom that allowed us to see Patton Oswalt, as Doug's friend Spence, on our tv screens every week. And really, forget about Raymond. Everybody loves Patton.

5. Every CSI and Law and Order show

You can't flip through the channels at any hour without coming across some CSI or Law and Order spin-off, proving how insanely popular they truly are. And with the likes of Ice-T and David Caruso populating their casts it's no wonder. That's some brilliant C-level casting. But what it really proves is that Americans love to watch shows that involve rape, murder and the occasional semen sample. And despite many people's insistences that they don't really care for lawyers and cops in real life, they sure don't mind tuning in to hear them toss around cop and lawyer jargon 14 times a day.

4. Family Matters

Yes, I know the only thing that pops into your mind when you hear this title is Urkel. And who can blame you. That voice echoes in all of our nightmares. But the show spun off from a show with a character almost as annoying: Balki from "Perfect Strangers." Harriet Winslow was the elevator operator that often interacted with the main characters and her all too familiar round and jolly husband Carl even made an appearance. "Family Matters" altered their life greatly, relocating them from Larry and Balki's apartment building and into a suburban neighborhood. The show succeeded as a normal sitcom for half a season until Steven Urkel was introduced and things were never the same again. They got a whole lot more nasally.

3. The Jeffersons

The Jeffersons were originally the neighbors of lovable, cranky bigot Archie Bunker and his wife Edith on the legendary show "All in the Family." Of course we all know the story from there. Those Jeffersons moved on up to the East side, to a deluxe apartment in the sky. And in the process they got their own sitcom where they were free to deal with typical situational comedy interactions rather than the racism, homophobia and other (funny) awfulness that dominated "All in the Family." Perhaps thanks to its tamer nature it ended up running fro two years longer than "All in the Family" with it's 10 year existence on the air. Moving on up indeed.

2. Frasier

Though the environments of a Boston sports bar and a luxury apartment in Seattle differ greatly, there's no mistake: Dr. Frasier Crane excels no matter where you put him. First appearing on "Cheers," Frasier was a regular at the titular bar before moving back to his cushy life in Seattle to pursue his radio career (and own critically acclaimed sitcom of course). Kelsey Grammer embodied the finicky psychiatrist for 20 years on the air and won Emmy after Emmy, including one for a guest role as Frasier on Wings. His constantly praised performance (not to mention the mere presence of the brilliant David Hyde Pierce) left no question about Frasier's success, but the show did leave us with one unanswerable question for the ages: what should I do with these tossed salads and scrambled eggs?

1. The Colbert Report

Stephen Colbert enjoyed a long stay as a correspondent on the Daily Show, dating back to the very beginning of Jon Stewart's takeover, but nobody was sure that his ridiculous, right-wing, often stupid character from the show could actually support a half hour program, let alone 4 times a week. However, Colbert proved that he could do more than just survive in the format and thrived, creating a program that outshines the Daily Show on almost every night. A mix of his fake, right-wing rants and absurd, silly humor make a potent program that delivers constant laughs while still taking on the issues of the day, just in a far more subversive way. Plus Colbert knows how to control his mob, using his show as a means of getting everything from bridges to hockey mascots named after him and as a platform for his own failed presidential bid.

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