Case 8.5, File 03: Eine Kleine Frohike

AKA: That's Some Real Bad German

Three or four episodes in is usually the point when a series can stop setting up its character dynamics and worlds and just get down to the business of what we're going to be doing week to week, and as such can usually function as something of mission statement; 3 episodes in was The X-Files hit Squeeze, which is one of the best early episodes. So now that we've got our basic setup (with Jimmy added to the crew) it's time for us to see what the show is going to try to be.

Case 8.5, File 02: Bond, Jimmy Bond

AKA: There Are Just People With The Name "James Bond" Out There, Right?

One of the first things a spinoff has to do is get its own cast up and running. Leeching too heavily or too obviously off the main cast can cripple both shows, as you're pulling too much from the original's fabric and risking falling prey to existing cast dynamics. It's worth noting that one of the more successful spinoffs of the 21st century (Angel) only pulled one other main character, and a tertiary character a bit down the line. And even if The Lone Gunmen wanted to pull characters from The X-Files, it just plain doesn't have that many secondary characters it can spare. The writers have to create their own cast from scratch.

Case 8.5, File 01: Pilot

AKA: There's No Jokey AKA I Can Do Here That Isn't Way Too Dark

Spinoffs are, in the modern TV era, kind of in a weird spot. TV execs love them, and not just because they used to soft test new TV show concepts in other shows (seriously, look up how many spinoffs Happy Days had). It seems like a foolproof way to make a new show; Take an element people like from an existing show, and build a new show around it. In practice it's not that simple. Often times the element in question was only ever really functional as part of the larger ensemble and just because people like it, doesn't mean it's enough to anchor a full tv show.