5 Excellent TV Shows That Could Actually Be Improved With a Prequel Spinoff

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It’s common for TV shows to launch spinoffs to build on popular ideas, but these often weaken the original series. Prequels, however, sometimes succeed and can even enhance how we view the original. Better Call Saul is a prime example, turning Jimmy McGill into a truly memorable character and giving Breaking Bad a whole new depth. Now, HBO is hoping to repeat that success with the world of Game of Thrones. Shows like House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are helping to rebuild the franchise’s reputation after a controversial ending.

The best prequel stories take characters who played smaller roles or hinted-at past events and make them the focus. When done well, this creates a richer viewing experience where everything that happens in the original show feels more meaningful, because we’ve seen the choices that led to it. Many popular dramas have interesting characters and backstories that were never fully explored, making them perfect candidates for prequel series.

5) Deadwood

David Milch’s Deadwood created a remarkably detailed world, but it didn’t fully show how the lawless South Dakota mining camp came to be. The show started with Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) already running the Gem Saloon and essentially controlling the town. A true prequel would tell the story of how he gained that power, showing how a man arrived during the 1870s gold rush and cleverly defeated all his competitors – other criminals and any attempts at official governance – to become the most powerful figure in the camp.

The Shakespearean style of dialogue Milch used would actually feel even more at home in an earlier historical setting than it did during the political maneuvering in later seasons of Deadwood. McShane’s acting consistently hinted at a rich backstory we never fully saw. While Deadwood: The Movie concluded the story in 2019, there’s still potential to tell the tale of the camp’s beginnings, before it had a newspaper, a law enforcement officer, or even the illusion of order.

4) The Americans

The TV show The Americans, created by Joe Weisberg, immediately immerses viewers in the dangerous world of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), two Soviet spies operating in the United States during the 1980s under the Reagan administration. Throughout the series, we get glimpses of the intense training they received in the Soviet Union and the challenges they faced adjusting to American life in the 1960s. A new series exploring their arrival in the US and early missions would be a compelling way to expand the story and give fans a fresh perspective.

Before becoming the highly skilled team we see in The Americans, Elizabeth and Phillip were strangers brought together by an arranged marriage. A new series could show how they first met, learning to hide their backgrounds and accents while operating in a foreign country. It could explore their early struggles with American counterintelligence, their mistakes as they learned the ropes, and how their forced partnership slowly grew into a real romance. This would give fans a deeper understanding of their characters and a chance to revisit the world they love.

3) The Wire

As a huge fan of great television, I always thought a prequel to The Wire focusing on the early days of the Barksdale organization would be incredible. The show, for me, is the best at showing how cities really work – or, more accurately, don’t work – and how institutions fail people. The Wire just started with the Barksdales already at the top, leaving a lot to our imagination about how they got there. Seeing Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell building their drug empire during the height of the crack epidemic in the ’90s? That would be a seriously compelling and brutal origin story for the criminal world we see in the show. It could really show how things fell apart for Baltimore and its working class.

Simon once proposed a prequel idea focusing on the time period before the events of The Wire, featuring a younger Omar Little. HBO didn’t move forward with it then, but the show has become even more popular since it first aired, making a return to this world more appealing. The Wire always argued that American systems unintentionally create their own problems, and this prequel would let viewers see those problems developing from the very beginning, before their consequences were understood.

2) Sons of Anarchy

Fans have consistently asked for a prequel to Sons of Anarchy focusing on the founding members, the ‘First 9,’ and the idea has been seriously discussed for a long time, but repeatedly put on hold. While the show explored the story of Jax Teller and the SAMCRO club, the origins of the club itself were only revealed through stories from other characters or the writings of Jax’s father, John Teller.

Teller and Piney Winston first created the club as a way to find the camaraderie they missed after returning from the Vietnam War to a troubled America in the late 1960s. The heartbreaking transformation of this hopeful group into a violent criminal organization, driven by the growing power of Clay Morrow, would make a compelling story on its own. Kurt Sutter has stated, as recently as 2026, that a prequel series focusing on the club’s origins, ‘First 9,’ is still a possibility, and FX’s John Landgraf remains interested. Hopefully, this Sons of Anarchy prequel will become a reality soon.

1) Succession

I’ve been completely hooked by Succession, especially the intense fight between Logan Roy’s kids for control of his company, Waystar RoyCo. It’s fascinating how Logan, the man who built everything, stays so mysterious throughout the whole series. He constantly reminds his kids about how tough his childhood in Scotland was, and how they’ve had it easy, but we never actually see what he did to create his empire – all those supposedly harsh things that made him who he is. It’s a really interesting dynamic.

I’d be absolutely captivated by a Succession prequel taking place in the 1980s! Imagine seeing Logan Roy in his prime, ruthlessly climbing the corporate ladder when he was at his most powerful, before age started to slow him down. It would be fascinating to watch him fight off rivals and build his empire, and to see how he created ATN – the network that would eventually have such a huge impact, and not in a good way, on American politics. It could be a thrilling, high-stakes story about ambition and power, expanding the Succession universe while still being a compelling story on its own. It would really show how he went from being an underdog to the ultimate media mogul.

What TV series has a history you’d love to see explored in a prequel? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-05-06 20:13