Dueling Shows

The below is a list of shows that are considered twisted reflections of each other. Which is the original and which is the rip-off is not always completely clear.

Often, the shows are developed at the same time, so all they have in common is their basic premise and pitch description. This is especially true in animation, given the long lead time required to get a finished show to air. When both programs get to the screen, they may differ in every important respect, except their one-sentence capsule description. Each program has its own audience and meddling suits. Either way, if they persist in coexisting, the audience will polarize, and the shows will evolve away from each other, or one will be canceled.

Sometimes, rather than home-brew a knock off, a company will license a foreign program, usually Anime, and adapt it to be more like its competitor.

Rarely, two dissimilar shows will develop a rivalry. Maybe they're opposite each other in the same time slot, maybe one steals the other's time slot, or maybe there's some superficial similarity that causes viewers to compare the two shows. Arrested Development had a whole episode full of in-jokes about how people compared it to The OC, simply because they were both on Fox and set in Orange County, California.

See Dueling Movies for the cinematic version and Dueling Games for the video game version. Do not confuse with Fighting Series.

Again, just to be clear: The shows have to air during the same time period, otherwise you've got either Follow the Leader or Serial Numbers Filed Off. Also see Fandom Rivalry.

Anime and Manga
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