In addition to adaptations which may vary in faithfulness and quality, but still try to tell Austen’s stories in some manner, there are spinoffs that:
- Tell original stories about Austen characters,
- Tell original stories set in Austen’s world, based on the culture, manners, and societal barriers Austen describes,
- Tell stories about “modern-day” characters who are influenced by Austen’s writings,
- And more.
There have been many dozens of Austen-inspired “original works,” most of them on the Hallmark channel. You’re on your own if you decide to try Christmas at Pemberly or some such there.
But at least a few spinoffs have earned a place in my library. This list may grow as recommendations come in or I break down and view a few my friends love but don’t look promising.
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Current reviews/recommendations include:
Austenland may be the most original. The premise is that Austen fans can spend a great deal of money for an immersive experience in a Regency setting, complete with actors representing various supporting character types. I haven’t read the book (yet), but the movie is deliberately hokey with Jane Seymour (herself!) as the manager and promotions director, inexplicably holding a stuffed lamb while she makes her spiel. As the erstwhile protagonist (Keri Russell) arrives to discover that her investment only qualifies her for the budget experience, and things go sideways from there, the show becomes more and more outrageous, including unsanctioned encounters with the “actors” (one of whom is played by J.J. Feild, who once played Mr. Tilney in a fine BBC production of Northanger Abby). The final, final ending goes off the rails, but my grown daughters, all Austen fans, like that part as well, too, so I won’t say too much about that. 
To the right are three of the Austenland products you can generally find on Amazon. Note: Midnight in Austenland seems to confuse many of its readers, so read the reviews before you order it for a beach read or such.
Lost in Austen is one I can watch repeatedly. Again, I have yet to go through the book, which is more like a “choose-your-own adventure” book than an actual story. But the PBS miniseries, starring Jemima Rooper does justice to the question, “What would it be like for someone who has virtually memorized Pride and Prejudice (and the splendid Colin Firth/Jennefir Ehle movie adaptation), to actually be thrust into that world?” 
Amanda Price’s many faux pas, her clumsy attempts to straighten everything out (including the Darcy/Elizabeth relationship), and her reactions when she discovers that Wickham and Bingley’s sister are nothing like she imagined propel the story in unexpected directions with every twist.
Incidentally, the actors playing the Pride and Prejudice characters we all know and love do them justice in every way, with the possible exception of Darcy, who plays at being caught off-balance through much of the miniseries.
The whole series is about 3 hours long, so don’t plan to watch it all in sitting, unless you have serious snack food reserves.
The book that inspired the series is a different kind of fun – you take the part of Lizzy in a sort of “choose your own adventure” book, which is delightfully tongue-in-cheek.
Honorable mention goes to Death Comes to Pemberly, a PD James novel that was made into a very watchable miniseries. This is one I have read. I have to credit James with apparently impecable research into Recency culture, manners, and even criminal proceedings. It is also an excellent mystery, as one would expect. That said, PD James’ writing style is much the same as her other excellent detective books, so, though it’s a good read, don’t expected it to read like Austen’s prose.
Premise: A few months(?) after Pride and Prejudice’s conclusion, Pemberly is thrown into an uproar when Wickham’s friend Captain Denny dies under mysterious circumstances, and Wickham is the prime suspect. For me, the best parts have to do with showing how things have “played out” for relatively minor characters like Georgiana and Lydia Wickham since we last saw Darcy and Elizabeth in action.
I’m a little disappointed that Darcy doesn’t seem as self-assured and ready to take charge as Austen created him. In fact, he seems a little “caught off balance” through most of the story. Yes, the Darcy in Lost in Austen seems that way, too, but James’ Darcy doesn’t have the excuse of being continually astonished by a time traveller’s anachronistic outbursts and behavior. The female characters come out a little stronger, and the story is definitely worth reading and/or watching once at least.
Many folks like The Jane Austen Book Club. It takes 
place in “modern day,” so it’s not as much about Austen’s stories and characters as it is about the books’ influence on “modern day” people with diverse life experiences. I enjoyed it and you may, too, but for me it wouldn’t bear rewatching too many times.
I will count the ITV/PBS series Sanditon as a spinoff, too. It’s based on a novel that Austen started and never completed, so the first few episodes start out on a strictly Austenian trajectory (though the sexual hijinks of some of the characters are presented more obviously). 
Then it goes “off the rails,” in a sense, when scriptwriter Andrew Davies is no longer even slightly constrained by Austen’s characters and plot lines. The last episode of season 1 – at a point where Austen would have made everything right by a propitious proposal or some such – ends with things more “up in the air” than ever.
At the moment, season 2 is playing and season 3 is planned. It’s apparent that Davies has no desire to tie up any “loose ends,” or resolve any plot arcs from the first season – rather the show is becoming more “open-ended” by the episode. If you enjoyed the ongoing struggles of the characters in Downton Abbey (or Dallas, for that matter), for, you may enjoy this series.
Although DVDs are available for the first season and by the end of May should be available for the second season, I am not providing any links because most of the DVDs advertised will not play in North American DVD players. If you have a chance to join PBS’ streaming site while Season 1 and 2 are streaming, that will give you some idea if you ever want to buy a box set or some such. If you can’t resist spending money on DVDs now, make certain they’re “Region 1 (USA & Canada).
In vain have I struggled. It will not do. Against my better judgment, I have to include one that’s on everyone else’s list. Clueless is a 1995 teenager-focused comedy that is “inspired by” the story of Emma, much as Ten Things I Hate About You is “inspired by” The Taming of the Shrew. 
I’m told it is a clever, fine, funny movie, and that Alicia Silverstone is delightful as the protagonist. To this day, it has a serious cult following (though I can’t get past the first ten minutes myself, and some of today’s youngsters think it seems dated). As a former English teacher, my only concern is that it would be one big spoiler to a young person who’s never been exposed to Emma through book or adaptation – once you’ve seen this, not much in Emma would be surprising. That said, if you’re teaching English Literature and you’ve already made your students read Emma, you could show them this for fun.
It is ironic that two movie-length Emma adaptions came out just a year after this movie, although they were certainly in production long before Clueless was released. If I recall, the buzz at the time was probably something like “It’s just like Clueless but with fancy clothes.” So maybe it was a benefit to Austen lovers after all.
I’m sure there are other “spinoffs” worth listing here – I’ll post any I come aross that I could recommend.