Shared Universes on TV (1 Viewer)

[bretmaverick2]

What cross overs do you recall that tie various tv shows together??

One off the oddest I recall is the cross over between MAGNUM PI and MURDER, SHE WROTE. One more action oriented show meeting a "low action/ no action" show!!

 

[jperez]

The Maverick episode with cameo appearances by Cheyenne, Bronco, Cookie (from 77 Sunset Strip) and the guys from Lawman.

 

[TravisR]

The X-Files, Millennium and The Lone Gunmen all take place in the same universe since characters from Millennium and The Lone Gunmen have made appearances on The X-Files.

And if you want to take it to a real extreme, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul also take place in The X-Files universe because Breaking Bad had a reference to the fictional Lariat rental car agency that Mulder & Scully used on The X-Files. That reference comes from writer Vince Gilligan giving a nod to his former job on The X-Files rather than an intention for them to all be existing in the same world though.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

The Green Hornet and Kato on BATMAN

Mannix on DIAGNOSIS: MURDER (Season 4's "Hard-Boiled Murder"), continuing an old MANNIX episode's storyline

Multiple cartoon character crossovers on THE ABC SUPERSTAR MOVIE: "Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter" (1972) and CARTOON ALL-STARS TO THE RESCUE (1990)

Cameo crossovers:

BATMAN's Penguin (Burgess Meredith) on an episode of THE MONKEES

FELONY SQUAD's Ben Alexander (on the street) and Howard Duff (window cameo) on different episodes of BATMAN

THE ADDAMS FAMILY's Lurch (Ted Cassidy) on BATMAN

HOGAN'S HEROES' Col. Klink (Werner Klemperer) on BATMAN

THE BILL DANA SHOW's Juan Jimenez (Bill Dana) on BATMAN

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 2000's Dr. Clayton Forrester (Trace Beaulieu) and TV's Frank (Frank Coniff) on a recent episode of SVENGOOLIE

 

[Likecats]

Boss Hogg and Enos visit Mel's Diner on Alice, Richie and Fonzie on Laverne and Shirley and Laverne, Shirley, Carmine, Lenny and Squiggy on Happy Days.

 

[Brent S]

THE BOB NEWHART SHOW and MURPHY BROWN... Carol turned up as one of Murphy's parade of secretaries, and Bob appeared to ask her to come back to Chicago.


I LOVE LUCY tied into both of Ann Sothern's sitcoms.

• The 1st episode of THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" guest-starred Ann as PRIVATE SECRETARY's 'Suzy McNamara.'
• In THE ANN SOTHERN SHOW episode "The Lucy Story," 'Lucy Ricardo' leaves 'Ricky' after a fight and checks into The Bartley House to cry on the shoulder of old friend 'Suzy Parker.'

 

[B-ROLL]

Frank Cady, who played Sam Drucker, was the only actor in television history to play the same recurring character on three different shows at the same time:Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and The Beverly Hillbillies

 

[jcroy]

The Stargate franchise SG-1/Atlantis/Universe had many "crossovers".

In particular, seasons 8-10 of SG-1 and seasons 1-3 of Atlantis were produced concurrently over 2004-2007.

The only crossover episodes which were somewhat serialized, would be (in plotwise order):

- Lost City parts 1 and 2 (SG-1 season 7, episodes 21 + 22)
- New Order parts 1 and 2 (SG-1 season 8, episodes 1 + 2)
- Rising parts 1 and 2 (Atlantis season 1, episodes 1 + 2)

(IIRC, "Rising" was broadcasted the week after "New Order").

The rest of SG-1 seasons 8-9 and Atlantis seasons 1-2, were not heavily serialized with one another.

Season 10 of SG-1 and season 3 of Atlantis had multiple crossovers, mostly centered around Richard Dean Anderson coming back for the 200th episode of SG-1, and an episode with the SG-1 team visiting Atlantis. (Richard Dean Anderson left SG-1 after season 8). These particular crossover episodes were not heavily serialized with one another.

After that, Atlantis seasons 4-5 and Stargate Universe crossovers were mostly appearances of previous SG1/Atlantis characters. (ie. SG-1's Sam Carter is in the main cast of Atlantis season 4). Stargate Universe happened after SG-1 and Atlantis were both already finished.

 

[Jack P]

So nobody's brave enough to address the "St. Elsewhere" problem?

 

[TravisR]

The character of John Munch (Richard Belzer) has been on a ton of shows. I'm guessing that only Homicide: Life On The Streets and the Law & Orders are the ones that are really supposed to be in the same world but the character has also been on The X-Files, The Wire, Arrested Development, 30 Rock and probably even more.

 

[Malcolm R]

Bones and Sleepy Hollow, per this past season's Halloween crossover.

NCIS: LA and Scorpion.

 

[bmasters9]

Mannix on DIAGNOSIS: MURDER (Season 4's "Hard-Boiled Murder"), continuing an old MANNIX episode's storyline

The first-season Mannix DVD (that of the lone Intertect season) has as a bonus feature a short (and I do mean short) clip of it-- just the first two minutes' worth of the story. Not much of a bonus, if you ask me.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Probably doesn't count as 'true' crossovers. But the mechanism of using a crossover episode to jump start a series spinoff has long been in vogue. Any number of CBS procedurals have used this mechanism. (CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds all come to mind.)

There was a crossover episode with Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens.

The shared world of the DC comics' shows on the CW has been explored multiple times between Arrow, The Flash, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. I'm almost surprised that DC comics references have not been alluded to in Supernatural, considering how that show engages in meta-content.

- Walter.

 

[Brent S]

So nobody's brave enough to address the "St. Elsewhere" problem?

If you ignore the "dream" angle, SE connects with CHEERS ('Auschlander,' 'Westphall' and 'Craig' stopped at CHEERS for a drink, where we learn that 'Norm' is 'Auschlander's' accountant), THE BOB NEWHART SHOW ('Mr. Carlin' was an Eligius psych ward patient) and THE WHITE SHADOW ('Coolidge' was an Eligius orderly). And the CHEERS angle ties in THE TORTELLIS and FRASIER as well.

The "dream" still creates a problem due to CHEERS having 'Carla' go to St. Eligius to have her son 'Ludlow.' If Eligius didn't really exist, then how did 'Carla' have her baby there?

Oh well, it's all TV and all pretend. (I'll save my efforts for trying to figure out how 'Henry Blake,' 'Trapper John' and "Frank Burns' spent Christmas 1950 at the 4077th, but only 6 days later the camp is celebrating New Years Eve 1950 with 'Potter,' 'BJ' and 'Winchester.')

 

[Brent S]

A multi-crossover, involving a few decades connecting I LOVE LUCY to FRIENDS...

• THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR and THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW shared two cross-over episodes
• THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW launched THE JOEY BISHOP SHOW and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW; the latter also putting I LOVE LUCY in the same universe as GOMER PYLE USMC and RFD
• Morey Amsterdam appeared on an episode of DANNY THOMAS as THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW's 'Buddy Sorel,' moonlighting as 'Danny's' joke writer
• Carl Reiner as 'Alan Brady' turned up in an episode of MAD ABOUT YOU
• MAD ABOUT YOU's 'Paul Buchman' was SEINFELD's original neighbor, and was sub-letting the apartment to 'Kramer'
• Lisa Kudrow as twin sister 'Ursula' appeared on both MAD ABOUT YOU and FRIENDS

 

[Larry.P]

A multi-crossover, involving a few decades connecting I LOVE LUCY to FRIENDS...

• THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR and THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW shared two cross-over episodes
• THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW launched THE JOEY BISHOP SHOW and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW; the latter also putting I LOVE LUCY in the same universe as GOMER PYLE USMC and RFD
• Morey Amsterdam appeared on an episode of DANNY THOMAS as THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW's 'Buddy Sorel,' moonlighting as 'Danny's' joke writer
• Carl Reiner as 'Alan Brady' turned up in an episode of MAD ABOUT YOU
• MAD ABOUT YOU's 'Paul Buchman' was SEINFELD's original neighbor, and was sub-letting the apartment to 'Kramer'
• Lisa Kudrow as twin sister 'Ursula' appeared on both MAD ABOUT YOU and FRIENDS

To make things even more bizarre... both Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carter (HERE'S LUCY) have met "Danny Williams" - the latter on an episode of MAKE ROOM FOR GRANDDADDY. And of course Lucy Carter meets Lucille Ball on a HERE'S LUCY episode, so this puts Lucy Ricardo, Lucy Carter, and Lucille Ball in the same universe. On top of that, Lucy Carmichael (THE LUCY SHOW) met Danny Thomas, the actor who plays Danny Williams.

 

[jcroy]

NCIS: LA and Scorpion.

Along with the revived Hawaii Five-0.

 

[B-ROLL]

To make things even more bizarre... both Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carter (HERE'S LUCY) have met "Danny Williams" - the latter on an episode of MAKE ROOM FOR GRANDDADDY. This puts Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carter in the same universe. On top of that, Lucy Carmichael met Danny Thomas, the actor who plays Danny Williams.

Then there was the Here's Lucy episode where Lucy Carter met Lucille Ball

who was promoting MAME

 

[Dave Lawrence]

Mannix on DIAGNOSIS: MURDER (Season 4's "Hard-Boiled Murder"), continuing an old MANNIX episode's storyline

That also ties Mannix to the same universe as Matlock and Jake and the Fatman. After Matlock's cancellation, Andy Griffith appeared as the character one last time in a 2-part Diagnosis: Murder. And D:M's Dr. Sloan (Dick Van Dyke) originally appeared in a Jake and the Fatman episode.

 

[Brent S]

That also ties Mannix to the same universe as Matlock and Jake and the Fatman.

And MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. Barbara Bain reprised 'Cinnamon Carter' in the DIAGNOSIS: MURDER episode "Discards."