# Accidentally or deliberately self-referential shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851 "2006-10-09T23:02:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/101 "2006-10-11T20:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] At one point she asks Leo “Why Bloom go so far camera right?” I imagine in the play she asked why he went stage left. [/QUOTE] You imagined correctly. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/102 "2006-10-11T20:30:17Z")
The theme song to Reba (sung by Reba) is all about how her life is hard but she’s a survivor. In the episode where she is rushed to the hospital with possibly a heart attack her SIL Van looks at his wife and says “She’ll be fine. She’s a survivor.” It was only OK. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/103 "2006-10-11T20:31:27Z")
In one season, \*Married with Children \* introduced a new kid to the show, apparently in a desperate attempt to boost ratings. It didn’t work out, and the kid disappeared without any real explanation. The next season, Al (or was it Peg?) walks past the kitchen and does a double take when he sees the kid’s picture on a milk carton. \*The Monkees \* broke the fourth wall all the time. In one episode, Mickey walks off the set in disgust, walks through a bunch of other studio sets where other shows are being shot (followed by the camera, of course), goes into an office, and tells the writers, “Look, guys, the story’s really dragging. Do you think you could come up with something else?” The writers start typing and produce a new script in seconds. Mickey takes the script, smiles and says “Thanks, guys!”, retraces his steps back to the Monkees set, then scatters the loose pages of the new script into the air and shouts, “How we overpay those writers!!!” ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/104 "2006-10-11T20:33:00Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] And that’s without even mentioning the summary of the show (for the benefit of new or just horribly confused viewers), in a musical set to the tune of “Modern Major General”, at the end of the third season of the show, with all the characters of the show watching in the audience. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=pizzabrat] Huh? [/QUOTE] The third season of ReBoot was a leap forward from the first two, both in terms of animation and plot. The series was reworked for an older audience, and an involved story arc was created. The recap song was welcome. As for self-referential, well, there was the stand-up comedian who told a joke in binary, and a little YTV-logo shaped sprite, and…too many to list. 😛 [ReBoot on Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoot) ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/105 "2006-10-11T20:58:43Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] I’m trying to remember which show it was where one of the younger kids sorta disappeared without much explanation. The last time we see her on the show, the father has just sent her upstairs to clean her room. Periodically after that, the characters will mention that she’s upstairs cleaning her room (apparently not making much progress). [/QUOTE] Raguleader, the show was _Family Matters_, and the character was Judy Winslow, played by Jaimee Foxworth [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0289340/](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0289340/) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/106 "2006-10-12T12:56:04Z")
“All My Children” had a character named Bobby Martin who went up to the attic to polish his skis and was never seen again. Well, years later, there was a shot of the Martin attic that included a \* skeleton\*. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/107 "2006-11-03T08:20:39Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] Oh, and that reminds me, a recent episode of the Simpsons begins with Bart writing on the chalkboard, and the message is “Seriously, does anyone actually do this anymore?” [/QUOTE] “I will not demand what I’m worth” “I should not be 21 by now” “I will not defame New Orleans” (after the Streetcar Named Desire episode) “Nobody reads these any more” “I am not a 30-year-old woman” ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/108 "2006-11-03T15:02:14Z")
_Ugly Betty_ does this somewhat obliquely. From time to time, a character will be watching a _telenovella_. I take this as a nod to the fact that UB is a remake of _Yo Soy Betty la Fea_, itself a _telenovella_. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/109 "2006-11-03T16:43:43Z")
[QUOTE=HeyHomie] _Ugly Betty_ does this somewhat obliquely. From time to time, a character will be watching a _telenovella_. I take this as a nod to the fact that UB is a remake of _Yo Soy Betty la Fea_, itself a _telenovella_. [/QUOTE] Hey, I remember that show! Some of the telenovellas are great, there was one that was a romance version of Zorro, but with a female Zorro. It was called “Queen of Swords”, IIRC, and one of the things in the show was that the alter ego of this vigilante, a young aristocratic lady, was in a relationship with the main bad guy, whose plans she routinely foiled. ---
**Author:** ![JacksonRoykirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e79b87/32.png) [@JacksonRoykirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacksonRoykirk)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/110 "2006-11-03T17:57:58Z")
In _The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle_ motion picture, while talking to Boris and Natasha over the video phone, Robert DeNiro, as Fearless Leader, references his monologue from _Taxi Driver_: \*\* “Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? Then who else are you talking to? Are you talking to me? Well, I’m the only one here. So you must be talking to me. AND YOU ARE LYING!”\*\* The final season of _Becker_, starring Ted Danson, was greenlit for only 13 episodes, as I recall. In the final episode, John steps into his office and Margaret says, “Here, John. Here are Mr. Neilsen’s results.” Becker looks at the chart and says, “Hey, these numbers aren’t that bad,” an apparent reference to the show’s Neilsen ratings. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/111 "2006-11-03T18:18:35Z")
Not exactly _self_-referential, but [30 Rock - the Walk and Talk](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=394653) was a perfect parody of the other show about SNL and Aaron Sorkin’s trademark “walk and talks.” 30 Rock has been having fun all season, though especially in ads, about there being two SNL-derived shows on simultaneously this year. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/112 "2006-11-03T20:14:10Z")
The was an episode of _The Fresh Prince of Bel Air_ where Will Smith is planning to return to Philadelphia and confront a bully from his past. He mentions the bully by name, and when another character asks who the person is, Smith answers something along the lines of “You know, that dude that spins me over his head in the opening credits each week”. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/113 "2006-11-03T20:21:54Z")
Mork & Mindy once attended a signing of the new record called “Reality…What a Concept” by stand up comedian…Robin Williams. Hillarity ensues when people mistake Mork for Robin. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/114 "2006-11-04T01:42:46Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Herbert Quentin Viola And I’d really like those few brain cells back, if you don’t mind. There’s no reason I need to remember that. I’ll give up the lyrics to “Mickey”, as well, if I can just remember the order of taxonomic categorization instead. [/QUOTE] Kings play chess on fine grained sand. Keep the lyrics, I have plenty of my own! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/115 "2006-11-04T01:42:46Z")
[QUOTE=whitetho] The was an episode of _The Fresh Prince of Bel Air_ where Will Smith is planning to return to Philadelphia and confront a bully from his past. He mentions the bully by name, and when another character asks who the person is, Smith answers something along the lines of “You know, that dude that spins me over his head in the opening credits each week”. [/QUOTE] Hehehe, yup. I almost busted a gut at that one. I also remember when Little Nicky went from 6 months to 5 years old in between seasons. Jazz enters, sees him, and says, “Who’s that?” Will replies, “Dude, that’s Little Nicky” and gives the camera a look that says “C’mon, work with us here.” The best one, though, is how they close that Philly arc. Will decides to stay in Philly, and that cliffhanger ends season 3. The opening of the next season finds him working in the sandwich place, when an NBC executive shows up, points out that the name of the show is “The Fresh Prince of _Bel Air_”, and throws Will into the back of a white van. Then the exec gets in and says to the driver, “Yo holmes, to Bel Air!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/116 "2006-11-04T02:31:32Z")
[QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ used to air on Tuesday nights. In one episode, the character, Dawn, who has a habit of getting into trouble, is abducted. On learning this, Buffy sighs, “Dawn’s in trouble. Must be Tuesday.” [/QUOTE] Watching the entire series in about a month, I was surprised how often I heard some variation of that line. It was amusing the first time but quickly got less cute. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/117 "2006-11-04T02:33:11Z")
Several Looney Tunes shorts have this - some have silouettes of audience members (one even gets shot, IIRC, by Yosemity Sam), the fourth wall is broken on a regular basis, and then we have _Duck Amuck_, in which poor Daffy is tormented via cartoon logic – and the animator is Bugs Bunny. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/118 "2006-11-04T02:56:37Z")
[QUOTE=Aesiron] Watching the entire series in about a month, I was surprised how often I heard some variation of that line. It was amusing the first time but quickly got less cute. [/QUOTE] Lots of cute little running gags can get ruined by watching a show in a marathon. When watching SDF Macross, I wanted to kill someone by the 20th time I heard “Zoom Zoom, Zoom Zoom! My boyfriend is a pilot!” ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/119 "2006-11-04T03:25:11Z")
In an episode of **Veronica Mars** , Roni was asked if she knew a particular girl. She wistfully responded, “We used to be friends… a long time ago.” ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851/120 "2006-11-04T03:27:28Z")
[QUOTE=pizzabrat] Huh? [/QUOTE] It was great! I’m glad to know I’m not alone in my Reboot love. At one point in a classic Dexter’s Laboratory he realizes that he is trapped in a continuum of cartoon buffoonery. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidentally-or-deliberately-self-referential-shows/375851.md?page=7)