# Fiction's largest "Extended Universe"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075 "2004-05-14T05:09:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/21 "2004-05-14T19:18:33Z")
I could be mistaken, but I think I recall the X-Files being syndicated with the “Reopened” tag. Maybe on FX? There may have been some special addenda as well, I vaguely recall a mention of Mitch Pileggi doing some episode introductions. ---
**Author:** ![robgruver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@robgruver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robgruver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/22 "2004-05-14T20:10:01Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > I could be mistaken, but I think I recall the X-Files being syndicated with the “Reopened” tag. Maybe on FX? There may have been some special addenda as well, I vaguely recall a mention of Mitch Pileggi doing some episode introductions. Our local CBS affilaite (KHOU) shows X-Files: Reopened at 11pm on Sunday, according to billboards I have seen around town. I assumed its just reruns of the regular show since they have older head shots of Mulder and Scully (circa season 1-2). ---
**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/23 "2004-05-14T20:27:13Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > Note that the largest one in the website cited by Captain Amazing is Group 2 So _Cheers_ and _Seinfeld_ take place in the same world, yet after pitching their show to NBC, George is upset that the offer they get isn’t as big as Ted Danson’s contract… and in another episode, George Costanza meets George Wendt and tells him they should do the show somewhere other than a bar… and _L.A. Law_ and _Seinfeld_ are in the same universe, but in one episode George meets Corbin Bernsen and suggests a case they should do on _L.A. Law_… 🙂 I’m sure there are plenty of inconsistencies like that. I might add that _The Simpsons_ would be in that world as well, because of the _X-Files_ crossover, and thus _The Critic_ and _King of the Hill_ would be in that world, and thus it’s one bizarro world. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/24 "2004-05-14T21:57:36Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > I have compiled a list of television shows which are spinoffs of each other or had crossovers with each other: > > … > X Files (and X Files: Reopened) > The Lone Gunmen > > Theres gotta be about a half century worth of seasons in that universe! > Can you think of any other shows that fit? Millennium with Lance Henriksen (also Chris Carter show) fits - Frank Black made an appearence on an X-Files episode (one with the zombies?) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/25 "2004-05-15T12:05:29Z")
There’s another connection - The character _Jose Chung_ first appeared in an episode of X-Files, then later in an episode of Millennium. Personally, I always hoped to see Mulder & Scully investigate all the immortal beheadings. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/26 "2004-05-24T15:03:59Z")
It depends how you count; I’m inclined only to count mutual crossovers, else someone can do a series which crosses over with EVERYTHING, and then everything is all in one universe, which is going to cause logical problems, because in some universes, other universes are fictional. hypEg. someone on X-files watching startrek on TV. If you’re fairly genorous, almost all webcomics fall into the same universe as they absolutely love cross-overs. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/27 "2005-03-16T16:30:57Z")
Television, Television, Television. How about books? The Lovecraft mythos includes all Conan the Barbarian novels, all Conan rip offs, all Japanes tentacle porn, Marvel comics, The Ghostbuster’s movie, and tv show, Babylon 5, Stephen King (influrnce, tone, and the story “Crouch End”), Lin Carter of Mars, Sam Raimi, H.R. Giger, alot of Heavy Metal songs, The Alfred Hitchcok film “Psycho”, Dark Shadows, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Night Gallery, written by a corespondant of Lovecraft’s, Robert Bloch, who I recall setting his stoires in the mythos. (So what if it didn’t involve the old ones, it was in the same universe. ) That is not counting the 41 films accredited to Lovecraft’s work in [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0522454/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0522454/) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/28 "2005-03-16T17:57:21Z")
If you’re going to count media other than TV you can just stop when you get to comics, the king of the hill. Marvel and DC, which together publish over a hundred comics monthly, are both shared universe companies. DC’s universe stretches back to 1938 or earlier and Marvel stretches back unbroken to 1961 and then intermittently back even more to the '30’s or early '40’s as well. The two universes have crossed over more than once, and they’ve crossed over with Dark Horse, most of the Image studios, and many licensed properties. Even many of DC’s Vertigo series have “crossovers” with the main DCU as strong as some of the ones mentioned on that website. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/29 "2005-03-16T18:03:19Z")
I don’t know. I suppose I could count the Marvel comic book line as being a shared universe with Doctor Who, since he is involved in The Origin of Marvel UK/Marvel USA/Transformers villian Death’s Head. Thus, Doctor Who is the bigger universe. Or maybe I’ve got the logic of cross-overs mixed up from reading so much “cast one hero in another universe” fanfiction. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/30 "2005-03-16T18:21:14Z")
Do a Google search for “Wold Newton Universe,” if you want shared fictional universes. It will make you want to cry, or perhaps puke. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/31 "2005-03-16T20:29:01Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > Television, Television, Television. How about books? > > Lin Carter of Mars, Does putting SF and fantasy writer Lin Carter on Mars crossover Barsoom into the real world? I hop Spirit takes a picture of Dejah Thoris! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/32 "2005-03-16T22:57:33Z")
Speaking about real life, I suppose the fact that James bond (January 4, 1900 – February 14, 1989) is a real person, (as I have mentioned before) would make it the biggest extended universe. Since Ian Fleming took Bond’s name without permission, he gave Bond’s family the rights to Fleming’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/33 "2005-03-16T23:12:31Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > The Simpsons don’t do true crossovers…only spoofs. They’ve done at least one… with The Critic. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/34 "2005-03-16T23:20:04Z")
I can see how someone could be in denail about it. The critic wriiters might get along with the simpsons writters, but there was a mutiny over the cross over. [http://www.critic.nohomers.net/Special\_Extras\_Matt\_Groening\_Reaction.html](http://www.critic.nohomers.net/Special_Extras_Matt_Groening_Reaction.html) On another hand, I see Tom Baker’s appearence on the simpsons to be both a tribute, and a crossover. Come to think of it, doesn’t the sports stars who played themselves on the SImpsons count as a crossover with the real world? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/35 "2005-03-16T23:31:19Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Even many of DC’s Vertigo series have “crossovers” with the main DCU as strong as some of the ones mentioned on that website. Other than the ones that are explicitly within the DCU cosmology\* (Sandman (and spinoffs), Sandman Mystery Theater, Shade the Changing Man, Animal Man, Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, The Books of Magic, Phantom Stranger and Zatanna specials, Kid Eternity, and others that aren’t coming to mind right now), which Vertigo books have crossed over with the DCU? I can only think of one - Flex Mentallo, who was first created for Doom Patrol, then had a miniseries that was, by all indications, unconnected to the DCU. I don’t remember Preacher or 2020 Visions doing so (although both may have done so further in than I’ve read)…and those 3 are the only ones I’ve read that aren’t in the DCUC - I say the DCU cosmology, rather than the DCU, since a lot of them take place, in whole or in part, on other planes - the Dreaming, Hell, other Earths and so on - rather than in the Universe, per se - and, come to that, so do quite a few books that aren’t under the Vertigo imprint. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/36 "2005-03-16T23:31:20Z")
Can’t unspoofed cameos count as crossovers? What about the time Archie, Big Moose and Jughead ran Homer out of Riverdale? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/37 "2005-03-17T00:26:48Z")
The Punisher once crossed over into Archie comics. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/38 "2005-03-17T00:28:11Z")
Both of Wally Lamb’s books, _She’s Come Undone_ and _I Know This Much Is True_, take place in the same universe. In _I Know This Much Is True_, the main character is a housepainter. He wants to take some time off, so he thinks about subcontracting Thayer Kitchen, a character in _She’s Come Undone_, to finish up his projects. All of The Firesign Theatre’s recordings take place in the same universe, since there are tons of cross-references, and characters from one album appear in another. Furthermore, some albums end with the opening sequence on another album. I’m assuming that merely making some reference to the real world doesn’t count as incorporating the real world–or even part of the real world–into the universe of the fictional work. Otherwise, we’d have an awful lot of enormous universes established in works of fiction. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075/39 "2005-03-17T00:40:06Z")
Alan Ayckborne wrote three plays (collectively known as “The Norman Conquests”), which show the events at one British weekend party. “Table Manners” shows what’s happening in the dining room, “Living Together” shows what’s happening in the living room, and “Round and Round the Garden” shows what happening in the garden. Characters exit from one play and show up in another. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictions-largest-extended-universe/245075.md?page=1)