# I just realized--{blank} and {blank} are basically the same show! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101 "2009-06-26T19:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/21 "2009-06-26T22:03:03Z")
TNT (I think it’s TNT…) has a show called “The Closer” that has Keyra Sedwick as a “tough as nails older, blond, chick cop who doesn’t take no guff from nobody!” TNT has another show called “Saving Grace” that has Holly Hunter as a “tough as nails older, blond, chick cop who doesn’t take no guff from nobody!” USA has a show called “In Plain Sight” that has Mary McCormack as a “tough as nails older, blond, chick [del]cop[/del] US Marshal who doesn’t take no guff from nobody!” ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/22 "2009-06-26T22:31:37Z")
Street Sharks was basically Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… WITH SHARKS! Edit: Oh, and who can forget the Smurfs and the Snorks, they didn’t even TRY to mask that one. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/23 "2009-06-26T22:43:45Z")
I think that _Lie to Me_ on Fox is similar to _The Mentalist_ on CBS. And then there’s another show on Fox called _Mental_, which, I think airs opposite _The Mentalist_. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/24 "2009-06-26T22:53:57Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > apparently not realizing [Liz Lemon actually is a Muppet](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlLv268-JhE). Yep,[she is](http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/File:30Rock-TinaFeyCaricature.jpg). Here’s [Jack](http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/File:30.rock.-.anything.muppets.jpg)and [Tracy](http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/File:30Rock-TracyMorganCaricature.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/25 "2009-06-26T23:21:46Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Street Hawk was Airwolf on a motorcycle. You missed an obvious one: Airwolf was pretty much a knockoff of [Blue Thunder](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086671/episodes) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/26 "2009-06-27T00:03:41Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Royal Pains and Burn Notice - I’ve never seen either one, but the promos make them look very similar in concept – Guy gets fired, has to make a new career aided by wacky sidekicks – and style.. That’s a pretty generic description, though. Friends and Seinfeld seem very similar to me. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/27 "2009-06-27T00:38:31Z")
Futurama is a funny, animated Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/28 "2009-06-27T01:15:34Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Royal Payne and Burn Notice - I’ve never seen either one, but the promos make them look very similar in concept – Guy gets fired, has to make a new career aided by wacky sidekicks – and style. I always thought _Burn Notice_ was just like _Magnum PI_: A hero for hire. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/57b2e6/32.png) [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/29 "2009-06-27T01:20:18Z")
Transformers and Go Bots Jetsons and Flintstones Hercules and Xena ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/30 "2009-06-27T01:27:41Z")
In 1994 there was a show on Thursday nights at 10:00 about the doctors and nurses at an inner-city hospital in Chicago. It was called _E/R_ on NBC and _Chicago Hope_ on CBS. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/31 "2009-06-27T01:30:58Z")
Hogan’s Heros and McHale’s Navy ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/32 "2009-06-27T02:03:43Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > In 1994 there was a show on Thursday nights at 10:00 about the doctors and nurses at an inner-city hospital in Chicago. It was called _E/R_ on NBC and _Chicago Hope_ on CBS. No, the show on NBC was called _ER_. _E/R_ was a sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1985. Easy to confuse though, given that George Clooney was in both. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/33 "2009-06-27T02:05:47Z")
Mary Tyler Moore/Rhoda/Phyllis ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/34 "2009-06-27T02:17:13Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Mary Tyler Moore/Rhoda/Phyllis _doo-doo-doo-doot_ **Alex** Knead? **Knead** What is “funny, sad, and pathetic”? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/35 "2009-06-27T02:23:49Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > The Honeymooners / The Flintstones In this case, they were literally the same, and someone from Hanna-Barbera had either an incredible memory of old, live, broadcast once and they were gone, shows on the DuMont network, or he had access to Jackie Gleason’s safe. When the “lost” episodes of _The Honeymooners_ were broadcast it seemed like all of the plots and more than half of the dialog had been recycled on _The Flintstones._ ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/36 "2009-06-27T02:33:31Z")
Also _Sgt. Bilko_ and _Top Cat._ ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/37 "2009-06-27T02:40:18Z")
I told a friend that about 15 years ago I saw the same plot on 3 different shows. Then he told me the same plot was on about a month ago on another show. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/38 "2009-06-27T02:50:13Z")
Lost is actually Gilligan’s Island, just not played for laughs. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/39 "2009-06-27T02:52:18Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I told a friend that about 15 years ago I saw the same plot on 3 different shows. Then he told me the same plot was on about a month ago on another show. If it was the one where the guy has a date with two different girls on the same night, I have some bad news for you … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101/40 "2009-06-27T02:56:51Z")
_Thundercats_ and _Silverhawks_ With the same voice actors no less. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realized-blank-and-blank-are-basically-the-same-show/501101.md?page=3)