# Obscure references in shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402 "2020-08-18T12:53:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/61 "2020-08-20T01:36:19Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > **Archer** is about 25% obscure references. Too much to explain, but watch Training Day for some great examples: > > **Archer** - No, do not say the Chekhov gun, Cyril. That, sir, is a facile argument. > **Woodhouse** - Also woefully esoteric. “OK, kids, who wants ‘Manning Coleslaw’, and/or [an explanation of why that’s funny](https://archer.fandom.com/wiki/Bob%27s_Burgers)?” All I’ve had today is like, three gummy bears and some scotch. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/62 "2020-08-20T01:38:33Z")
That is pretty much the standard music in the US for any comedic barbershop scene. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/63 "2020-08-20T01:41:03Z")
Yeah, but most of those scenes were in Jerry’s apartment (and that of the guy he wanted to cut his hair, IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/64 "2020-08-20T11:42:18Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There’s also a scene where Zuckerkorn (Winkler) jumps over a shark on a pier, calling back to Fonzie jumping the shark, which coined the phrase. Holy cow, I completely missed that! ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/65 "2020-08-20T11:45:48Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Even better was when Abed assisted a women giving birth, an entire story that took place in the background. It goes back further than that, S01E11, where the Dean prints Greendale on condoms and ruins them, Abed has to announce that the condoms are flawed. The couple is seen in the background throwing the condom away and getting amorous . There may even be a scene later where the boyfriend is seen arguing with Abed blaming him for the pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/66 "2020-08-20T13:40:09Z")
Several labels on the _Enterprise_’s consoles and access panels in _Star Trek: The Next Generation_, too small to be seen at time of broadcast, make references to pop culture, including to _Buckaroo Banzai_ (“No matter where you go, there you are” and “Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems,” IIRC) and _Gilligan’s Island_ (“A three-hour tour”). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/67 "2020-08-20T14:12:26Z")
Another one from Community that is likely lost on people under 30 but completely understood by anyone that grew up watching TV in the 80s/90s. A quick exchange between Jeff and Andre, who we just met in this episode, having only heard about him previously. Jeff: Nice Sweater Andre: Thanks, my dad gave it to me. [![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh0sqyAkBZ1qghx0zo1_500.jpg) ](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh0sqyAkBZ1qghx0zo1_500.jpg) For those of you that haven’t seen the show, I’m guessing you can work out from the dialogue and picture which one is Andre and which one is Jeff. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/68 "2020-08-20T14:25:54Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Another one from Community that is likely lost on people under 30 but completely understood by anyone that grew up watching TV in the 80s/90s. I’m over 30, but I don’t understand the reference. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/69 "2020-08-20T14:28:30Z")
The actor is Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/70 "2020-08-20T14:29:14Z")
“Andre” is played by Malcolm Jamal Warner, who played a Cosby kid in the 90s - and is wearing a very Cosby-like sweater that his “father” gave him. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/71 "2020-08-20T14:31:52Z")
Ah, that explains it. I never liked the Cosby show, even before the scandals. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/72 "2020-08-20T15:04:38Z")
Reminds me of another Cosby reference that most people won’t get watching reruns. _The Simpsons_ originally aired on Thursday nights, opposite _The Cosby Show,_ in the days before DVR’s, when even VCR’s weren’t very common. The two shows were locked in a tight ratings battle and it was unclear if _The Simpsons_ would survive its first couple of seasons. In a season 3 episode, Homer is desperately trying to bond with Bart and finds some relevant advice in a parenting book written by Bill Cosby. He then exclaims, “Thank you, Bill Cosby! You’ve saved the Simpsons!” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/73 "2020-08-20T15:19:50Z")
Too late to edit: If I recall correctly, Cosby had also publically criticized _The Simpsons_ as vulgar and family-unfriendly - which is quite ironic now! ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/74 "2020-08-20T15:32:29Z")
I’m not sure how many people realize it today, but it always seemed clear to me that Dr. Hibbert of the Simpsons was a Cosby parody. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/75 "2020-08-20T15:33:46Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Several labels on the _Enterprise_’s consoles and access panels in _Star Trek: The Next Generation_, too small to be seen at time of broadcast, make references to pop culture, including to _Buckaroo Banzai_ (“No matter where you go, there you are” and “Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems,” IIRC) and _Gilligan’s Island_ (“A three-hour tour”). And _Buckaroo Banzai_ (probably _Star Trek_) was referencing Thomas Pynchon’s _V_ for Yoyodyne. Similarly, _Robocop’s_ “Would you buy it for a dollar?” is a reference to Cyril Kornbluth’s “The Marching Morons” (adjusted for inflation). In _Repo Man_, they refer to the first law of a repo man, which is a paraphrase of Asimov’s first law of robotics ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/76 "2020-08-20T17:13:43Z")
In _ **Sex and the Single Girl** _ (1964), Tony Curtis’s character is often mistaken for Jack Lemmon, who played Tony’s buddy in _ **Some Like It Hot** _ (1959). At one point in the film, Tony puts on a woman’s robe and says “I was thinking I look just like Jack Lemmon did in that movie where he dressed up like a girl.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/77 "2020-08-20T17:23:14Z")
These were all over the _Enterprise_-D, courtesy of the show’s Art Department ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/78 "2020-08-20T18:07:47Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > In the movie Bohemian Rhapsody the main actor plays a character that wears a mustache. This is supposedly a subtle nod to a singer called “Freddie Mercury”, who also had a mustache. > [Picture for reference.](https://i.redd.it/qlgl4uybvfn21.png) You realize that the movie Bohemian Rhapsody was about Freddie Mercury (and Queen) and that the main actor was , in fact, playing Freddie Mercury. you realize that, right? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/79 "2020-08-20T18:13:10Z")
I believe you just got whooshed there. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402/80 "2020-08-20T18:32:35Z")
1. In the SyFy show _Killjoys_, they are talking about a porn movie, and how there was a sequel. The female lead (Dutch) says she much prefers the sequel, while the two male protagonists are all about the original. That season aired after “Ant-Man and the Wasp” came out, and Dutch was played by Hannah John-Kamen who was the anti-hero Ava/Ghost. 2. In _Leverage_, there was a fictional PI themed costume party where Timothy Hutton’s character was accused of not wearing a costume. He demurred and said he was dressed as Ellery Queen, who of course had been played by his dad Jim on the TV series. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-references-in-shows/918402.md?page=5)