# Series that had a cross-over, not with another series, but with reality. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 13, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822 "2005-08-13T03:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/61 "2005-08-16T18:30:30Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I recall hearing that both Myers and Madonna (it WAS Madonna, right?) were surprised by her appearance. …as well as Roseanne. Also, I’m pretty sure they’ve made some _Batman_ reference on _FG_. Couldn’t cite it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/62 "2005-08-16T18:36:31Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > …as well as Roseanne. > > Also, I’m pretty sure they’ve made some _Batman_ reference on _FG_. Couldn’t cite it, though. Come to think of it, in that sketch, the character Madonna plays talks about what whore the real Madonna is. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/63 "2005-08-16T19:24:05Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Cyrano de Bergerac (who was a real person\*) > \*In the play **Cyrano de Bergerac** , you have Cyrano interacting with d’Artagnan, who was fictional. [d’Artagnan](http://www.clfc.org/articles/musketeers.htm) was also a real person. And to add further confusion, Cyrano shows up as a character in the film, [The Return of the Musketeers.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098194/combined). ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/64 "2005-08-17T08:12:36Z")
How bout on one of the last shows of Cheers, Sam Malone reveals he is bald - something which Ted Danson been hiding :dubious: from his fans for years! ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/65 "2005-08-17T08:19:04Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > And didn’t Rush Limbaugh appear as himself? According to IMDB, he did not. Many other notable people did, however. [Here](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094514/guests) is a complete list of guest stars. Robin ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/66 "2005-08-17T09:38:51Z")
William L. DeAndrea wrote a mystery novel featuring Theodore Roosevelt. _Third Watch_ was profoundly affected by 9/11. I’m not going to mention Robert Anton Wilson’s _Masks of the Illuminati_, because the characters Carl Gustav Jung, Albert Einstein, & Aleister Crowley in that book are certainly fictitious characters that happen to have those names. That goes quintuple for the characters named John Dillinger in the _Illuminatus!_ trilogy. (And the Amazon listing for _Masks of the Illuminati_ is clearly a further work of fiction, for it refers to James Joyce, & not Jung, as a star of the book. Trust only in my recollection.)fnord In a similar vein, Rush Limbaugh’s appearance on the short-lived sitcom _Hearts Afire_ probably doesn’t count, because Rush Limbaugh is arguably a fictional character & not part of our reality. Elaine dated a guy named Joel Rifkin, who was not the serial killer, but was mistaken for him, on _Seinfeld_. There are a lot of these in Seinfeld, ranging from George working for George Steinbrenner to the show actually predicting Giuliani’s election in an episode shot the previous week. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/67 "2005-08-17T11:00:24Z")
Clive Cussler has written himself into a Dirk Pitt book, so he could confess his schoolboy crush on Dirk, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/68 "2005-08-17T12:01:38Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Kurt Vonnegut wrote himself into his novel _Breakfast of Champions_, with godlike control over his characters. That part is amazing, probably my favourite part of any Vonnegut book. I love how he sits there, with no explanation of how he turned up in his own book, observing the characters and awaiting the moment he knows is coming (if my memory doesn’t fail he refers to it as a “rebirth”). ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/69 "2005-08-17T15:50:29Z")
Sort of the reverse: The Saturday Night Live sketch with a talent booker/agent (played by Eddie Murphy) criticizing a bad Stevie Wonder impersonator (played by Stevie Wonder). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/70 "2005-08-17T15:53:45Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Sort of the reverse: The Saturday Night Live sketch with a talent booker/agent (played by Eddie Murphy) criticizing a bad Stevie Wonder impersonator (played by Stevie Wonder). Or the SNL sketch with Michael J. Fox playing (IIRC) Danny Bonaduce and David Spade playing Michael J. Fox. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/71 "2005-08-17T16:39:25Z")
James Hogan’s time-travel novel **The Proteus Operation** uses real-life characters. But the cute thing he did was to _ask permission_ of those still living to use them as characters. (IIRC, Isaac Asimov was one who consented): [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671877577/qid=1124297061/sr=1-12/ref=sr\_1\_12/102-3922866-7862523?v=glance&s=books](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671877577/qid=1124297061/sr=1-12/ref=sr_1_12/102-3922866-7862523?v=glance&s=books) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/72 "2005-08-17T16:49:20Z")
IIRC, the entire premise of “Rescue Me” is that it’s about a NYC firefighter going through extreme emotional distress after his cousin (another firefighter) died in the 9/11 attacks. General Jumper played himself in an episode of Stargate SG1, helping organize the defense of Earth while it is being besieged by a rather overly large fleet of alien motherships (how the people of Earth still fail to notice this kind of stuff on the show astounds me. I can only assume they’re too busy watching the season finales of their favorite shows to notice) As far as the quality of his performance goes… let me just say I’m thankful that General Jumper’s line of work keeps him busy in the defense of our country. 😉 JAG has had several episodes taking place in Afghanistan, and has numerous episodes referencing historical events of interest to the Navy. One episode featured the real-life JAG playing an un-named Admiral visiting Admiral Chegwidden (the TV JAG), telling Admiral Chegwidden “I tell you AJ, you couldn’t PAY me enough to do your job!” Law and Order also makes references to the War on Terror, with one episode having them prosecuting an Afghan warlord for trafficking drugs in New York. Various Robert Heinlen novels have made off-hand references to an “alternate timeline” where the Japanese attacked the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, as opposed to San Fransisco in the “true” timeline. Another Heinlen novel had the characters get into an argument about whether or not Robert Heinlen “sold out” when he wrote Stranger in a Strange Land. As for SNL, my favorite is the episode guest-hosted by Callista Flockhart. During her opening act, she meets Ally McBeal (played by the resident Callista Flockhart impersonator) and after they talk for a bit, including one weird moment where they’re saying the exact same thing at the same time, Callista tells Ally “And for God’s sake! EAT A SANDWICH!” 😃 There was an episode of the Mighty Ducks cartoon where something overly dramatic happens, and one of the characters comments “It must be sweeps week.” And of course, the Buffy Musical has some throwaway lines about how when the characters were singing, it was almost as if “there were only three walls”, and another line to the effect of “Dawn’s in trouble. It must be Tuesday.” (Buffy aired on Tuesday nights on UPN at the time) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/73 "2005-08-17T16:56:22Z")
In 1963, DC Comics printed an issue of Superman in which he revealed his Secret Identity to President John F. Kennedy. It hit the streets about 36 hours after the President was shot. Of course, it had been scripted/drawn/approved/printed weeks or months before the street date, but some kids, and even parents, mistakenly thought it a plot device in rather poor taste. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/74 "2005-08-17T20:11:26Z")
I don’t think it’;s been mentioned already, but what about the _Simpsons’_ “Treehouse of Horror” episode where Homer falls into the third dimension? He ends up on our world and visits a shop specializing in “erotic cakes”… ---
**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:** [August 17, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/75 "2005-08-17T20:40:28Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Sort of the reverse: The Saturday Night Live sketch with a talent booker/agent (played by Eddie Murphy) criticizing a bad Stevie Wonder impersonator (played by Stevie Wonder). Another reversal. In an early episode of SNL, the real life Rick Nelson stumbled into a black and white world of sitcom families, including the Ricardos and the Cleavers. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/76 "2005-08-17T21:03:42Z")
There was also a **Law and Order** episode where William Kunstler played himself, defending a student protester from the 60’s who was his client when the original trial supposedly took place. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/77 "2005-08-17T21:04:03Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Or the SNL sketch with Michael J. Fox playing (IIRC) Danny Bonaduce and David Spade playing Michael J. Fox. And don’t forget the Weekend Update where Mike Myers played Mick Jagger, and Mick Jagger played Keith Richards. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/78 "2005-08-17T22:49:56Z")
In an episode of **Monk** , Monk and his assistant were flying First Class, and the assistant sat next to actor Timothy Daly, playing himself. When she mentioned this to Monk, starstruck, Monk asked her who he was, and she said “He was on that show **Wings**.” Monk said “Was it any good?” And she replied “Well, he was.” (The in-joke, of course, being that Tony Shalhoub was also in **Wings** ). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/79 "2005-08-18T02:56:45Z")
A couple from James Bond – i the Ian Fleming novel **On Her Majesty’s Secret Service** someone points out actress Ursula Andress to Bond and notes that she has an impressive tan. Fleming wrote the novel just as Andress was finishing up filming **Doctor No** , the first Bond movie, in which she plaed the “Bond Girl”, Honeychil Rider. In one of the John Gardner Bond novels Bond watches an in-flight movie that isn’t named, but which is obviously **The Untouchables**. Bond notes that it starred a Scottish actor that he liked. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822/80 "2005-08-18T07:21:26Z")
The super on Avenue Q is Gary Coleman - yes, that Gary Coleman. Not played by himself or anything, but still. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-had-a-cross-over-not-with-another-series-but-with-reality/316822.md?page=3)