What about TV shows that were not necessarily related to one another, but had common characters appearing as either guests or regulars? Or perhaps simply references to features of the other show? You could say that these shows inhabited a common TV “universe”, kind of like Castle Rock and Derry would serve as a common backdrop for some of Stephen King’s stories. Off the top of my head, I’d mention:
[ul]
[li]The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. I remember there was at least one Love Boat episode in which two characters’ problems were unresolved, and Captain Steuben mentioned that the troubled love birds would be giving it another try on Fantasy Island–which picked up the thread of the story when it came on right after the Love Boat that night.[/li]
[li]A similar two-part story between Magnum P.I. and Simon and Simon.[/li]
[li]Spinoff “siblings” Petticoat Junction and Green Acres had common characters appearing on a semi-regular basis.[/li]
[li]Ally McBeal and The Practice–one of the lawyers in the latter show was featured in the former.[/li][/ul]
Can you think of other examples? Spinoffs and siblings automatically qualify, of course, but I think common references between unrelated series are even more interesting.
not a spin off but it shares characters:
mad about you’s waitress that was perpetually stoned/stupid was played by lisa cudrow before she appeared on friends and since it was a semi-recurring character they made it her twin sister and during sweeps week one year they had jaime and fran go to the central perk and confuse pheobe for ursela.
Ursula, the dim waitress from Mad About You appeared on Friends, where it was revealed she was Pheobe’s twin sister. Jamie and Fran from M.A.Y. also visited Central Perk once.
On another episode of M.A.Y., we discover that Paul’s old apartment is being rented by Kramer from Seinfeld.
But in another episode of Seinfeld, George complains that he has to watch Mad About You with his fiancee. Weird and inconsistent.
Green Acres and Pettcoat Junction shared a universe, as did all the spin-offs we’ve mentioned in other threads (All in the Family spinoffs, Andy Griffith, Mary Tyler Moore, etc.) All the Star Trek shows clearly share the same Universe.
Bck in the '60’s Batman and The Green Hornet shared the same Universe. That sn’t he way it originally was – in radio das The Geen Hornet and The Lone Ranger, I believe, shared the same universe – same creator, a la Ally McBeal/Practice.
How about the TV Universe of John Munch? He appeared in **five ** shows:
Homicide
Law and Order
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
X-Files
The Beat
*
There are shows in the similar genre in which recognizable people play different roles. Kathy Baker and Tom Skerritt, the doctor and sheriff team from * Picket Fences*, took turns playing different characters as defendants in The Practice.
The Simpsons and The Critic had a crossover episode.
Who could forget the Happy Days/Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley crossovers, the battles between Mork and the Fonz…
And I’m sure I’m leaving out a few shows, but a lot of Norman Lear’s 70’s sitcoms crossed characters quite a bit: All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Maude…like I say, I’m sure I’m forgetting one or two, because Lear was the Sitcom King in his heyday.
Are we counting spinoffs? If so, then things like Cheers and The Tortellis would count.
Well these two shows may not be as old as all the others but Hercules and Xena are in the same universe and whenever necessary they swap characters. The king of theives guy shows up all the time in both shows, as do all the assorted gods and goddesses
Picket Fences
crossed over to
Chigago Hope
crossed over to
Early Edition
Homicide: Life on the Streets
crossed over to
Law & Order
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
The Beat
St. Elswhere
crossed over to
Cheers
crossed over to
Frasier
The Tortellis
Strange Luck
VR5
Millenium
I am pretty sure I am missing one or two at least. I don’t know if there have been any crossovers from The Beat to anything else.
Martial Law & Walker: Texas Ranger
Pretender & The Profiler
Now if we could just get Sammo or Walker to visit Gary in Chicago, and Jarod to visit Law & Order, the X-files universe would be huge.
There was a blackout night on an NBC Thursday night that hit all four of the sitcoms that were on that night. I know it included Friends, Mad About You and Seinfeld, but I don’t know the fourth show at that time.
And CBS did something similar a famous actress appearing on several of their sitcoms in search of her necklace. That included Murphy Brown and The Nanny, but I am not sure what the others were.
It is really depressing how many brain cells I have taken up with worthless information.
The fourth one was likely either (gag) Veronica’s Closet, or (gag) that one show with uh… that girl, and the guy who killed himself… and the guy from Breakfast Club.
I don;t know if this technically counts, but “The X-Files” has had two episodes with Darreb McGavin, of “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” fame, as the originator of the x-files. (Chris Carter has cited Kolchak as the inspiration for “The X-Files”)
The Simpsons and The Critic inhabit the same universe. Jay Sherman once visited the Simpson family for some reason…it was the same night The Critic premeired on Fox I believe.
No, dpr, Jay Sherman is a character! Jon Lovitz is the actor. Jay Sherman, a fictional character created by Jon Lovitz was on The Simpsons. Not Jon Lovitz. See?
Married With Children and Top of the Heap/Vinnie & Bobby (with Matt LeBlanc before Friends)
Family Matters and Step by Step
Home Improvement and Soul Man
In an episode of Homicide, the heart of a victim was sent to Chicago Hope where it was received by Dr Jeffrey Geiger.
Also indirectly on the Picket Fences/Chicago Hope X-over, Adam Arkin had already appeared on PF, but playing a different character, a lawyer I think.
** Not in the same universe**
Chicago Hope and Ally McBeal (and thus The Practice)
Richard Fish and Ling were in bed, and Ling turned on the telly so she could watch CH
Chicago Hope and ER
On the face of it, this seems blindingly obvious. But remember the episode of CH where they had the PR guys in to make an ad for the hospital, and the results were very similar to the opening credits for “the other show”.
Acknowledging the competition must count for something in this thread.