# TV episodes or movies where timelines split. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 14, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254 "2013-02-14T04:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/1 "2013-02-14T04:16:23Z")
as in the movie _Sliding Doors_ or the _Community_ episode where Abed throws the dice resulting in alternate realities. any other examples? * * * [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=682275](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=682275) - TV episodes where events repeat over and over ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/2 "2013-02-14T04:28:01Z")
_Back to the Future Part II_ was based pretty heavily on the idea of time travel creating alternate realities. It’s implied in the _Terminator_ films as well: The heroes’ defeats of the time-traveling terminators succeeds in delaying Judgment Day, and possibly in changing the details of how it happens. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/3 "2013-02-14T04:31:34Z")
The [Malcolm in the Middle episode “Bowling”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_(Malcolm_in_the_Middle)) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/4 "2013-02-14T04:36:30Z")
[The Spock with a beard.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror,_Mirror_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)) actually a parallel universe if that counts. Futurama the[Farnsworth Parabox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farnsworth_Parabox). It’s not clear where the divisions are. In an alternate universe a different coin flip changes the fate of Fry and Leela. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/5 "2013-02-14T04:39:41Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > _Back to the Future Part II_ was based pretty heavily on the idea of time travel creating alternate realities. It’s implied in the _Terminator_ films as well: The heroes’ defeats of the time-traveling terminators succeeds in delaying Judgment Day, and possibly in changing the details of how it happens. time travel by default creates alternate realities. i was thinking of shows where they actually play out each of the realities, but that would probably result in a much shorter thread. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/6 "2013-02-14T04:45:33Z")
The movie **Run Lola Run** plays through three different timelines. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/7 "2013-02-14T04:45:49Z")
Actually, it was Jeff who threw the die (in all but one of the cases), while Abed was the one who noted the creation of alternate timelines. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/8 "2013-02-14T05:18:42Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > time travel by default creates alternate realities. i was thinking of shows where they actually play out each of the realities, but that would probably result in a much shorter thread. **Mad About You** did an episode where Paul and Jamie didn’t meet at the news-stand and followed the alternate time-line for a bit. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/9 "2013-02-14T08:14:33Z")
Scrubs did an episode speculating on the different futures resulting from a butterfly landing on a fat old dirty man’s man boobs or on a provocatively dressed woman’s cleavage. Pointedly, several things turned out differently, but one key element remained constant between the two parallel plot lines. Also, uh, _Groundhog Day_. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/10 "2013-02-14T10:18:14Z")
The Butterfly effect? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/11 "2013-02-14T11:47:48Z")
Recent example: Looper ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/12 "2013-02-14T12:40:56Z")
Jet Li’s action/sf flick The One featured multiple timelines. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/13 "2013-02-14T14:15:04Z")
Star Trek : TNG - “Parallels”. Actually, variations on the timeline thing happened in TNG pretty frequently. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/14 "2013-02-14T15:14:57Z")
The movies **Déjà Vu** , **Source Code** , **Kate & Leopold** and **It’s a Wonderful Life**. ---
**Author:** ![LaurenIpsum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@LaurenIpsum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaurenIpsum)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/15 "2013-02-14T15:42:53Z")
_Friends_ did something like that - it was an episode showing how things would be different for each character if one part of their life had changed. Monica had not lost weight, Ross’s wife hadn’t come out of the closet and they were still married, Joey was still acting on that soap opera, etc. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/16 "2013-02-14T15:55:14Z")
**Doctor Who** did a parallel timelines episode in “[Inferno](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Doctor_Who))” He also showed a parallel earth in “Pyramids of Mars,” though only for a moment. **Red Dwarf’s** “Parallel Universe” also handled the theme. ---
**Author:** ![Deegeea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Deegeea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deegeea)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/17 "2013-02-14T16:27:04Z")
There’s split timelines and then there’s repeating versions of the same one. I’ve watched one-season TV shows that featured each - the repeating versions one was called Day Break and the split timeline TV series was called Awake. Both worth watching. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/18 "2013-02-14T17:00:03Z")
Here’s a double wound subject A Christmas Carol and the 8000 different ways it’s been interpreted. - Scrooged, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Etc. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/19 "2013-02-14T17:07:24Z")
It’s a Wonderful Life, and every TV episode with this as its theme. Oh. What’s the movie with Belushi and Michael Caine? Looking it up now… Mr. Destiny, from 1990. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254/20 "2013-02-14T18:52:54Z")
Doctor Who episode **Turn Left** , exploring what would have happened if Donna had turned left at an intersection instead of right, never eventually meeting the Doctor and saving his life, etc. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-episodes-or-movies-where-timelines-split/650254.md?page=2)