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What are/were some of your favorite crossover TV characters?
In the 60s, I use to really enjoy when characters from The Beverly Hillbillies would cross over into Petticoat Junction and vice versa. Also, since they were in the same universe, I also use to enjoy when Green Acres characters crossed over into either The Beverly Hillbillies or Petticoat Junction and vice versa.(Or did any of The Beverly Hillbillies characters ever cross over into Green Acres or vice versa? Hmmm. )
And in the 1970s, I use to enjoy when characters from Happy Days would cross over with characters from Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, and vice versa.
In the 1980s, I used to love seeing Dallas characters cross over into Knots Landing, and vice versa.
And the 1990s, I used to like seeing characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation appear on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Plus, I used to enjoy seeing Star Trek: The Next Generation characters appear on Star Trek: Voyager.
In the 2000s(2000-2009), I used to enjoy seeing Buffy The Vampire Slayer characters appear on Angel. But not so much the other way around because for some reason, I never watched Buffly The Vampire Slayer.
And currently in the 2010s, I enjoy seeing various characters from Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl appear on each other's shows.
But what are some of your favorite crossover TV characters?
Last edited by William Taylor; 02-08-2017 at 03:14 AM..
What are/were some of your favorite crossover TV characters?
In the 60s, I use to really enjoy when characters from The Beverly Hillbillies would cross over into Petticoat Junction and vice versa. Also, since they were in the same universe, I also use to enjoy when Green Acres characters crossed over into either The Beverly Hillbillies or Petticoat Junction and vice versa.(Or did any of The Beverly Hillbillies characters ever cross over into Green Acres or vice versa? Hmmm. )
And in the 1970s, I use to enjoy when characters from Happy Days would cross over with characters from Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, and vice versa.
In the 1980s, I used to love seeing Dallas characters cross over into Knots Landing, and vice versa.
And the 1990s, I used to like seeing characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation appear on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Plus, I used to enjoy seeing Star Trek: The Next Generation characters appear on Star Trek: Voyager.
In the 2000s(2000-2009), I used to enjoy seeing Buffy The Vampire Slayer characters appear on Angel. But not so much the other way around because for some reason, I never watched Buffly The Vampire Slayer.
And currently in the 2010s, I enjoy seeing various characters from Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl appear on each other's shows.
But what are some of your favorite crossover TV characters?
"Murder She Wrote" and "Simon and Simon" crossing over with "Magnum PI"
"Battlestar Gallactica" crossing over with a cylon cameo on "The A-Team"
"Newhart" crossover with "The Bob Newhart Show" *** MY FAVORITE ***
The character of Det. John Munch, portrayed by Richard Belzer and originating on "Homicide: Life On the Street", is the most crossed-over character in TV history.
From his Wikipedia entry:
The character of Munch has appeared in a total of nine series on five networks since the character's debut in 1993. Apart from Homicide and SVU, however, Belzer's performances as Munch were guest appearances or crossovers rather than regular or recurring appearances. With Munch's retirement in the character's 22nd season on television, he was a regular character on U.S television longer than Marshal Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) and Frasier Crane (Cheers and Frasier), both of whom were on television for 20 seasons. Munch's return to help his friends in the SVU seventeenth-season episode "Fashionable Crimes" marks the 23rd season that the character has appeared on television in any capacity.
I always thought the Dallas/Knots Landing crossovers didn't work very well--well, at least when the Dallas characters visited Knots. Characters from Dallas were so much larger than life, a bit more broad than the more down-to-earth, realistic characters of KL. Obviously Val and Gary are special cases, since the writers did some tinkering with those two Dallas characters after they arrived in California. But JR seemed so out of place when he visited the cul-de-sac to needle Val and to irritate Gary. His evil laugh and sarcastic barbs, with the big Stetson and all....it was as if an alien had landed. Granted, his appearances were in the early years when KL was a low-key, suburban family drama. He may have fit in better when the show went "bigger" with Greg Sumner's millions and such, but by that time KL had 'divorced' Dallas due to the not-dead Bobby in the shower fiasco. Even when characters like Kristin and Bobby dropped in for an episode or two, they seemed so utterly foreign despite being in the (supposed) same universe. Heck, you know it's bad when LUCY (an established Dallas character who was also Gary and Val's daughter) can't even fit in enough to stick around for more than one episode. This was, to me anyway, an instance of a spin-off (KL) establishing its own identity to a degree that it didn't need the parent show.
And in the 1970s, I use to enjoy when characters from Happy Days would cross over with characters from Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, and vice versa.
I don't think those are really crossovers - Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy were both spin-offs from Happy Days. By definition, those series all exist in the same fictional universe to begin with, and almost all spin-offs share characters with their parent shows.
One of my favorites is the brief scene of Kramer from Seinfeld acting in a (fictitious) Murphy Brown episode.
Another would have to be the classic final scene from Newhart, revealing that the entire series was just a dream of Bob Hartley (which in the end makes Newhart a spin-off of The Bob Newhart Show, so this really isn't a crossover, either).
At the time they happened, I loved the crossover antics between The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, and Nurses. They would have the typical crossovers (neighbor Carol Weston would visit Blanche's house, or Rose would wander into the Nurses' hospital area, etc.) but the best ones had to be cross-promotional stunts like when a Hurricane would hit all three shows on one night, with various excuses to have characters cross over into other shows. It would resemble a 90-minute miniature movie. It's not quite as exciting when watching the episodes in reruns, however. The episodes stand up better when viewed together rather than just seeing (for example) the Empty Nest part of the hurricane, or the GG part.
That said, I liked how Empty Nest managed to incorporate the Sophia Petrillo character from GG into their cast in the final seasons. Her being there didn't hold up to close scrutiny, but that didn't matter because she brought a great spark to the Weston house just as she did with her GG roommates.
"Murder She Wrote" and "Simon and Simon" crossing over with "Magnum PI"
"Battlestar Gallactica" crossing over with a cylon cameo on "The A-Team"
"Newhart" crossover with "The Bob Newhart Show" *** MY FAVORITE ***
Thank you for your post, kevinm. Also, even though I knew that "Murder She Wrote" and "Simon and Simon" and "Magnum PI" were CBS shows, I really don't think that I knew that those shows were in the same universe. Although, I kind of 'ish' remember there being a cross event with those shows, even though I didn't see it.
Also, "Battlestar Gallactica" crossing over with a cylon cameo on "The A-Team"? Although Dirk Benedict played in the original Battlestar. But did that have anything to do with it?
But as far as "Newhart" crossover with "The Bob Newhart Show".... you're going to have to explain that one to me, buster. lol
The character of Det. John Munch, portrayed by Richard Belzer and originating on "Homicide: Life On the Street", is the most crossed-over character in TV history.
From his Wikipedia entry:
The character of Munch has appeared in a total of nine series on five networks since the character's debut in 1993. Apart from Homicide and SVU, however, Belzer's performances as Munch were guest appearances or crossovers rather than regular or recurring appearances. With Munch's retirement in the character's 22nd season on television, he was a regular character on U.S television longer than Marshal Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) and Frasier Crane (Cheers and Frasier), both of whom were on television for 20 seasons. Munch's return to help his friends in the SVU seventeenth-season episode "Fashionable Crimes" marks the 23rd season that the character has appeared on television in any capacity.
Good post, P47P47. And I had forgotten about Det. Munch. Also, your post just gave me another one with "Fraiser." Unless someone else has got to it first.
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