Really great TV crossover Has the power to surprise and amaze viewers as characters they would never have imagined interacting with one another share the same space. Crossovers can be a great way to introduce viewers to TV shows they might not have otherwise seen by giving them a glimpse into the characters’ personalities while staying in a show they already know and love. However, a bad crossover can also feel overly forced, as characters who don’t mesh well are unnaturally required to come together for an episode, special, TV movie, or non-canonical scene.
The best TV crossovers usually contain an element of surprise because they showcase what is unique and enjoyable about a particular show while seamlessly blending it with another. In other instances, crossovers have been less overt, and clever ways have been found to include characters or styles from one show and place them in the other in a way that makes sense in the narrative. A well-crafted TV crossover features the best of both worlds as the two shows complement and inform one another.
10
Doctor Who & Eastenders
“Dimensions in Time” (1993)
While the iconic British sci-fi series Doctor Who and the daytime soap opera Eastenders As they couldn’t be further apart in style, they shockingly had a crossover in 1993. “Dimensions in Time” was a special charity that Featuring all the surviving actors who have ever played the Doctorwith some Eastenders Stars portray their companions, with the solution going to Children in need. This story celebrates the 30th anniversary of Doctor Who and was the only original story since the series’ cancellation in 1989.
Despite featuring so many formers Doctor Who Actors reprising their acclaimed roles, “Dimensions in Time” received overwhelmingly negative reviews and was considered a low point in the sci-fi series Wilderness Years before it was revived to acclaim in 2005. With a gimmicky concept, poor special effects and Limited involvement of Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor, this low-budget special is best forgotten entirely. Similar to the multi-malignant Star Wars Holiday Special“Dimensions in Time” was an anomaly of poor quality that aged badly.
9
The Jetsons and The Flintstones
The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones (1987)
With two vastly different settings, the idea of ​​the characters of the Hanna-Barbera series. The Jetsons And The Flintstones Crossing paths felt like an impossibility. With the Jetsons being a futuristic family living among robotic contraptions, aliens, holograms and whimsical inventions and the Flintstones living in a dinosaur-filled version of the Stone Age, the crossover potential of the two shows is not clear. However, that all changed with the release of the 1987 made-for-television movie, as a time travel experiment gone wrong saw the disparate families come together.
With a story that saw the Jetson family’s plan to vacation in the 25th century go sour after they accidentally set the time machine to the past, it’s thrilling to see how George Jetson interacted with the bumbling antics of Fred Flintstone. For young viewers, The Jetsons meets The Flintstones was an extraordinary crossover that showed that anything is possible in the world of animation. With crisp and clean animation, this fun crossover was a high point for both series during the 1980s.
8
Brooklyn Nine-Nine & New Girl
B99 Season 4, Episode 4 “The Night Shift” and New Girl Season 6, Episode 4 “Homecoming”
On October 11, 2016, two hit Fox sitcoms came together when Brooklyn no-no And New girl Each aired their own crossover episodes one after the other. With overlapping stories that saw The New girl Castle went to New York for Schmidt’s high school reunionThe logistics of one series being set in Brooklyn while the other was in Chicago were easily solved. As two very different shows, the crossover episodes were a great way for Fox to boost their viewership by briefly introducing audiences to both sets of characters.
brooklyn no-no s Crossover came out first, and it was a nice surprise to see Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) encounter Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) as he tries to commandeer her vehicle, which was a “crossover SUV” in a clever nod to the The premise of the episode. The New girl Episode featured many more Brooklyn no-no Characters such as Jake, Captain Holt, Gina, Boyle and Coach. While this crossover felt a little forced and awkward at times, it was a nice melding of worlds that introduced many viewers to the other show.
7
The Simpsons and Family Guy
Family Guy: Season 13, Episode 1: “The Simpsons Guy”
The influence of The Simpsons was biked in the identity of Family guyAs both series satirized the idea of ​​a healthy all-American family by subverting it with dysfunctionality and gross chaos. For years, audiences have drawn comparisons between the Griffin and Simpsons families, though a literal crossover episode never felt like it was on the cards. That was until “The Simpsons Guy” aired in 2014 as the 44-minute special Season 13 premiere of Family guy.
This highly anticipated crossover episode featured the Griffin family meeting The Simpsons after their car was stolen just outside Springfield. While it was interesting to see Stewie interacts with Bart while Homer and Peter drink at Moe’s TavernIt’s also a little jarring and awkward because, while the shows have many similarities, their tones don’t mix easily. “The Simpsons Guy” received mixed reviews after it came out and its biggest issue was that it felt forced as it rehashed the best jokes from both shows without adding anything new.
6
The Office & Breaking Bad
‘The Office Skit’ from the 2011 Emmys
While the lighthearted workplace antics of The office Feel like a million miles away from the gritty, mitt-laced world of Breaking badThey came together in a hilarious TV skit aired during the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards. The short sketch included appearances by many beloved television characters, such as Tom Haverford from Parks and RecreationTracy Jordan of 30 stoneand Roger Sterling of Crazy people. However, the most impressive was Aaron Paul reprising his role as Jesse Pinkman and appearing in the office of Dunder Mifflin.
This hilarious moment came as The office Character Creed is revealed to be a customer of Jesse’s As he arrived at the office to deliver a package of crystal meth. While it’s clear that this sketch isn’t canon for either series, it’s still a real surprise to see Jesse interacting with characters from The office. Although Breaking bad Always blending intense drama with a sense of humor, it was certainly a far cry from a workplace sitcom, which made Jesse’s appearance even more shocking.
5
Friends and crazy about you
Friends: Season 1, Episodes 16 and 17: “The One with Two Parts”
Friends Viewers will be aware that Lisa Kudrow played not only the main cast member Phoebe Buffay but also her twin sister Ursula. Although many may not know that Ursula is actually already a character in the crazy about you A sitcom was made at the same time. This fun connection meant that Friends And Crazy about you Exists in the same universe, and this was further exploited in Season 1 Friends Crossover episode “The One with Two Parts.”
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This crossover featured not only Ursula but also Leila Kenzle and Helen Hunt guest starring as Fran Devanow and Jamie Buchman from Crazy about you. The episode depicted Ursula dating Joey, while Fran and Jamie mistake Phoebe for Ursula While getting a coffee at Central Perk. The surprising crossover came out of necessity because NBC wanted to explain why Kudrow appeared in two sitcoms on the same network that aired around the same time.
4
The X-Files & Cops
The X-Files: Season 7, Episode 12 “X-Cops”
As a series never afraid to take chances, the Season 7 episode “X-Cops” was truly one of the best episodes of The X-Files. Like a “monster-of-the-week” style episode that is unconnected to the overall X-Files Mythology, this unique installment written by Future Breaking bad Creator Vince Gilligan copied the style from an episode of the American reality TV show Caps To create a highly engaging and amusing fictional crossover episode. This tongue-in-cheek installment saw Fox Mulder embrace the publicity they received in an episode of CapsWhile Scully is frustrated by the film crew.
In keeping with the format of an actual episode of Caps, “X-Cops” was shot on videotape and featured appearances by many members of the real Caps crew. By blending reality television with the fictional nature of The X-Files“X-Cops” was a surprising example of postmodern television, where the lines and boundaries between media are beginning to blur. As an exceptionally clever episode, “X-Cops” mixed its unique format with a real sense of fun and enjoyable humor.
3
The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Sopranos: Season 5, Episode 3 “Where’s Johnny?”
When you watch the acclaimed gangster HBO series The Sopranos The last person viewers would expect to see would be the fictionalized version of Larry David Curb your enthusiasm. However, that’s exactly what happened in the Season 5 episode “Where’s Johnny?” like Junior watches TV and mistakenly thinks he is the main character in an old episode of Tame. While this confusion signaled the progression of Junior’s dementia, it was also a hilarious meeting of two very different TV shows.
The scene in question saw Junior watching the Tame Season 2 episode “The Doll” and become very irritable because he doesn’t understand how he can be on TV. The short crossover brought together two of the best shows on HBO at the time, and also showed that in the world of TV crossovers anything is possible. Junior also hilariously mistaken for Jeff Garlin Tame character for his fellow crew member Bobby Baccalieri.
2
Breaking Bad & Malcolm in the Middle
Breaking Bad Alternate Ending of The Breaking Bad: The Complete Series DVD
when Breaking bad was still on the air, a standing online joke predicted the show would end with Walter White entering witness protection and assuming a new identity as Hal Von Malcolm in the middle. This hilarious what-if brought together Bryan Cranstan’s two most iconic characters, but it’s also a crossover that felt so ridiculous it could never happen. However, the ever-lovable Cranston embraced the idea in a Breaking bad Alternate ending featured as a special scene in the Breaking Bad: The Complete Series like.
Rather than Walter going into witness protection, this alternate ending depicted Hal waking up from a dream after imagining everything that took place in Breaking bad. Jane Kaczmarek even reprized her role as Hal’s wife Lois, who comforted him when he cried, and she laughed at the idea of ​​Hal cooking something good, let alone a world-class brew of methamphetamine. While the scene is, of course, not canon, It was an enjoyable and surprising crossover for lovers of both Breaking bad And Malcolm in the middle.
1
Scooby-doo and Supernatural
Supernatural: Season 13, Episode 16 “Scoobinnatural”
While the live-action paranormal drama Supernatural And the beloved classic kids show Scooby-doo It may not at first seem like an obvious choice for a crossover episode, but upon further inspection, it’s shocking how similar the two series are. This made the Supernatural Season 13 episode “Scoobynatural” feels like a natural fit, as Sam, Dean and Castiel are sucked into the animated world of Scooby-doo As they help the Scooby Gang to solve a real mystery. with The Supernatural Characters are aware that they have entered a cartoon worldThe episode was packed with meta-humor and enjoyable childhood nostalgia.
“Scoobinnatural” became all the more effective as the events of the episode collided with the real 1970 Scooby-doo, where are you! Episode “A night of fear is no joy.” The current voice cast of Scooby-doo Even reprized their roles for the episode, giving it real credibility because its animation was up to the standard of classic Scooby-doo Adventures. The appeal of this episode perfectly encapsulated what the best TV crossovers Can reach, as though it was an initial surprise to see Sam and Dean in animation, in practice, these worlds complemented each other perfectly.