Several TV shows are part of a shared universe which gives fans a great experience while watching these series. This could be through spinoffs, mentions of other shows or crossover events/episodes that make it obvious the shows are happening in the same universe. This isn’t new because crossovers have been happening for decades, making TV shows more entertaining for viewers.
While some shows are very obviously connected with shared universes like Star Wars and comic book universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DCU, there are others that fans can easily forget are linked or happen in the same universe because they look like very different shows with different narratives. From comedies like New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine to dramas like Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, here are some shows you forgot are connected.
1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl
Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl are some of Fox’s most popular sitcoms of the 2010s. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a buddy cop and police procedural comedy that follows Jake and his antics with his colleagues at work. The writers of both shows finally confirmed that they were taking place in the same universe when a crossover episode happened in 2016. In this episode, Jess, the star of New Girl from Los Angeles, is helping Jake track down a suspect in Brooklyn. The two comedians work brilliantly together, making for an entertaining episode that fans wish had happened more than once.
2. That’s So Raven, Hannah Montana, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Many Disney TV shows are connected, which is evident in the tons of crossover events on the network. However, two shows that fans might have forgotten were connected were That’s So Raven and Hannah Montana. The two shows were massive hits for the channel and aired for years. Hannah Montana follows the young teenage superstar living the life of an average teenager and a famous singer, while That’s So Raven is about the teenager Raven Baxter, whose psychic abilities allow her to see the future. Despite the different narratives of the shows, they all targeted younger audiences, so it wasn’t surprising that a crossover event eventually happened. Although the episode, which also featured cast members from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, seemed like an attempt to boost ratings, fans were still excited that these events were taking place in the same universe.
3. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Orange is the New Black
When Netflix was at its peak, they didn’t miss a chance to show fans how most of their shows were connected. While Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows a young woman who was to find her way through life after being kidnapped and locked away in a bunker for most of her teen years, and Orange is the New Black is about women in prison, these shows took place in the same world. Though their stories were worlds apart, one of the characters in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Gretchen appeared in Orange is the New Black.
Gretchen was one of the women trapped with Kimmy in the bunker, but while the other women were excited about their newfound freedom, Gretchen missed certain aspects of her bunker life and found it more complex than the others to adjust. Gretchen would be arrested in Season 3 after failing to start her cult. She would later be transported to Orange is the New Black’s prison, where he meets Black Cindy. Meeting Black Cindy was all the confirmation fans needed that these shows were taking place in the same universe.
4. How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal
When fans got the news that Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder would have a crossover episode, it was all the confirmation they needed to know that these TV shows were connected and shared the same universe. While they are both Shondaland TV shows, a crossover episode confirmed they were connected. Olivia Pope was a fixer who helps politicians and the rich in Washington get rid of their dirty secrets, while Annalise Keating was a former Law lecturer trying to fast-track a judicial reform class action at the Supreme Court. The only problem was that Keating is not in the right head space to take on such a task. So, who came to the rescue? Olivia Pope. While Pope had fallen out of favor with the political class, this presented the best opportunity to save her career and Annalise Keating’s.
5. Interview with a Vampire and Mayfair Witches
While these shows are relatively new, they have a connection that runs much deeper than fans realize. Anna Rice wrote both novels that inspired the series Interview with a Vampire and Mayfair Witches, which are returning for their second season. In Interview with a Vampire Season 1, the Mayfair house is mentioned and fans of both shows were excited when the showrunner and executive producer Esta Spalding and Mark Johnson commented on the possibility of having a crossover episode. It’s not difficult to see this happening because they both feature supernatural creatures like witches and vampires, who have existed for decades. The novel Merrick served as a crossover between the lives of Mayfair Witches and The Vampire Chronicles novels, so there is already a possible plot for the show to follow.
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