It turns out that the characters in your favorite TV shows and the like are actually dead, dreaming, dying or don't exist. Explore some strange fan theories with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode.
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know: TV Show Fan Theories
Josh and Chuck dive deep into some of the most creative and entertaining fan theories surrounding beloved TV shows, from the iconic Saved by the Bell to the mysterious world of Scooby-Doo. They explore theories that suggest everything from hidden daydreams and post-apocalyptic settings to elaborate schemes born from economic collapse, examining what makes a fan theory compelling versus just a wild guess. Whether you're curious about whether Zach Morris was actually just dreaming in Indiana or why the Flintstones and Jetsons might exist in the same dystopian world, this episode is packed with mind-bending ideas that will make you want to rewatch your favorite shows with fresh eyes.
Movies Discussed
30 Rock
"He was on the wire and he was on 30 Rock. — Referenced as show where John Munch character appeared, part of Tommy Westfall universe."
— Chuck
AfterMASH
"The A team were always getting in these crazy adventures. Like they were hired to each week. — Referenced in comparison to Murder, She Wrote regarding how characters seek out adventure."
— Josh
Breaking Bad
"There is a theory that's actually, I think, kind of cool because I love both shows, breaking bad and walking dead. — Discussed fan theory that blue meth from Breaking Bad caused the zombie outbreak in The Walking Dead."
— Chuck
Cheers
"Some of the doctors from St. Elsewhere went to cheers one time. — Referenced as connected to St. Elsewhere through character crossovers in the Tommy Westfall theory."
— Josh
Doctor Who
"And then the Tardis is in the hangar bay of the ship red Dwarf on the show. — Referenced as appearing in Red Dwarf, connecting to Tommy Westfall universe through TARDIS."
— Josh
Firefly
"Firefly was also appears again in angel, the tv Joss Whedon's Angel. — Referenced as using Weyland-Yutani technology from Angel, part of Tommy Westfall universe."
Frasier
"Frasier was a spinoff of Cheers. Check. That means Frasier isn't real. — Referenced as a spinoff of Cheers, implying it's part of the Tommy Westfall universe."
— Josh
Gilligan's Island
"That Gilligan's island is hell. That this, like the fresh prince of Bel Air, takes place in the afterlife. — Discussed fan theory that the show represents the seven deadly sins and takes place in purgatory/hell."
— Chuck
Good Morning, Miss Bliss
"So good morning, Miss Bliss goes off the air. I get the feeling it wasn't very popular. — Referenced as the precursor show to Saved by the Bell, featuring the same character Zach Morris."
— Josh
Homicide: Life on the Street
"That was Belzer's character on homicide, life on the street. — Referenced as connected to St. Elsewhere through character John Munch."
— Chuck
Law & Order
"Yeah, law and order. He was on the wire and he was on 30 Rock. — Referenced as show where John Munch character appeared, part of Tommy Westfall universe."
— Chuck
M*A*S*H
"Well, same with mash, too. That's like the Malibu, is it? Malibu? — Discussed how the opening credits of M*A*S*H showing Korea were actually filmed in California."
— Josh
Murder, She Wrote
"I've never seen murder she wrote shock because I was a 13 year old boy. — Discussed as an example of a fan theory about the main character being a serial killer."
— Chuck
Raising Hell
"So it's based on a Star Trek episode. Chuck Miri, M-I-R-I like Siri, but with an. Yeah. — Referenced as a Star Trek episode featuring post-apocalyptic Mayberry that connects to The Andy Griffith Show."
— Josh
Red Dwarf
"And then bring it home. And then the Tardis is in the hangar bay of the ship red Dwarf on the show. — Referenced as containing Weyland-Yutani ship in spaceship graveyard, part of Tommy Westfall universe."
— Josh
Saved by the Bell
"So saved by the bell comes along and now Zach is at bayside in California. — Discussed the fan theory that Saved by the Bell is a daydream fantasy of Zach Morris living in Indiana."
— Chuck
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
"How about the Scooby Doo one? I thought this was pretty great. — Discussed fan theory that Scooby-Doo takes place in a post-apocalyptic world with economic collapse."
— Chuck
St. Elsewhere
"This one is based on the television hospital procedural drama Saint elsewhere. — Discussed famous ending where entire series is revealed to be in a boy's imagination via snow globe."
— Chuck
Star Trek
"And in Star Trek, yo yo dine made technology used by the Enterprise crew. — Referenced as connected through Yoyodyne company mentioned on The John Larroquette Show."
— Josh
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
"In Star Trek six, the undiscovered country. When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. — Referenced Spock quoting Sherlock Holmes, leading to a theory that Spock is related to Holmes."
— Josh
The Andy Griffith Show
"And so the idea here is that Andy Griffith is the pre apocalyptic world that leads into Star Trek. — Discussed fan theory connecting The Andy Griffith Show to Star Trek through the episode 'Miri'."
— Chuck
The Flintstones
"The Flintstones and the jetsons take place at the exact same time. — Discussed fan theory that The Flintstones is post-apocalyptic and simultaneous with The Jetsons."
— Josh
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
"The fresh prince of Bel Air. It's a tv show from 1990 to 96. — Discussed fan theory that the main character was killed in the opening fight and the show depicts his afterlife."
— Josh
The Jetsons
"The thing about the jetsons, though, is supposedly they are living up in. It's not cloud city. Orbit city. — Discussed in connection with The Flintstones theory, representing wealth and living above the smog line."
— Josh
The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones
"There was a movie called the Jetsons meet the Flintstones. — Referenced as a movie that undermines the fan theory connecting The Flintstones and The Jetsons."
— Josh
The John Larroquette Show
"The John Larakette show, which was actually pretty good. John Larakette's great. — Referenced as connected to Frasier through character crossover, part of Tommy Westfall universe."
— Chuck
The Parent Trap
"What's the name of the lady who was in the original parent trap played the two twins? Haley Mills. — Referenced actress Hayley Mills who appeared in the original Parent Trap and later in Good Morning, Miss Bliss."
— Josh
The Seagull
"And in angel, the tv Joss Whedon's Angel. I think he was a client of the law firm Wolfram and Hart on angel. — Referenced as containing Yoyodyne reference, connecting to the Tommy Westfall universe."
— Josh
The Sign of Four
"And the source of that was Sherlock Holmes himself from the sign of four from an 1890 book. — Referenced as the origin of a famous Sherlock Holmes quote used in Star Trek."
— Josh
The Walking Dead
"That the blue meth from Breaking Bad is what caused the Zombie outbreak in the walking dead. — Referenced in connection with Breaking Bad in a fan theory about the origin of the zombie apocalypse."
— Chuck
The Wire
"He was on the wire and he was on 30 Rock. — Referenced as show where John Munch character appeared, part of Tommy Westfall universe."
— Chuck
The X-Files
"Yeah, like his character, not just the guy who played him, but he just popped up in different shows all over the place. Not even necessarily just on NBC. Oh, yeah, he was on X Files and that was Fox, wasn't it? — Referenced as show where John Munch character appeared, part of Tommy Westfall universe."
— Josh
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