There are few issues community execs get pleasure from greater than crossover episodes, particularly now that franchises like Regulation & Order and One Chicago have taken over broadcast TV. Simply this previous TV season, ABC noticed a pair stunning crossovers: 9-1-1 and Physician Odyssey, and Abbott Elementary and It’s At all times Sunny in Philadelphia.
Whereas some crossovers come off as blatant rankings grabs — and a few appear slipshod of their execution — the next exemplars excelled by way of their ambition, humor, or narrative significance. Some crossovers instructed epic tales throughout a number of episodes, others had been simply one-episode masterpieces, and but others delighted us with cameos. Listed here are our favourite TV crossovers.
10. Brooklyn 9-9 & New Woman
New Woman’s Jess (Zooey Deschanel) didn’t have the simplest time in New York — or, relatively, a New York-styled Hollywood backlot — particularly when Brooklyn 9-9’s Jake (Andy Samberg) commandeered and crashed her automotive. However the actual spotlight of the crossover occasion — B99’s “The Night time Shift” and New Woman’s “Homecoming” — was the frenetic Jess’ convo with the even-keeled Captain Holt (Andre Braugher).
9. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage & Iron Fist
Whereas The Defenders didn’t have essentially the most “tremendous” story, it was nonetheless a deal with for followers of Marvel’s Netflix collection to see their heroes unite. “The satan of Hell’s Kitchen, the smart-ass detective, the righteous ex-con, and the child with the glowing fist” didn’t at all times get alongside, however their chemistry thrived on that discord.
8. Archer & Bob’s Burgers
In Archer’s Season 4 premiere, the titular spy had amnesia and was dwelling a brand new life as “Bob,” the proprietor of Bob’s Burgers, the restaurant from the TV present of the identical title. However KGB brokers got here searching for him, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the burger joint was splattered with ketchup and blood. The crossover is a intelligent nod to H. Jon Benjamin’s twin voice roles, and it was particularly cool to see the Bob’s Burger characters rendered in Archer fashion.
7. Neighborhood & Cougar City
You might have observed an additional butting into the foreground on Cougar City. That’d be Neighborhood’s pop-culture obsessive, Abed (Danny Pudi). On the latter present, Abed defined he was a Cougar City superfan who acquired an invite to be a background artist on the present. “That’s once I actually began to panic,” he mentioned. “As a result of, if I’m an individual who watches Cougar City, how can I be in Cougar City?”
6. The X-Information & Cops
Two of Fox’s greatest hits collided in The X-Information’ episode “X-Cops,” introduced as an episode of Cops as Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) examine a fearmongering monster of the week. Mulder basked within the glare of the docuseries’ video digital camera lights, Scully, not a lot.
5. Supernatural & Scooby-Doo, The place Are You!
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, the place are you? Hanging with the boys of Supernatural, in that present’s “ScoobyNatural” episode. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) acquired sucked into the world of Scooby-Doo, and what might have been a late-season shark-jumping installment turned out to be probably the most entertaining episodes of the present.
4. Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and so forth.
The Arrowverse saved its greatest multi-episode, multi-series crossover occasion for final, in our books. Not solely did we see our protagonists from the shared superhero universe thwarting a risk to all of actuality, however we additionally acquired cameos from Smallville, Lucifer, The Tick, an earlier iteration of The Flash, and even the unique Batman, amongst different style faves.
3. Angel & Buffy the Vampire Slayer
In an Angel saga that broke shippers’ hearts, the episode “I Will Bear in mind You” had Angel (David Boreanaz) flip from vampire to human. And for a gleaming second, it appeared like he and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) would lastly have their happily-ever-after, till Angel realized his flip towards mortality will put Buffy in mortal hazard, and he had their good day erased.
2. Newhart & The Newhart Present
In Newhart’s lauded collection finale, Bob Newhart’s character is knocked unconscious, and when he wakes up subsequent to Suzanne Pleshette as his spouse from The Bob Newhart Present, viewers notice that every one of Newhart was dreamt up by the earlier present’s protagonist. For our cash, that is the perfect instance of the “it was all only a dream” trope.
1. Murder: Life on the Avenue & Regulation & Order: SVU & many different exhibits
Over the past three a long time of his life, Richard Belzer performed Detective John Munch on Murder: Life on the Avenue and Regulation & Order: Particular Victims Unit, in fact, but additionally The X-Information, The Beat, Arrested Improvement, The Wire, 30 Rock, Jimmy Kimmel Reside!, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Belzer might do drama like the perfect of ’em, however he acquired his begin as a comic, and it confirmed.