Television Crossover Universe

In case you haven't figured it out, THAT'S OUR RALPH! is a completely made up TV series.  It was an April Fool's Day prank.  It was a lot of fun trying to create a fake TVCU blog that seemed real, and I thought I'd share the process. The title--I was really trying to capture the essence of the early 1980s, and the numerous really bad failed sitcoms that I remember.  Thus I came up with this generic, cheesy title that just seemed perfect for the type of show I was trying to represent.   The premise--Using that logic, I created a show that was the typical sitcom trope of that era, which had come before and still exists, but really seemed to populate the 1980s.  A man who is kind of the dumb, scheming family man, with the smart nagging wife, and cute, generic kids.   The picture used for the show's star is a generic picture I found in a Google images search.  I have no idea who this guy is.  But he's absolutely not Billy Stiper. In fac...

A little known series from the 1980s, That's Our Ralph! aired on NBC in 1982 for just six episodes as a mid-season replacement.  It didn't do well enough to be picked up for a second season, and the show has been mostly forgotten.  And yet, as far as crossovers go, it has made a huge impact on the TVCU and pop culture in general. The series was set in an unnamed suburb, featuring wacky dad Ralph Wiggum, his wife Nancy, and children Scotty and Lucy.  Ralph was played by stand-up comedian Billy Stiper, a graduate of Second City.  Nancy was played by Jill Larson, better known for her soap work. The kids were little known at the time but have become big names since.  Scotty was played by Ethan Hawke in his first role.  Lucy was played by the adorable little Alyson Hannigan. The basic premise was that Ralph would typically screw up in some way, in the classic tropes, like forgetting an anniversary or lying so he can go bowling.  It was a real...

Continuing my updates. These types are some of my favorites.  There are many clear-cut crossover connections that are very hard to dispute.  No costumes, powers, or talking animals.  Just good old fashioned sitcom goodness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Today's blog will be about the shows spawned from Archie Bunker.  All in the Family was an amazingly successful show for it was really the first sitcom that was political and not afraid to talk about current issues.  It spun off many shows, that then they spun off shows.  And then all those shows had crossovers.  Which means fun for me!!! I first became aware of the fictional crossover/shared reality concept when I was five years old. As my family was about to embark on a drive from Massachusetts to California, my father gave me my first comic book to keep me occupied, and it was an issue of the Marvel Comics adaptati...