Detective Munch From "Law & Order" Is TV’s Kevin Bacon

If you’ve been watching cop dramas over the past 20 years, then at some point you’ve run into Detective John Munch, played by Richard Belzer.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The character started his law enforcement career on “Homicide: Life on the Street” back in 1993, and currently appears on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, but he’s shown up on a LOT of other shows as well.

Image by Courtesy of NBC

From “Arrested Development” to “The X-Files” to friggin’ “Sesame Street,” Munch is the thread that ties a multitude of worlds together.

Which means all of your favorite characters know a guy who dated a girl who worked with a guy who met a girl who worked a bar that once served some people who know him. And other, far stranger connectons…

Image by Courtesy of FOX

Source: simaopessoa.blogspot.com

In 1997, Homer thought he found an alien in Springfield, and two paranormal investigators, Agents Mulder and Scully of “The X-Files,” were brought in to help solve the case.

Image by Courtesy of FOX via Wikipedia

Agent Mulder has worked with a trio of conspiracy theorists called The Lone Gunmen…

Image by Courtesy of FOX via x-files.wikia.com

…who were interrogated by none other than Detective John Munch in “The X-Files” episode “Unusual Suspects.”

Image by Courtesy of FOX

Source: fanpop.com

Jack crashed on Oceanic Flight 815 along with Hugo Reyes, who keeps coming across the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 in his life.

Source: 10wallpaper.com

Those same numbers came to Veronica Mars via fortune cookie in the episode “Donut Run.”

Image by Courtesy of Warner Bros via hungry4danish.tumblr.com

Image by Courtesy of Warner Bros via hungry4danish.tumblr.com

And in the episode “Rat Saw God,” Veronica Mars rents a car from the Lariat Rental Car Company…

Image by Courtesy of Warner Bros via thewb.com

…the same company Agents Mulder and Scully frequently rent cars from on “The X-Files.”

Image by Courtesy of FOX via hulu.com

And Mulder has worked with The Lone Gunmen before…

Image by Courtesy of FOX via x-files.wikia.com

…who were interrogated by Detective Munch in “Unusual Suspects.”

Image by Courtesy of FOX via x-files.wikia.com

Image by Courtesy of CBS via fanpop.com

Ray and Fran Fine went to high school together at Hillcrest High School in Queens.

Image by Courtesy of CBS via youtube.com

Fran once lost a set of Liz Taylor’s pearls…

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…which upset Liz so much that she cancelled an interview she had scheduled with Murphy Brown.

Source: mediagallery.usatoday.com

One of Murphy’s many (many, many, many) secretaries was Carol Kester…

Image by Courtesy of CBS via sitcomsonline.com

…who had quit her previous job working for Dr. Bob Hartley, who she felt wasn’t appreciating her hard work.

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Dr. Hartley frequently treated Elliot Carlin on “The Bob Newhart Show”…

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…who years later turned up in St. Eligius’ mental ward on “St. Elsewhere.”

Source: tv.yahoo.com

One of St. Eligius’ doctors, Dr. Roxanne Turner, turned up years later in a Baltimore hospice…

Source: tv.yahoo.com

…where she was investigated for administering euthanasia by Detectives Frank Pembleton and Tim Bayliss of the Baltimore PD’s Homicide Unit…

Image by Courtesy of NBC via tvsurveillance.com

…where they worked with Detective Munch on “Homicide: Life on the Street.”

Image by Courtesy of NBC via youtube.com

Source: walkertexasranger.wikia.com

Walker teamed up with L.A. lawman Sammo Law of “Martial Law” when one of Sammo’s perps fled L.A. to Walker’s Lone Star state.

Image by Courtesy of CBS via youtube.com

And when Sammo followed an illegal Chinese artifact smuggling ring to Chicago, he teamed up with the prescient Gary Hobson of “Early Edition.”

Image by Courtesy of CBS via youtube.com

In another of Hobson’s adventures, when one of his friends falls ill, he rushes her to Chicago Hope…

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…a Chicago-area hospital where hotshot surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Geiger works when he’s not assisting the Baltimore PD with homicide cases, as he did in the “Homicide: LOTS” episode “A Doll’s Eyes.”

Image by Courtesy of NBC via snarkysmachine.org

THE SAME Baltimore PD that Detective John Munch worked in for 16 years.

Image by Courtesy of NBC via youtube.com

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Jerry used to live across the hall from Paul Buchman of “Mad About You,” who later subletted his old bachelor pad to Cosmo Kramer.

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Paul and his wife, Jamie, frequented Riff’s, a local pub where they were served by a waitress named Ursula…

Image by Courtesy of NBC via chitownstarconnections.wordpress.com

…who was the twin sister of Phoebe from “Friends.”

Image by Courtesy of NBC via chitownstarconnections.wordpress.com

Phoebe’s friend Chandler unsuccessfully hit on a woman named Annie in a video rental store…

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…whose friend Caroline wrote a comic strip, “Caroline in the City,” which was read across the country, even by Niles Crane in Seattle.

Image by Courtesy of NBC via myspace.com

Niles’ brother, Frasier, was a regular of Sam Malone’s Boston bar, Cheers…

Image by Courtesy of NBC via youtube.com

…where the doctors of St. Eligius hospital have also been known to kick back for a few pints.

Image by Courtesy of NBC via youtube.com

The same doctors who have worked with Dr. Roxanne Turner…

Source: tv.yahoo.com

…who was investigated by Detectives Pembleton and Bayliss…

Image by Courtesy of NBC via tvsurveillance.com

…who worked with Detective Munch in Homicide at the Baltimore PD.

Image by Courtesy of NBC via youtube.com

Source: gifrific.com

Detective Munch’s long, storied career has linked together a number of television worlds.

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Tommy Westphall's Mind — A Multiverse Explored

home.vicnet.net.au

The shared universe goes deep, and it’s all lovingly catalogued and displayed at Tommy Westphall’s Mind…

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LINK

Poobala.com — Crossovers and Spin Offs Master Page

poobala.com

…with an extra hat tip to the caretakers of Poobala.com’s massive and thorough television crossovers archive. Click through to discover how everyone from Sabrina The Teenage Witch to The Fresh Prince to Lucille Ball all connect back to our dear Detective Munch.