36 TV Shows You Didn’t Realize Exist In The Same Universe

36 TV shows (plus 3 movies) all tied together by some very substantial and not at all tenuous connections. Spooky stuff. (Also... spoiler alerts.)

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Riverdale

Netflix

Aside from being a part of the same comic book universe, the Netflix show and CW show have had a few crossover moments, including a mention of Riverdale High by some Baxter High bullies, a flier for a bowling tournament between the Greendale Ravens and the Riverdale Bulldogs, and the appearance of Ben Button.

Riverdale and Black Mirror

CW

When Joaquin left Riverdale at the end of season one, he boarded a bus headed for San Junipero, a fictional city from an episode of Black Mirror, which is a virtual reality environment that people can upload themselves to when they die.

Black Mirror and Orange Is The New Black

Netflix / Via youtube.com

After Poussey is killed at the end of season four of Orange Is The New Black, Netflix released the above promotional video featuring Tastee and Poussey meeting up in a dream-like San Junipero.

Orange Is The New Black and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Netflix

In season three of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kimmy's former bunker-mate, Gretchen, is sent to Litchfield Penitentiary from Orange Is The New Black and even meets Black Cindy.

(As an aside, Litchfield Penitentiary also shows up on Bojack Horseman.)

Netflix

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and 30 Rock

Netflix

Netflix

The same rude drugstore employee, LaDonica, connects Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and 30 Rock.

30 Rock and Mad Men

NBC / Via reddit.com

On an episode of 30 Rock, Liz's mom mentions working as a secretary at Sterling Cooper as a young woman. Sterling Cooper is the ad firm that serves as the setting for Mad Men.

(Bonus connection: a drink called an "Old Spanish" shows up on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock, and Mad Men.)

Netflix, NBC, AMC

Mad Men and Friends

AMC, NBC

A fictional beer brand called Fielding appears on Mad Men and on Friends. Apparently the branding got an update between the '60s and the '90s.

Friends and The Walking Dead

AMC

A fictional cigarette brand called Morley Lights appears on Friends and on The Walking Dead (as well as many other shows.)

The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad

AMC

Heisenberg's signature blue meth appears in a bag with some other assorted drugs on an episode of The Walking Dead, implying that Breaking Bad may have taken place before the outbreak on The Walking Dead.

Breaking Bad and The X-Files

AMC

FOX

A fake rental car company called Lariat is mentioned on Breaking Bad and is also the rent-a-car company of choice whenever Mulder and Scully traveled on The X-Files.

(It's probably worth noting that The Smoking Man, and pretty much everyone else on The X-Files, also smoked Morley cigarettes.)

FOX

The X-Files and Veronica Mars

FOX, UPN

On one episode of the X-Files, Mulder searches the FBI database for a serial killer named Malcolm Wiggins. The same mugshot appears on Veronica Mars.

(Lariat Rent-A-Car also shows up in Veronica Mars, for what it's worth.)

CW

Veronica Mars and New Girl

FOX / Via fictionalcompanies.wikia.com

A fictional beer brand called Heisler Gold Ale appears on Veronica Mars, New Girl, and loads of other shows.

New Girl and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

FX

Characters on both New Girl and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia also drink another fictional beer brand called Haberkern.

It's Always Sunny and the UK version of The Office

FX, BBC / Via Twitter: @dominic_howard

A fictional fashion designer (who apparently makes pretty cheap leather goods) was a punchline on the UK version of The Office and was also once mentioned on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

The Office (UK) and LOST

ABC

On an episode of LOST, Charlie is speaking to a woman he's dating (or grifting, more accurately) and she mentions that her wealthy father is buying a paper company in Slough, England. Wernham Hogg, which is based in Slough, is the fictional paper company from The Office.

LOST and Alias

youtube.com

In season four of Alias, a fictional hit song from Charlie's band Drive Shaft can be heard in the background of a party scene on one episode. (The only clip I could find online was the French version of the show. Try to ignore that part.)

Alias and Star Trek (the 2009 film)

ABC, Paramount

A fictional frozen drink called "Slusho!" appears in most of J.J. Abrams' projects, including Alias and the first Star Trek film he directed. (Sorry, we need to quickly divert into film territory for this connection.)

Star Trek (the 2009 film) and the TV Star Trek universe

Paramount / CBS

Okay, so we're back to TV, but now we need to play around with timelines a bit. J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek shares a universe with the Star Trek TV shows (hence the same names and events appearing in both) but take place on two different timelines: The Prime timeline and the Kelvin timeline.

Star Trek and Red Dwarf

BBC

Red Dwarf was a British sci-fi show from the ‘80s and ‘90s, so you’re forgiven for not being familiar with it, but it was pretty popular in its time. In one scene from the episode "Psirens," the Red Dwarf passes through a spaceship graveyard and among the ships is a Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek.

(It's also believed that the TARDIS from Doctor Who makes an appearance in this scene, but it's hard to tell for sure, so we're not counting it.)

BBC

Red Dwarf, Aliens, and Angel

BBC

youtube.com

A moment later in that very same scene from Red Dwarf, you can see a derelict Weyland-Utani ship from the Alien film franchise. Weyland-Utani also shows up on the show Angel when it's mentioned as a client of Wolfram & Hart in a training video.

(Weyland-Yutani also appears to manufacture weapons systems in the Firefly universe, so add that one to the tally too.)

FOX / Via rebrn.com

Angel and Buffy The Vampire Slayer

CW

Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer pretty explicitly share a universe. Moving on!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Heroes

Twitter: @btvscollector, NBC

Morley cigarettes again! They're apparently the cigarette of choice for both Meredith from Heroes and Spike from Buffy. (And while it's tough to find a screencap of Spike with a pack of Morley cigarettes from the show, this figurine of Spike comes with a little pack of them, so that should be proof enough.)

Heroes and Las Vegas

NBC

The Montecito Resort and Casino is a fictional casino that was created for the NBC show Las Vegas, but it also appeared on several other NBC shows, including Heroes.

Las Vegas and the US version of The Office

NBC

The US version of The Office is also about a fictional paper company, this time called Dunder Mifflin, which apparently held an offsite at the Montecito Casino where things got a little rowdy.

The Office and Parks And Rec

NBC / Via imgur.com

Champion, Andy and April's lovable three-legged dog on Parks and Rec was first up for adoption on an episode of The Office.

(Also, briefly, Parks and Rec and The Good Place apparently share a universe as well. Count it!)

Words From The Dead @ShinraAlpha

Just discovered that The Good Place takes place in the Parks and Rec universe and now by whole brain is crying.

02:22 PM - 06 Feb 2018

Parks and Rec and Cougar Town

NBC

One more fictional beer brand then I swear we’ll move on… Penn Pavel’s Beer appears on both Parks and Rec and Cougar Town.

(Penn Pavel's also shows up on American Vandal, so add that show to the tally too.)

Netflix

Someone takes a swig of Penn Pavel's while filming at Nana's party.

Cougar Town and Community

NBC

Laurie and Travis appear in the crowd after Greendale's paintball match with a rival school on Community. (Abed also appears in the background of a shot on Cougar Town on one occasion.)

(Cougar Town also shares a universe with Scrubs. Ted and his a cappella group appear on both shows.)

NBC

Community and Sons of Anarchy

NBC, FX

A fictional potato chip brand called Let’s appears several times on Community, as well as a few dozen other shows, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Sons of Anarchy.

Sons of Anarchy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

FX, ABC

Sons of Anarchy also features a fictional Scotch whiskey called Glencallan, as does Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

NBC

Okay, time to dip into film again. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has tons of connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including appearances from Nick Fury from The Avengers and Lady Sif from the Thor films. (Not to mention Agent Coulson.)

The MCU and the Netflix Marvel Universe

Marvel / Netflix / Via reddit.com

Okay, so back to TV for the next connection between the MCU and the Netflix Marvel Shows. There are tons of connections between the two Marvel universes, but most notable is the company Roxxon Corporation, which appears in the Iron Man movies, and Netflix's Daredevil. (Thanks to Giff95 on reddit for pulling the graphic above together.)

Daredevil and Haunting of Hill House

Netflix

We'll finish where we started, with a Netflix original. Not only does Hayden reference Daredevil on an early episode of Haunting of Hill House, but he can also be seen in a Daredevil costume (specifically from Netflix’s Daredevil) when he’s getting ready to go out on Halloween.

Some of these connections and a ton of others come from something called the Tommy Westphall universe. Check that out to see all the different links between TV shows.