These 15 TV Shows Paid Meticulous Attention To The Tiny Details, And That's Why We Loved Them

The Good Place 🤝 The Office.

A great TV show is a wonderful thing, especially one that's taken the time and had the skill to add in all those wonderful little details.

NBC

So, here are 15 little details in TV that make good shows great:

1. Game of Thrones

HBO

While continuity seemed to go out the window at the end of Game of Thrones, you can't knock their attention to detail for most of the series. 

One prolonged detail began when Daenerys and Viserys were with the Dothraki, and Viserys says: "You would turn me into one of them, wouldn't you! Next, you'll have me braid my hair." And she responds, "You've got no right to a braid. You've won no victories yet." 

She says this because, among the Dothraki, the braid is a mark of victory. Fans spotted that Daenerys took this tradition along with her, adding more braids the more victorious she became!

HBO

2. Scrubs

NBC

In the harrowing yet fantastic episode "My Screw Up," Ben says that he'll take his camera with him until the day he dies. As the episode goes on, J.D is caring for a patient when Dr. Cox tells him to take some time to run some tests on Ben. During this time the "other" patient goes into cardiac arrest and when Dr. Cox returns, they've passed away. 

From this point on, whenever we see Ben, he doesn't have his camera on him. It isn't until the end of the episode that we realise that it was indeed Ben who had died.

NBC

3. Friends

NBC

There are plenty of little hidden details throughout Friends, as I'm sure you're aware. One that I loved was in the episode where Joey and Chandler got robbed after Joey got locked in an entertainment centre. 

It's when Chandler comes home to find all of his and Joey's stuff gone. In the background, you can see on the whiteboard that the thief had left a nice message, saying: "Thanks for all your stuff."

They often used the board to distinguish certain episodes or for fun little details like this!

4. The Good Place

NBC

The Good Place referenced Friends a LOT, but one particular time they gave a massive nod to Friends fans. During season four, Michael pleads with the Judge after her decision on human existence, and talks about the Friends members not getting into a good place. 

Speaking to the Judge, he says: "Are you gonna sit there and say that every single Friend belongs in hell? I mean, maybe Ross and Rachel, and Monica and Joey, and definitely Chandler… But Phoebe?"

While this seemed just like an off-hand reference, fast forward to the penultimate episode of the series, and the group have made it to a good place. We meet Hypatia of Alexandria there, played by Phoebe actor Lisa Kudrow!

So, in one way or another, she did make it after all!

NBC

5. The Good Place

NBC

Sticking with Michael Schur's afterlife extravaganza, it wasn't just Friends that was given a nod. We also saw the star of The Office (UK), Steven Merchant, playing an accountant in the afterlife. We met him in his office (of course) and eagle-eyed fans would have noticed that his mug looked very familiar. 

It was a shoutout to Michael Scott's "World's Best Boss" mug in the US version of The Office!

6. The Simpsons

Fox

The Simpsons has dozens of ongoing small gags and minor details that really show the attention to the little things throughout the series. One of the nicest little facets (which I certainly didn't notice at first), was that Matt Groening had signed his initials on Homer's head, using his sparse hair and his ear to spell out "MG."

7. The Simpsons

Fox

We couldn't include the attention to detail in The Simpsons without mentioning Rainer Wolfcastle. He's a movie star character in the series who's parodying Arnold Schwarzenegger. His most prominent role, which we see short clips of in various episodes, is the "McBain" series. 

Well, if you actually play the clips back-to-back then it becomes one fully formed short story. Now that's a sign of some seriously good writing!

Watch the whole short story here:

youtube.com

8. Breaking Bad

AMC

This little detail is a callback to the very first season. When Walter is keeping Krazy-8 hostage, Krazy-8 asks for his sandwiches to have the crusts cut off. 

Well fast-forward a few seasons and we see Walter making a sandwich and, in tribute to Krazy-8, he cuts the crusts off!

9. Black Mirror

Channel 4

Charlie Brooker is always adding some element of social commentary with his Black Mirror episodes. This also stays true in the tiny details that most people wouldn't even notice. In the episode titled "Playtest," when Cooper signs the contract, there's a clause that reads: 

"If you have paused to read this, you will die unless you forward it onto five people within a 28-day period."

Of course, in the age of streaming and social media, someone was bound to notice it. Also, most people – after finding a detail like that – would probably show it to someone! 

10. The Office

NBC

Our very first introduction to the legend that is Dwight Schrute is him organising his desk while humming his own version of "Little Drummer Boy." At first glance, we don't think too much about the song of choice, but later on in the series, it becomes more meaningful. Throughout The Office, Dwight and Angela form a relationship and what's her favourite song? You guessed it: "Little Drummer Boy"!

Here's Dwight's rendition:

youtube.com

11. The Last of Us

HBO

The series was applauded for sticking tightly to the narrative and the aesthetic of the game, but even the tiny details were little nods to fans. 

For instance, in episode one, Sarah is choosing a film to watch with Joel on his birthday and she picks out Curtis and Viper 2. It seems insignificant, but this is actually a reference to a moment in the game, where Ellie mentions that she's planning to watch the very same movie with Joel!

12. Stranger Things

Netflix

The series is packed full of cultural references, particularly to things that were part of its inspiration. One of the main parallels and inspirations for Stranger Things was E.T: the Extra-Terrestrial, and there's a lovely little nod to that in the series. In the scene when Dustin calls Steve from a phone booth, you can make out some graffiti etched on the pane of glass that reads "E.T Phone Home." 

13. Parks and Recreation

NBC

We love a bit of foreshadowing, and so does Parks and Rec! It's in season two when Leslie is set up with Chris. When he hears that she's never had an MRI, he takes her to the hospital to get one (fun date!), afterwards, Chris makes some pretty strange comments. He says that she has a "great oven" and also mentions that she could go straight for triplets... 

The obvious little detail that fans instantly saw was that Chirs was played by Will Arnett – Amy Poehler's husband at the time! But the scene also foreshadowed Leslie's eventual pregnancy, where, of course, she has triplets!

14. Community

NBC

This reference in Community took three seasons to complete, and it could have easily been missed. In throwaway comments and insignificant dialogue, the word "Beetlejuice" was said by a character once in season one, and again in season two. So, in the third season, when Annie utters the word for the third time, Beetlejuice shows up in the background, right on cue!”

Take a look here:

youtube.com

15. Futurama

Fox

At the beginning of Futurama, we see how Fry ends up in the future, after falling into a cryogenic chamber and getting frozen for thousands of years. In season five we find out that Nibbler, Leelaa's pet, was the one that pushed him. 

If you go all the way back to the start, there it is, right in front of our eyes: the shadow of Nibbles at the scene of the push!

Have a look here:

youtube.com

What are your favourite little details from TV shows? Let us know in the comments below!