TV Universe With The Most Connected Series

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hi Guys,
Fellow member Pahonu pointed out Happy Days was the best at spinning off characters into TV series - Mork, Laverne and Shirley, Joanie Loves Chachi.
But The Danny Thomas Show with Thomas starring as "Danny Williams" was the undisputed world wide king of existing in a Universe connected to other TV shows, 26 series, including itself.
I sent this list into MeTV but they passed, so I am happy to share it here:

1) The Danny Thomas Show
2) The Andy Griffith Show
3) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
4) Mayberry R.F.D.
5) Joey Bishop Show
6) The Bill Dana Show
7) The Dick Van Dyke Show
8 I Love Lucy
9) Superman
10) Private Secretary
11) Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
12) Batman
13) Hogans Heroes
14) Green Acres
15) Beverly Hillbillies
16) Petticoat Junction
17) Lucy Show
18) Mannix
19) Diagnosis: Murder
20) Matlock
21) Mission Impossible
22) Jake and the Fatman
23) Promised Land
24) The Green Hornet
25) Addams Family
26) Felony Squad

The Connections -
The genesis of this was when Danny Thomas(as Danny Williams) drove into Mayberry where Andy jailed him. Gomer Pyle of course lived in Mayberry, as did the people of Mayberry RFD.
"Barney Fife as Deputy Sheriff Don Knotts", in full Mayberry uniform appeared on the Joey Bishop Show.
So now we know Barney at one point went to Hollywood to act.
Jose Jimenez(Bill Dana) worked in Danny Williams apartment house, he was spun off into the Bill Dana Show.
Buddy Sorrell(Morey Amsterdam) from the Dick Van Dyke Show visited Danny Williams at his NYC apartment.
The Ricardos (I Love Lucy) stayed at the Williams apartment too. Superman visited the Ricardos on I Love Lucy.
Private Secretary's Susie McNamara (Ann Southern) met the Ricardos in the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.

So going along with the premise that these people all inhabit the same world, Superman could visit Mayberry and romance the lovely Juanita at the diner or even pitch woo to Miss Crump.
Just an aside, but in one of the early Superman episodes the "Mayberry" set appears, it was the one with the Mole Men.

But there is more.
It turns out Bill Dana also appeared on Batman as José Jiménez in an episode titled "The Yegg Foes in Gotham".
So that's 12 TV series interconnected, so not only Superman but Batman and Robin can visit Mayberry and get a haircut from Floyd.
Colonel Klink appeared on Batman too, while pilot Oliver Douglas in a flashback WW 2 episode of Green Acres was told to find Colonel Hogan at Stalag 13 if he got shot down.
That makes Green Acres and Hogan's Heroes the thirteenth and fourteenth connected series.
The Beverley Hillbillies and Green Acres casts shared a holiday feast at the Shady Rest hotel on Petticoat Junction with Kate Bradley and her 3 daughters.
Now we are up to 16.
But wait, wasn't Gomer Pyle on the Lucy Show, which also had Joe Mannix on? And Mannix was on Diagnosis: Murder, as Dr. Mark Sloan(Van Dyke) was his doctor.
Ben Matlock("Matlock") and Cinnamon Carter(Mission Impossible) also crossed paths with Doc Sloan, as well as, wait for it, Rob Petrie!
Diagnosis: Murder was a spin off of Jake and the Fatman, and it had a crossover episode with Promised Land, so we are up to 23.

On review there are more links through Batman.The Green Hornet with Kato guest starred on it.
Lurch(Ted Cassidy) from the Addams Family and Sam Stone(Howard Duff) from Felony Squad both appeared in cameos, opening a window on the side of a skyscraper as the Dynamic Duo made their
way up the side of the building. So that makes 26 interconnected series. 

Edward G. Robinson also peeked out a window in a cameo as Batman and Robin scaled the building. I only mention him as during WW2 he served as a waiter at the Hollywood Canteen, which
was a nightclub staffed, paid for and run by Hollywood stars. Only people in the service could go there, Ronald Reagan would be flipping burgers while Sinatra sang for the men, most of
whom would soon be fighting overseas.
Some of the female stars couldn't hack dancing with the 18 and 20 year old kids knowing that as the weeks passed it was certain a number of their former dance partners would
be dead. But on the whole the Hollywood Canteen was a great success and morale booster.
My GI father went there with his buddies, Edward G. Robinson served them their food and then paused to chat.
Robinson was a noted intellectual with one of the greatest private art collections in the world. He and my father hit it off, Eddie invited him to have dinner that night with his family and
to see his collection. Robinson loved my father's story of hanging around after a Einstein lecture at Princeton(Rutgers students could score a few tickets) and chatting with the genius
himself for 20 minutes.
So I guess I'm one degree of separation from the greatest movie actor of all time and the greatest scientist. On the other hand I did meet Jonathan Harris, so my father could have
said he was one degree of separation from the infamous Dr. Smith from Lost In Space. Hmm, I don't think that's quite the same.

Perhaps someone out there can add to this list, but I warn you, it's addicting.
It's akin to when Carla on Cheers warned the Boston Celtics Kevin McHale not to get sucked into the world of Bar Trivia with
Cliff and Norm and the gang lest he wind up on a stool next to them arguing over who started for the Red Sox in left field in 1970.
How many more connected series could there be, anyway?

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

UPDATED LIST:

Make Room for Daddy with Danny Thomas starring as "Danny Williams" is the undisputed king of TV series existing in the same Universe as other TV shows, 29, including itself.


1) Make Room for Daddy aka The Danny Thomas Show
2) The Andy Griffith Show
3) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
4) Mayberry R.F.D.
5) Joey Bishop Show
6) The Bill Dana Show
7) The Dick Van Dyke Show
8 I Love Lucy
9) Superman
10) Private Secretary
11) Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
12) Batman
13) Hogans Heroes
14) Green Acres
15) Beverly Hillbillies
16) Petticoat Junction
17) Lucy Show
18) Mannix
19) Diagnosis: Murder
20) Matlock
21) Mission Impossible
22) Jake and the Fatman
23) Promised Land
24) The Green Hornet
25) Addams Family
26) Felony Squad
27) Mad About You
28) Seinfeld
29) Friends

The Connections -
The genesis of this was when Danny Thomas(as Danny Williams) drove into Mayberry in a "Make Room For Daddy" episode that was the pilot for The Andy Griffith Show.
Gomer Pyle of course also lived in Mayberry, as did the people of "Mayberry RFD".
"Barney Fife as Deputy Sheriff Don Knotts", reads the end credits in a Joey Bishop Show episode where Barney appears in his Mayberry uniform.
So now we know Barney Fife at one point went to Hollywood to act.
Jose Jimenez(Bill Dana) worked in Danny Williams apartment house, he was spun off into the Bill Dana Show.
Buddy Sorrell(Morey Amsterdam) from the Dick Van Dyke Show visited Danny Williams at his NYC apartment.
The Ricardos (I Love Lucy) stayed at the Williams apartment too. And Superman visited the Ricardos on I Love Lucy.
Private Secretary's Susie McNamara (Ann Southern) also met the Ricardos in the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.

So going along with the premise that these people all inhabit the same universe, Superman could visit Mayberry and pitch woo to Juanita at the diner.
Just an aside, but in one of the early Superman episodes the "Mayberry" set appears, it was the one with the Mole Men.

But there is more.
It turns out Bill Dana also appeared on Batman as José Jiménez in an episode titled "The Yegg Foes in Gotham".
So that's 12 TV series interconnected, so not only Superman but Batman and Robin can visit Mayberry and get a haircut from Floyd.
Colonel Klink appeared on Batman too, while pilot Oliver Douglas in a flashback WW 2 episode of Green Acres was told to find Colonel Hogan at Stalag 13 if he got shot down.
That makes Green Acres and Hogan's Heroes the thirteenth and fourteenth connected series.
The Beverley Hillbillies and Green Acres casts shared a holiday feast at the Shady Rest hotel on Petticoat Junction with Kate Bradley and her 3 daughters.
Now we are up to 16.
But wait, wasn't Gomer Pyle on the Lucy Show, which also had Joe Mannix on? And Mannix was on Diagnosis: Murder, as Dr. Mark Sloan(Van Dyke) was his doctor.
Ben Matlock("Matlock") and Cinnamon Carter(Mission Impossible) also crossed paths with Doc Sloan, as well as, wait for it, Rob Petrie!
Diagnosis: Murder was a spin off of Jake and the Fatman, and it had a crossover episode with Promised Land, so we are up to 23.

On review there are more links through Batman.The Green Hornet with Kato guest starred on it.
Lurch(Ted Cassidy) from the Addams Family and Sam Stone(Howard Duff) from Felony Squad both appeared in cameos, opening a window on the side of a skyscraper as the Dynamic Duo
made their way up the side of the building. So that makes 26 interconnected series. 
By the way, when the Green Hornet exited his house through the secret entrance he emerged on to the dystopian streets of a shabby city. Look close and you will see it is the Mayberry set.

UPDATE -
My friend Barbara in Australia recently pointed out to me that the Dick Van Dyke Show's Alan Brady(Carl Reiner) appeared on "Mad About You". As well, Seinfeld's Kramer(Michael Richards) also
appeared on "Mad About You", which also had a crossover with "Friends" when Lisa Kudrow showed up, so we now have 29 connected TV series.

Whew, I thought I had finished this list but as they say in The Godfather, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"
If anyone has more connections to add to this list, please do, lunch is on me, hash at the Mayberry diner served by Juanita or hotcakes at the Douglas farm served by the lovely Lisa.