History Main / CrossThrough

* CBS did a four-episode story arc on February 26, 1996, crossing over between their four sitcoms airing that night - ''Series/TheNanny'' (episode: "Where's the Pearls?''), ''Can't Hurry Love'' (episode: "The Elizabeth Taylor Episode" / "Liz Taylor Show"), ''Series/MurphyBrown'' (episode: "Trick or Retreat") and ''High Society'' (episode: "The Family Jewels"), all revolving around Creator/ElizabethTaylor as she was promoting her new "Black Pearls" perfume while wearing a $300,000 string of actual black pearls, which Fran Fine accidentally lost in the first episode. The search lasted the rest of the night, ending when they were found in the fourth episode.

** The Dalek Time Controller originated in the Big Finish monthly range where it met the Sixth Doctor. Then it gets hurled back in time to become the BigBad for the GrandFinale of the New Eighth Doctor Adventures and then Dark Eyes. To make things more complicated, it turns out from the Dalek Time Controller's perspective its earliest encounter with the Doctor was in the New Series Adventures novels, where it met [[HaveWeMetYet the Eleventh Doctor]].

* ''Star Wars: Vector'' is a Cross Through of four ''Franchise/StarWars'' comic book series that take place during different time periods, featuring an ArtifactOfDoom of an ancient Sith Lord that carries a plague of [[TheVirus Rakghouls]]. The plot starts in ''ComicBook/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' (around 4,000 years before the films), then cycles through ''Dark Times'' (prequel trilogy era), ''Rebellion'' (original trilogy era), and ends in ''ComicBook/{{Legacy}}'' (over a hundred years after the films).

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': Basically ''Cross Through: TheMovie''.

[[folder:Live Action Television]]

** First and most famously, was "Hurricane Saturday", wherein all three shows were affected by the same hurricane. Actually, it was more like two hurricanes. Hurricane Gil was the first one, and it only affected The Golden Girls. At the beginning of the Empty Nest episode, it was mentioned on the news that Hurricane Gil had passed, only to be instantly replaced by Hurricane Heidi, which took over for the rest of the cross through.
** A mere eleven episodes later that same year, all three shows came together for yet another cross through. This time, it was "Moon Over Miami", wherein all three shows were affected by a full moon, which was reported to have caused weird strange phenomena and weird behavior in people, such as werewolves, rising ocean tides, and people acting out of character.

* ''Magazine/DisneyAdventures'' once serialized a five-issue story called ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfTheChaosGod'' (no relation to ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''), involving an ArtifactOfDoom containing a SealedEvilInACan; the comics cycled through more or less the entire WesternAnimation/TheDisneyAfternoon lineup, starting in ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' and continuing decades down the timeline in ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'', ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'', ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'', and finally ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' (which, despite all being in the modern day, never directly crossed each other aside from Scrooge phoning Darkwing to warn him of the threat, and the already shared characters of Launchpad and Gizmoduck), [[spoiler: where the unsealed evil [[HoistByHisOwnPetard is blasted by his own magic bolts reflected off a satellite dish]] and is safely re-sealed; as it turns out, the legendary hero who sealed the self-proclaimed "Chaos God" away in the first place fought him with a mirrored shield]].

** Similarly, there's a storyline about Infinity Stones starting in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', crossing through ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', ''Film/{{Doctor Strange|2016}}'', and ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', before culminating in ''"Film/Avengers4"''.

* ''FanFic/ShatteredSkies'' starts as a cross-through for the main characters of the [[Franchise/SailorMoon five]] [[Manga/CardcaptorSakura primary]] [[Franchise/PrettyCure magical]] [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha girl]] [[Franchise/MadokaMagica universes]], all under attack by different forces of the same group of enemies. In later chapters, it becomes a more conventional CrossOver via the characters meeting at an InnBetweenTheWorlds.

** Similarly, there's a storyline about Infinity Stones starting in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', crossing through ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', ''Film/{{Doctor Strange|2016}}'', ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', and possibly ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'' and/or ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'', before culminating in the untitled fourth ''Avengers'' movie.

** Followed up by ''Worlds of Creator/BigFinish'', which does the same thing for series with less direct ''Doctor Who'' connections[[note]]''Tales from the Vault'' is the only series in ''WODW'' that doesn't star a character from the TV series; by contrast ''none'' of the characters in ''WOBF'' actually appeared in the series.[[/note]]: ''Franchise/BerniceSummerfield'', ''Franchise/IrisWildthyme'', ''Graceless'', ''Vienna'', ''Series/TheConfessionsOfDorianGray'' and ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes''. (The latter two are loosely tied to ''Doctor Who'' via the Bernice Summerfield audio ''Shades of Gray'' and WordOfGod saying it's the same Sherlock Holmes from the ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures''.)

* SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson seems to be working his way through the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse one film at a time as the HeroOfAnotherStory.

** Similarly, there's a storyline about Infinity Stones starting in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', crossing through ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'', ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', and possibly ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'' and/or ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', before culminating in the untitled fourth ''Avengers'' movie.

** [[Creator/DeborahAnnWoll Karen Page]] is an up and coming case, having started out in ''Daredevil'' and also having a recurring role in ''The Defenders'' and a main cast role in ''Series/ThePunisher2017''.

** Similarly, there's a storyline about Infinity Stones starting in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', crossing through ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'', ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', and likely other yet-unidentified films, before culminating in the untitled fourth ''Avengers'' movie.

* Several of the TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons actual shows produced by Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast -- specifically ''WebVideo/AcquisitionsIncorporated'', ''WebVideo/DiceCameraAction'' and ''WebVideo/ForceGrey'' -- share a continuity and have impacts on one another.

** Strix, one of the main characters in ''Dice, Camera, Action!'', actually joins Acq Inc during their Tomb of Annihilation storyline and will appear in the ''Acquisitions Incorporated'' PAX West 2017 live game.

* A two-part episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' had Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern chasing a MadScientist through time and joining forces first with the Heroes of the Old West, and later with [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond Future Batman]], [[WesternAnimation/StaticShock Old Static]], and Warhawk (the son of Green Lantern and Hawkgirl).

* This is usually the formula of the ''Movie Wars'' film series in ''Franchise/KamenRider''. The two headlining Riders get a segment of the movie to themselves, before finally crossing over properly in a third segment that ties the two stories together. Later Movie Wars events (first between ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' and ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'', and for the second one ''Ghost'' and ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'') indicates that they are perhaps discarding the format entirely.

** The events of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' cross through very prominently into ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''. ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' also tied into ''Agents''; the last episode before it came out involved an infiltration of a Hydra remenant,
where they found out that their last base is in Sokovia, and ended with Coulson picking up the phone to call the Avengers. Age of Ulron starts with the Avengers attacking said base. Also, throughout that season Coulson was working on a secret project, which in the episode after the movie came out revealed that it was the Helicarrier used in the movie.

* ''Magazine/DisneyAdventures'' once serialized a five-issue story called ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfTheChaosGod'' (no relation to ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''), involving an ArtifactOfDoom containing a SealedEvilInACan; the comics cycled through more or less the entire DisneyAfternoon lineup, starting in ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' and continuing decades down the timeline in ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'', ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'', ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'', and finally ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' (which, despite all being in the modern day, never directly crossed each other aside from Scrooge phoning Darkwing to warn him of the threat, and the already shared characters of Launchpad and Gizmoduck), [[spoiler: where the unsealed evil [[HoistByHisOwnPetard is blasted by his own magic bolts reflected off a satellite dish]] and is safely re-sealed; as it turns out, the legendary hero who sealed the self-proclaimed "Chaos God" away in the first place fought him with a mirrored shield]].

** ''Blood Harvest'', a Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures novel in which the Seventh Doctor fights vampires in 1930s Chicago and on Gallifrey, led into the very first of the Literature/DoctorWhoMissingAdventures, ''Goth Opera'' by Creator/PaulCornell, which had the Fifth Doctor fighting vampires in 1990s Manchester, as a fairly obvious ploy to get new readers interested in the Missing Adventures books. (A short comic in a ''Doctor Who Annual'' by Creator/PaulCornell also led into ''Goth Opera''.)

[[folder:Talk Shows]]
* On November 2, 2012, The Walt Disney Company and its assets responded to Hurricane Sandy by coordinating what may be the biggest Cross Through in TV history. They called November 5 a "Day of Giving". ''Good Morning America'' started it by dedicating the entire 8:00 a.m. hour to raising money for Sandy Relief efforts. ABC News anchors, reporters and employees all banded together to encourage people to donate to [[UsefulNotes/TheRedCross the American Red Cross]]. ''LIVE with Kelly and Michael'' then integrated "Day of Giving" messaging into their highly anticipated Halloween episode (which was delayed due to the impact of the storm). ''Series/TheView'', ''The Chew'', and ''Katie'' (the latter of which had dedicated its entire hour on Wednesday, October 31 to Hurricane Sandy) also discussed the Day of Giving, and encouraged donations. Creator/{{ABC}}-owned TV stations and local ABC affiliates integrated "Day of Giving" messaging into their local news throughout the day, calling on their local communities to help those impacted by the storm, as well as ''World News with Diane Sawyer'' and ''Nightline''. ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'' personalized sections of the live show that night by integrating stories of how Hurricane Sandy has impacted several of the dancers on the show, and ''Series/JimmyKimmelLive'', which had been airing from Brooklyn throughout week, encouraging viewers to give to UsefulNotes/TheRedCross to help rebuild impacted areas, included special messaging and calls to action for Kimmel's viewers. Meanwhile, Creator/{{ESPN}} ran {{public service announcement}}s to engage viewers in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts throughout its programming, including coverage of The New York City Marathon [[note]]which would eventually be cancelled [[/note]] and Monday Night Football, and Creator/DisneyChannel aired what were called "age-appropriate" messages of the same. ABC tried something similar after hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017, but it was less extensive. The branding didn't touch Disney Channel or ESPN, and some of the network's more popular shows were on summer hiatus.
** Creator/{{NBC}} did a similar gimmick, though to a lesser extent than the Day of Giving, to raise money for the newly-resurrected Creator/ComicRelief USA's "Red Nose Day" telethon.
* On one Friday, ''The View'', ''The Chew'', and ''The Revolution'' had episodes focusing on dogs.
[[/folder]]

** The events of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' cross through very prominently into ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''. ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' also tied into ''Agents''.

** The ''Star Wars'' books ''Legacy of the Jedi'' and ''Secrets of the Jedi'' are apparently this according to their descriptions.

* [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] had ''Acts of Vengeance'' in 1989-90, where ComicBook/{{Loki}}, who after all these years is still bitter for being responsible for the creation of Franchise/TheAvengers, has the world's top bad guys band together to pit heroes against villains they haven't faced before. In almost every title published at the time, the heroes face their respective unfamiliar opponents off without any thoughts that a cabal had set up their confrontations, and there are no plot developments for the Cross Through except for certain members of the cabal gettin dispatched or caught or just plain leaving, just to explain why they're missing or where they are in the finale. Said finale happened in just one regular-sized issue of ''[[ComicBook/WestCoastAvengers Avengers West Coast]]'' where Thor just declares out of the blue that Loki is the mastermind. The Avengers let a captured collaborator make his escape so the two teams can follow him to Loki's hideout, make their attack (making the remaining collaborators flee and go back to their own regular businesses), and [[CurbStompBattle quickly dispatch]] Loki, all of these happenings serving just as an interlude between the set up and the cliffhanger for the title's next story-arc! Cross Through to the end!

* The theme of ''ComicBook/OriginalSin'' was that of {{Dark Secret}}s being revealed to every major hero, mostly ones that had been kept by the Watcher; so most tie-ins ignored the Watcher part and instead featured their heroes dealing with their secret. The X-Men and ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' had no ties to the Watcher, as the secrets they coincidentally discovered at the same time came from other sources.

* Creator/DCComics' 1990s crossovers like ''ComicBook/UnderworldUnleashed'' and ''Day of Judgement'' were {{Crisis Crossover}}s, but some of the secondary books were more Cross Throughs, with characters fighting over-powered villains/ghosts and demons without ever getting involved in the main story, or even learning what was actually going on.
* ''ComicBook/BrightestDay'' wound up being this; all the storylines came out of ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' and many were unified under "people resurrected by the White Entity for a specific task", but each series involved was pretty much self-contained with little overlap.
* ''ComicBook/NightOfTheOwls'', a [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bat-family]] storyline launching just after the ComicBook/{{New 52}}. The idea is that a cadre of rich, influential people have been ruling Gotham ever since its creation. Batman draws their attention by stopping an assassination, finding them, beating their assassin, and escaping from their clutches. In response, they raise an army of quasi-immortal, near super-powered assassins to strike at Batman and ''everyone'' associated with him. Every single Bat-family book faces off against a different assassin during the event.
* The Comicbook/{{New 52}} storyline ''The Black Diamond Probability'' follows the Heart of Darkness (Eclipso's black PowerCrystal) through ''Comicbook/DemonKnights'', ''[[ComicBook/JonahHex All-Star Western]]'', ''Team 7'' and ''Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}'' before concluding in ''[[Comicbook/AmethystPrincessOfGemworld Sword of Sorcery]]''.

* ''The Fall of the Mutants'' storyline in the ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics in the mid-1980s. The three titles involved don't directly cross into each other (The ComicBook/NewMutants were the only ones who even knew what the other two teams were up to). Instead, the books are a crossover in the thematic sense of loss and rebuilding: the X-Men's deaths and resurrection, Angel from ''ComicBook/XFactor'' becoming Archangel, the New Mutants losing one of their own and becoming full superheroes, and the subsequent formation of Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}.
** After that, there was ''ComicBook/{{Inferno}}'', where the demons Sym and N'astirh bring HellOnEarth. While this was a ''Franchise/XMen'' crossover, numerous other titles were involved in the "fighting the evil forces of Hell" bit.
* Creator/MarvelComics had ''Acts of Vengeance'' in the late 1980s, where Loki, who after all these years is still bitter for being responsible for Franchise/TheAvengers, has the world's top bad guys band together to pit heroes against villains they haven't faced before. Throughout the titles the heroes face their respective unfamiliar opponents off without any thoughts that a cabal had set up their confrontations, and there are no plot developments for the Cross Through except for a few incidents where certain members of the cabal gets dispatched or caught or just plain leave, just to explain why they're missing or where they are in the finale. As for said finale, it happened in just one regular-sized issue of ''Avengers West Coast'' where the title's heroes just declare out of the blue that Loki is the mastermind, let a captured collaborator make his escape so that they can follow him to Loki's hideout, attack said hideout (making the remaining collaborators flee and go back to their own regular businesses), and [[CurbStompBattle quickly dispatch]] Loki, all of these happenings serving just as an interlude between the set up and the cliffhanger for the title's next story-arc! Cross Through to the end!
* In 2012, Creator/MarvelComics ran a ''ComicBook/ClanDestine'' story by Alan Davis through the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' and ''Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}'' annuals.
* The theme of ''ComicBook/OriginalSin'' was that of {{Dark Secret}}s being revealed, mostly ones that had been kept by the Watcher; so most tie-ins ignored the Watcher part and instead featured their heroes dealing with a secret related to them. The ''ComicBook/XMen'' and ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' had ''no'' ties to the Watcher, as the secrets they coincidentally discovered at the same time came from other sources.