History Main / CrossThrough

** 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 (and even it co-stars Captain Yates); 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''.)

* In 2011, a hurricane storyline ran across Creator/SethMacFarlane's three shows: ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'', ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' and ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''. Each episode of the night featured its main cast trapped in their homes due to a violent hurricane. And the end of ''American Dad'' (the last show to air on the block) ended with the homes of all three casts having been ripped free by the hurricane and resulting flooding and dumped in the same place.

Compare the CrisisCrossover (a step up in terms of interconnectedness) and the RedSkiesCrossover (a nice big step down.)

* Creator/DisneyChannel did one of this in regards to their {{SitCom}}s: the main characters of ''Series/CoryInTheHouse'', ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', and ''Series/HannahMontana'' saw a wishing star on the sky and made a wish (which came true and the episodes are BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor plots).

* The following year, there was ''ComicBook/{{Inferno}}'', where the demons Sym and N'astirh bring HellOnEarth. While this was a X-books crossover, numerous other titles were involved in the "fighting the evil forces of Hell" bit.

* The "Dawn of X" storyline in ''ComicBook/MegaMan'', which involves the ''Videogame/MegaManClassic'' and ''Videogame/MegaManX'' characters dealing with the same threat in two different time periods (for the unaware, X is the future of Classic). Interaction between the two casts only happen in the Short Circuits segments.

* ''FanFic/ShatteredSkiesTheMorningLights'' 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.

** The ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special'' 2021 has GaiasVengeance making a simultaneous attack on multiple locations, and being fought by Dredd (with Cursed Earth Koburn) in the Cursed Earth, Chopper in Oz, Armitage (with Devlin Waugh) in Brit-Cit, Hondo City Justice in Hondo City, and ComicBook/AndersonPsiDivison in Mega-City One, before the finale brought it back to Dredd.

** Beginning in prog 1803, a file containing the identities of all Wally Squad Judges at the centre of the ''Comicbook/JudgeDredd'', ''ComicBook/TheSimpingDetective'', and ''ComicBook/LowLife'' storylines. This culminated in prog 1812, which consisted of a single story featuring [[{{Crossover}} all three Judges]].
** The ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special'' 2021 has GaiasVengeance making a simultaneous attack on multiple locations, and being fought by Dredd (with Cursed Earth Koburn) in the Cursed Earth, Chopper in Oz, Armitage (with Devlin Waugh) in Brit-Cit, Hondo City Justice in Hondo City, and Psi-Judge Anderson in Mega-City One, before the finale brought it back to Dredd.

* Beginning in prog 1803, ''Comicbook/TwoThousandAD'' had a file containing the identities of all Wally Squad Judges at the centre of the ''Comicbook/JudgeDredd'', ''ComicBook/TheSimpingDetective'', and ''ComicBook/LowLife'' storylines. This culminated in prog 1812, which consisted of a single story featuring [[{{Crossover}} all three Judges]].

* Outside of the occasional columns on its website, Wrestling/{{WWE}} prefers not to acknowledge the existence of any promotion they don't own the rights to, so when they used the facilities of say, 5th Avenue Entertainment and American Combat Wrestling in Florida for the purpose of their FCW {{revival}}, it's essentially this trope in play. ACW also has friendlier relations with Florida Underground Wrestling, Ring Warriors, the Wrestling/{{N|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA and the WWN Live four(FIP, [[Wrestling/DragonGate DG USA]], EVOLVE, SHINE), though after the end of DG USA, WWN presence became more pronounced.

* ''ComicBook/NightOfTheOwls'', a [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bat-family]] storyline launching just after the 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 {{Series/Arrowverse}} is set to do this with [[Series/{{Arrow}} John Diggle]] popping up in episodes of ''Series/TheFlash2014'', ''Series/Supergirl2015'', ''Series/{{Batwoman}}'', and ''Series/SupermanAndLois''.

[[quoteright:350:[[Creator/SethMcFarlane https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_cde3nivw8aak1pc.png]]]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* One of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' games, ''VideoGame/StarTrekLegacy'', does this.
[[/folder]]

* Creator/CartoonNetwork ran an event called "Cartoon Network Invaded" in May 2007, which involved cheese-craving aliens from the moon that turn into werewolves. The shows involved were ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey'', ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', with a few cameos from uninvolved Cartoon Network shows thrown in for good measure. The crossover ended with the aliens concluding that the Earthlings were smarter than they thought and proceeding to suck out the intelligence of their five abducted characters. Unfortunately for them, they turn out to be [[TheDitz five of the dumbest characters from each of the shows]] (Cheese, Ed, Slips Python, Skip the dung beetle, and Fred Fredburger). All five of these shows all have alternate endings that sever their connections to the event; for example, instead of the brain-sucking scene described above, the ''Billy and Mandy'' episode ends with a CrossoverPunchline involving ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor''.
* When the Creator/USANetwork was carrying Saturday morning cartoons, they had one day devoted to a storyline centered around the [[OriginalGeneration original character]] the Warrior King (voiced by Creator/MichaelDorn), wandering around each show's universe in search of a powerful MacGuffin. The specific episodes he appears in are, in chronological order, "The Warrior King" (''WesternAnimation/StreetFighter''), "Endgame" (''ComicBook/TheSavageDragon'', the only series out of the four to be based on a comic book series rather than a video game), "Resurrection" (''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm'', focusing solely on the [=MacGuffin=]; the Warrior King makes only a cameo as a shadow at the end, leaving many ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' fans unaware of the Cross Through confused) and "Recreation" (''WesternAnimation/WingCommanderAcademy'').

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_cde3nivw8aak1pc.png]]

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' had one interesting moment that closed out one book and started another. Near the end of the Scourge arc, Shadow the Hedgehog and Metal Sonic are part of the MeleeATrois for different reasons and, in the scuffle, disappear from the fight. The two show up in the ''ComicBook/SonicX'' universe during its final issue, leaving everyone there shocked as Shadow had been thought dead in that universe. At the end of that issue, the two blink out again and reappear in the Sol Dimension in the first issue of ''Sonic Universe'', which replaced ''Sonic X''.

* ''ComicBook/TheFinalDaysOfSuperman'' was told through ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' Vol 2, ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' Vol 3, ''Batman/Superman'' Vol 1 and ''Superman/Wonder Woman''
* ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' followed ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s journey as a Red Lantern through the ''ComicBook/Supergirl2011'', ''Franchise/GreenLantern'' Vol 5 and ''ComicBook/RedLanterns'' books.
* ''ComicBook/NewKrypton'' was another storyline which spread across all ''Superman'' books during two years.

* One of the earliest examples is the Franchise/DCUniverse storyline collected in the "ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}'s Search" trade paperback.

* 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 following year, there was ''ComicBook/{{Inferno}}'', where the demons Sym and N'astirh bring HellOnEarth. While this was a X-books crossover, numerous other titles were involved in the "fighting the evil forces of Hell" bit.
* [[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 cabal member 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!

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': ''Vector'' is a Cross Through of four 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). In fact, ''Vector'' was the cross-through for which the term was coined.

** 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/AvengersEndgame"''.

* During ''Series/PortCharles'' run (1997-2003), the Nurses Ball would start on ''PC'', then pick up on ''Series/General Hospital'' (''PC'''s parent show) and vice versa. Although this was a problem for markets that aired ''PC'' after ''GH'' or didn't air it at all.

* NBC did this with ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', ''Series/EmptyNest'', and ''{{Series/Nurses}}'' ''twice'' in the same year.

* Wrestling/SammiCallihan's stalking of Wrestling/DaizeeHaze in the International Wrestling Cartel ending up crossing through into Wrestling/RingOfHonor when Callihan planted a camera in the promotion's dojo where Haze and [[Wrestling/HunterJohnston Delirious]] were working. This had no direct effect on ROH's shows but helped enhance Delirious and Haze's connection in the cartel.

* Sammi Callihan's stalking of Wrestling/DaizeeHaze in the International Wrestling Cartel ending up crossing through into Wrestling/RingOfHonor when Callihan planted a camera in the promotion's dojo where Haze and [[Wrestling/HunterJohnston Delirious]] were working. This had no direct effect on ROH's shows but helped enhance Delirious and Haze's connection in the cartel.

* During ''Series/PortCharles''' run (1997-2003), the Nurses Ball would start on ''Port Charles'', then pick up on ''Series/General Hospital'' (''PC'''s parent show) and vice versa. Although this was a problem for markets that aired ''PC'' after ''GH'' or didn't air it at all.