History SmallReferencePools / LiveACtionTV

** "Scream Montresor all you like, pet." -- Spike to Buffy, referring to the Edgar Allen Poe story ''The Cask of Amontillado''.

** British TV? [[BritCom British sitcoms]] and odd sketch shows. Also well known for Creator/MontyPython, ''Series/DrWho'' and '''Series/FawltyTowers'' in most countries. Renowned for detective series, mini series and costume dramas.

* In the 2014 SciFiChannel miniseries ''[[Series/AscensionMiniseries Ascension]]'', the library of the titular GenerationShip naturally doesn't include any works created after 1963 (the year it was launched). And when [[NumberTwo Executive Officer Gault]] tries to check out a book on police procedures to help investigate a murder, his sister the librarian tells him they didn't think to bring one along. He ends up watching crime movies; the classic film ''[[Film/M]]'' gives him an idea of [[SplashOfColor how to follow one of the suspects]].

* In the 2014 SciFiChannel miniseries ''Series/AscensionMiniseries'', the library of the titular GenerationShip naturally doesn't include any works created after 1963 (the year it was launched). And when [[NumberTwo Executive Officer Gault]] tries to check out a book on police procedures to help investigate a murder, his sister the librarian tells him they didn't think to bring one along. He ends up watching crime movies; the classic film ''[[Film/M]]'' gives him an idea of [[SplashOfColor how to follow one of the suspects]].

* In the 2014 SciFiChannel miniseries ''[[Series/AscensionMiniseries]]'', the library of the titular GenerationShip naturally doesn't include any works created after 1963 (the year it was launched). And when [[NumberTwo Executive Officer Gault]] tries to check out a book on police procedures to help investigate a murder, his sister the librarian tells him they didn't think to bring one along. He ends up watching crime movies; the classic film ''[[Film/M]]'' gives him an idea of [[SplashOfColor how to follow one of the suspects]].

* Averted in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''. While the bigger names are more likely to come up (because they are bigger names), the cast of geeks will reference virtually anything big or small, from the last thirty years of geek culture. Played straight in-universe by Penny, who can only pay attention long enough to absorp the larger things.

* American sitcoms? The ones that managed to remain remembered are ''Series/ILoveLucy'', ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'', ''Series/TheMunsters'', ''Series/AllInTheFamily'', ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' or ''Series/{{Friends}}''. Others are more remembered for one BreakOutCharacter, like the Fonz (''Series/HappyDays''), Will and Carlton (''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'') and Steve Urkel (''Series/FamilyMatters'').

* If a children's show is referenced it'll be ''Series/SesameStreet''. The only Sesame Street characters are Big Bird, Elmo, Bert & Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Oscar. And sometimes the Count. You won't see Telly, Snuffy, Baby Bear, Zoe, Rosita, Herry, or Abby parodied a lot. There are no human (non-muppet) characters, except maybe Gordon.

** Korean War? ''Series/MASH''.

* Mystery series/horror series? ''Series/TheTwilightZone'', ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents''.

* Favorite feminist show? ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' or ''Series/{{Charmed}}''. Older viewers will tend to mention ''Series/CharliesAngels'' or ''Series/WonderWoman''. It also depends what your definition of ''feminist'' is. If you just mean ''show with some women in it'', well than you can add a lot of programs.

* Favorite feminist show? ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' or ''Series/{{Charmed}}''. Older viewers will tend to mention ''Series/CharliesAngels'' or ''Series/WonderWoman''.
* Favorite sitcom? ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' or ''Series/{{Friends}}''.
* The only science fiction shows were the various ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series. Or perhaps ''Series/DoctorWho''. 95% of the time, it's ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' that gets referenced. ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' accounts for the other 5%.
* The first show ever aired on television was ''Series/ILoveLucy''. No one seems to remember ''Texaco Star Theater'', the show that made Milton Berle a legend. Or ''Your Show of Shows'', which did much the same for Creator/SidCaesar and company. Or ''Life of Riley''. Or ''The Goldbergs''. Or, for that matter, ''Series/MeetThePress'' - launching in 1947 and still going strong today, it's the [[LongRunners longest-running TV show]] of ''any'' kind.
* Any live action television shows that deserve to be watched and followed are American. Maybe British. If you are a fan of SoapOpera, Latin America can get some credit. Do non-English-speaking countries like France or Germany even make their original Live Action TV series? Films, yes, they might have some of those, but television? [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Yes, they do. Remember France's Julie Lescaut and Germany's Alarm Für Cobra 11? ]]
* If a SoapOpera gets referenced (and isn't a BlandNameProduct) chances are it's DaysOfOurLives.
* If a children's show is referenced it'll be SesameStreet. The only Sesame Street characters are Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Oscar. And sometimes the Count. You won't see Telly, Snuffy, Baby Bear, Zoe, Rosita, Herry, or Abby parodied a lot. There are no human (non-muppet) characters, except maybe Gordon.

* The first show ever aired on television was ''Series/ILoveLucy''. No one seems to remember ''Texaco Star Theater'', the show that made Milton Berle a legend. Or ''Your Show of Shows'', which did much the same for Sid Caesar and company. Or ''Life of Riley''. Or ''The Goldbergs''. Or, for that matter, ''Meet the Press'' - launching in 1947 and still going strong today, it's the [[LongRunners longest-running TV show]] of ''any'' kind.

* If a children's show is referenced it'll be SesameStreet. The only Sesame Street characters are Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Oscar. And sometimes the Count. You won't see Telly, Snuffy, Baby Bear, Zoe, Rosita, Herry, or Abby parodied a lot. There are no human (non-muppet) characters.

* If a children's show is referenced it'll be SesameStreet. The only Sesame Street characters are Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Oscar. And sometimes the Count. You won't see Telly, Snuffy, Baby Bear, Zoe, Rosita, Herry, or Abby parodied a lot.

** [[OddNameOut One of these does not belong]]. Mendelssohn belonged to the Romantic, not the Classical, era.

* Lampshading: In an episode of ''Series/{{Psych}}'', a character refers to Shawn as [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Iago]], to which he responds, "What does the parrot from ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' have to do with this?"
** ''Psych'' is an exception to this in general; some of the references will fly over the heads of people not born in the 80's or 90's, since Shawn and Gus are well-versed in more obscure media.

* One ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' episode was based on HaroldPinter's play ''Betrayal''.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' flirts with this, albeit occasionally. Perhaps the best example is a quote from Wesley:
-->'''Wesley''': You'd be locked up faster than Lady Hamilton's virtue! [looks at Cordelia]

** She, naturally, fails to get the reference at all.

* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' begins and ends most episodes with a quote, and there is a huge variety in the sources for these quotes. Plus, one episode had the team only able to solve a case because of knowledge of Creator/GeoffreyChaucer's poem ''Parlement of Foules'' and the John Fowles novel ''The Collector''. Then there's all the obscure knowledge Reid spouts on a regular basis...
** Also, the serial killers who are referenced as precedent are usually real-life examples, indicating that [[ShownTheirWork someone did their homework]]. Unfortunately played straight with the psychology they feature on the show, which is one massive example of at best only doing half the research.

** Ted is a big fan of Pablo Neruda. It would be Small Reference Pool in Latin America, but for the States is's something special.

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' was rife with obscure music and literary references.

* The Old ''Series/DoctorWho'' featured appearances by Robespierre, Catherine de' Medici, Pancho Villa, John Aubrey, George Stephenson, and a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII episode ''without Nazis''. The First Doctor story with Catherine de Medici featured [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bartholomew%27s_Day_massacre The 1572 St. Bartholomew's Eve massacre of Protestants in Paris]].
** And the new one has at least had Madame de Pompadour.

*** They did this in-universe as well. In "The Unicorn and the Wasp," when they visit Agatha Christie, Donna mentions ''The Murder on the Orient Express'' and Miss Marple. Christie hadn't created either of those yet. The reason the episode was created was because of the [[CoversAlwaysLie distinct]] cover of ''Death in the Clouds'' featuring a giant wasp.

* Marcus Cole of ''Series/BabylonFive'' makes reference to Creator/AlexanderPushkin.
* Averted in BigBangTheory. While the bigger names are more likely to come up (because they are bigger names), the cast of geeks will reference virtually anything big or small, from the last thirty years of geek culture. Played straight in-universe by Penny, who can only pay attention long enough to absorp the larger things.
* In DoctorWho, when they travel to the past, they only hit relatively big events, but a lot of the events are obscure enough that most people only vaguely remember hearing of them in school.

* Averted in BigBangTheory. While the bigger names are more likely to come up (because they are bigger names), the cast of geeks will reference virtually anything big or small, from the last thirty years of geek culture. Played straight in-universe by Penny, who can only pay attention long enough to absorp the larger things.

* Marcus Cole of ''Series/BabylonFive'' makes reference to Creator/AlexanderPushkin.

* Reverend Jim from ''{{Taxi}}'' recites the entire first stanza of 'She Walks in Beauty', but when asked who wrote it says that he doesn't know. Some punk spray-painted it on the side of his van.

** And, finally, a historical reference that actually takes ''two episodes spaced three seasons apart'' to complete. Anya has a throwaway line in "Superstar" describing the vengeance wishes she'd enact on wronged women's ex-boyfriends: "I'd wish he was a dog or ugly or in love with President [=McKinley=] or something." Three years later, chastising Anya for going soft, Halfrek says: "You were the single-most hard-core vengeance demon on the roster, and everybody knew it. Do I have to mention Mrs. Czolgosz?" President WilliamMcKinley was assassinated by a man named Leon Czolgosz. Leon Czolgosz never married. Which is probably an even smaller reference pool.

* The Old ''Series/DoctorWho'' featured appearances by Robespierre, Catherine de' Medici, Pancho Villa, John Aubrey, George Stephenson, and a WorldWarII episode ''without Nazis''. The First Doctor story with Catherine de Medici featured [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bartholomew%27s_Day_massacre The 1572 St. Bartholomew's Eve massacre of Protestants in Paris]].

* In ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Ted is a big fan of Pablo Neruda.

* Any live action television shows that deserve to be watched and followed are American. Maybe British. If you are a fan of SoapOpera, Latin America can get some credit. Do non-English-speaking countries like France or Germany even make their original Live Action TV series? Films, yes, they might have some of those, but television?

* Creator/ConanOBrien brings us the [[http://teamcoco.com/video/museum-pop-culture The Museum of Old Pop Culture References]] to help combat this issue.

* The first show ever aired on television was ''Series/ILoveLucy''. No one seems to remember ''Texaco Star Theater''. Or ''Your Show of Shows''. Or ''Life of Riley''. Or ''The Goldbergs''. Or, for that matter, ''Meet the Press'' - from 1947 and still going, the [[LongRunners longest-running TV show]] of ''any'' kind.
* Any live action television shows that deserve to be watched and followed are American. Maybe British. If you are a fan of SoapOpera, Latin America can get some credit. Do non-English-speaking countries like France or Germany even make their original Live Action TV series? Films, yes, they might have some of those, but television?