Line #67 Series/TheNeighbors


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The-Neighbors-ABC_4387.jpg]]
2
3	->We came from outer space, and settled in [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]]\
4	We took names like Larry Bird and Jackie Joyner-Kersee\
5	Then the humans moved next door and started testing all our limits\
6	So sit right down, enjoy the show... [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall We'll be done in 30 minutes]].
7
8	''The Neighbors'' is an American television science fiction sitcom airing on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] premiering in the Fall 2012 season. The series, set in UsefulNotes/NewJersey, revolves around the Weavers, a dysfunctional family that has relocated to a gated townhouse community called "Hidden Hills". Everything seems very much like the perfect suburban community, except for one difference... everyone in Hidden Hills is an alien. Not as in "crossing the border" alien, but genuine LittleGreenMen aliens from the planet Zabvron. The Zabvronians have adopted as their own the names of sport celebrities, receive nourishment through their eyes and mind by reading books rather than eating, and cry out green goo from their ears. They've been stuck on Earth for 10 years, awaiting instructions to return home.
9
10	As the first real humans in Hidden Hills, the Weavers end up trying to teach humanity to their alien neighbors, while learning how to be a better family of their own.
11
12	Despite an initially rocky start, the show picked up enough positive reviews in the latter half of the first season to earn a second season. [[FridayNightDeathSlot On Fridays]]. A fact which did not go unnoticed by the show itself, as the FridayNightDeathSlot trope is referenced several times in season two. It was axed after the second season, despite a third clearly being planned.
13
14	Nothing to do with the Australian soap opera ''Series/{{Neighbours}}'', with Creator/RegisPhilbin's daytime game show, with Creator/TommyWiseau's [[Series/TheNeighbors2015 sitcom]] for Creator/{{Hulu}}, or the Spanish series ''Series/TheNeighbor'' (in singular). Compare to ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''.[[note]]Which actually gets a ShoutOut in this series.[[/note]]
15	----
16	!!This series provides examples of:
17
18	* AcademicAthlete: Jackie on Zabvron was this.
19	* ACupAngst: Amber, momentarily, in "Good Debbie Hunting" when Jane starts to dance.
20	-->'''Amber:''' [[SarcasmMode Oh good, she bounces.]]
21	* TheAce: Abby Weaver. Although she is the youngest of the characters, she's shown the ability to quickly master new abilities, including alien technology. Her skills are such that Max, her older brother, laments when Amber talk her into trying out for hockey and she immediately dominates a sport she's never played before. He was under no illusions about his ability in the rink, he just wanted to do something that Abby wasn't interested in so that he might have chance of making the team. [[spoiler:Amber takes pity on Max and tells Abby to intentionally get cut from the try out.]]
22	* TheAlcoholic: Debbie Weaver. The aliens call her out on this a lot.
23	* AlienAmongUs: Double time. The Zabvronians are the only ones of their kind on this planet, and the Weavers are the only human family in their community.
24	* AliensOfLondon: Larry and Jackie cite that they picked British English accents while learning to speak English because they think said accents are the best.
25	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: All the Zabvronians, Jackie and Dick can also speak Spanish.
26	* AmusingAlien: Well it ''is'' a sitcom about human/alien interaction.
27	* AnalProbing: Larry mentions having done this.
28	* {{Animorphism}}: Kevin the alpaca.
29	-->'''Dj Jazzy Jeff:''' Come on, Kevin, we'll laugh about how we tricked you into thinking we were all coming as alpacas.
30	* APlanetNamedZok: Zabvron
31	* AerithAndBob: Amusingly, all the Zabvronian names we've heard are seemingly similar to English names. It's only Zabvron itself that is unusual.
32	* [[AsHimself As Themselves]]: The ''Shark Tank'' Sharks in ''We've Jumped the Shark (Tank)!''
33	** Erik Estrada and Carrot Top in ''Oscar Party''.
34	--->'''Erik Estrada:''' What charity is this for again?\
35	'''Carrottop:''' I don't know, I just go to all these things.
36	** Noted Science Guy, Mr. Bill Nye in ''Close Encounters of the Bird Kind''
37	* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Happens to Dick in "It Has Begun." After the titular statement is stated [[spoiler:by his grandfather]], Dick gets distracted by an episode of Series/MalibuCountry.
38	-->'''Dick:''' Oooh! Reba!
39	* AscendedMeme: The handegg meme gets mentioned in season two during a football episode.
40	* BizarreAlienBiology: Zabvronians don't need to eat, apparently gaining all their nutrients from reading.
41	** Also the females fertilize the males' eggs which the males carry to term in a sac on their back. Larry's third pregnancy is complicated by the fact that he's doing it while in human form.
42	--->"But what hole will it come out of?"
43	** They have two tongues. Amber is... intrigued.
44	** They come from plants, which results in a grassy scent about them.
45	** They cry out of their ears.
46	* BowlingForRatings: "Close Encounters of the Bird Kind"
47	* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Amber. ''Big time''.
48	* BrickJoke
49	** A meta-one. An early season two episode mentions ''Film/TermsOfEndearment'' and how Marty doesn't understand why Debbie likes it. Later in the season, they unintentionally re-create a scene from the movie.
50	** Another is the fact that Zabvronians watch the Weavers sleep.
51	** In the first scene of the ChristmasEpisode, it's established that Zabvronians (or at least Larry) think that coffee cups can only be used by those that they reflect as the truth (i.e. Larry's "World's Greatest Father" mug). In the very next next scene Reggie hands Amber an "I'm with Stupid" mug.
52	** The animal documentary.
53	** In the first episode it's established that the Zabvronians gain nourishment by reading. Later, when Larry and Marty are hanging out, Marty is drinking a beer, and Larry is reading a book about mixed drinks.
54	* CallBack: The show is actually rather good about its continuity, considering it's a sitcom. The fact that Max wants a doll for Christmas [[spoiler:because she's hot]] is a callback to the fact that [[spoiler:he's hitting puberty, a fact mentioned several times before in previous episodes.]] Likewise, the Zabvronian sense of smell comes up a few times.
55	** Lampshaded by Amber when one of Debbie's students continually refers to Reggie as a Squirrel: "You can't make a CallBack to a joke that doesn't land."
56	* CantSpitItOut: Initially Reggie to Amber. Then Amber in regards to Reggie. To be fair, this is an unusual situation in that the two of them are from entirely different planets.
57	* CatchPhrase: George Takei gets in his "Ooooh my!" during his appearance on the show.
58	* CelebrityParadox: One wonders why the Zabvronians that look like Creator/GeorgeTakei and Creator/MarkHamill aren't commented on by the humans. That said, since those humans know they're appearance-changing aliens, it might not be as big a deal as it would seem.
59	* CharacterDevelopment
60	** Combined with TheGenerationGap and ImmigrantParents highlighting the matter, Reggie develops from a gawky outsider into a confident comfortable teenager over the course of season one as he settles into life on Earth/among humans. The WhatTheHellHero mini-speech he gives to Amber at the end of season one is very clearly something he would have never done at the start of the series.
61	** Larry goes from human isolationist and, to an extent, dismissive of human culture and technology, to enjoying and indulging in various aspects of human culture. Especially when it's similar to something he's done before such as warfare and subterfuge (April's Fools Day... in November) and politics (PTA meetings).
62	* CivilWar: Apparently Larry and Jackie met during an inter-galactic war. And as it turns out, Larry was on one side (the established Empire) and Jackie was a freedom fighter on the other side. The two of them faced off in battle and well... the rest is history.
63	* ComicRolePlay: When Larry and Jackie think their marriage is in a rut, they decide to do some roleplay to spice things up. So they meet in a bar, each as the sexiest person they can think of... which turns out to be each other. In TheStinger for the same episode, Reggie and Jane play PizzaBoySpecialDelivery, but completely miss the point and never get to the sex part.
64	* CoordinatedClothes:
65	** The alien members of the gated community all dress identically. The main alien family may dress in a slight variation, but they still color-coordinate with the community and with each other.
66	** The father-and-son and mother-and-daughter have always worn matching theme Halloween costumes, but this year the son decides to go out with his new school friends as a zombie and the daughter "goes slutty" by declaring that she and a neighbor boy will go as "hot doctor and slutty nurse." Due to the fact that the neighbor boy is a CloudCuckoolander alien, he assumes that ''he'' is supposed to be the slutty nurse.
67	* CropCircles: Jackie makes one of these in a field when she is upset.
68	* CrossOver: With ''[[Series/DragonsDen Shark Tank]]'' which follows it on ABC's Friday Night Lineup.
69	-->'''Jackie''': (Reading about the show on the ABC website) ''Shark Tank'' ...Airing on ABC Friday Nights after BlahBlahBlah..."
70	* CutShort: The Bird-Kerseys take on the role as the last of their kind. Larry Bird is pregnant. A new family moves in. And the series ends.
71	* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage An episode that starts with [[spoiler:Reggie thinking Amber is getting back together with him]]. Larry tries to alleviate the awkward silence by singing the opening theme.
72	* DistractedByTheSexy: Reggie occasionally in regards to Jane. Though not so much because she's attractive by human terms (they're both aliens after all) but usually because she's being accompanied by or similar to something he actually wants. Generally lasts for the scene though as he's usually comes back to his senses and goes back to Amber.
73	* DittoAliens: Played with. To Zabvronians, all humans look pretty similar. They differentiate the Weavers through smell.
74	* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Dick Beef Butkis.
75	* EndOfSeriesAwareness: All over the place in "It Has Begun...". Ultimately averted though as the show was renewed for a second season.
76	** Done again during the season 2(And ultimately series) finale.
77	* EnsembleCast: Any given episode might focus on the Weavers or the Bird-Kersees in equal measure. And more often than not, there will be a mix of alien and human in any storyline (Dick and Marty seem to be a common pairing).
78	* ExactWords: Reggie asks Dick to sidekick him... so Dick side kicks him.
79	* ExpositoryThemeTune: As of the second episode of the second season, sung by Larry...
80	-->''Larry'': We came from outer space, and settled in [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]] / We took names like Larry Bird and Jackie Joyner Kersee / Then the humans moved next door and started to test our limits / So sit right down, enjoy the show ... [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall we'll be done in 30 minutes]].
81	* {{Fanservice}}: Jane tries to be this to Reggie, but Reggie generally wants nothing of it.
82	* FictionalHoliday: Challoweenukah : a combination of Halloween and Hanukah.
83	* FirstKiss: [[spoiler:Amber and Reggie share one in the final moments of Season One. She also learns he has two tongues.]]
84	* FloweryInsults: Occurs in "It Has Begun". Jackie insults Dick's choice of reading (philosophical treatises). He retorts that she reads Nicholas Sparks.
85	* [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Football Episode]]: ''[[Film/AnyGivenSunday Any Friggin Sunday]]''.
86	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Dick, at least in regards to insects. When the Birds and Weavers go camping, Dick spends the entire time covered in insects and everyone else uses him as living insect repellent.
87	* FullNameBasis: The Zabvronians call the humans by their full name.
88	* TheGenerationGap: A recurring theme in the series is how the older generation, alien and human alike, differ from the younger generation and how these differences are universal. Larry and Marty bond a lot over this sort of thing as do Jackie and Debbie.
89	* HappilyMarried: Both couples.
90	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Debbie and Jackie evolve into this by season two, with occasional forays into LesYay.
91	-->''Debbie'': I wish I had a sister I saw everyday.
92	-->''Jackie'': I'll be your everyday sister!
93	-->''Debbie'': Aww... (cue hug)
94	-->'''Larry''' Can the lesbian express please hurry up?! I don't want to miss the trailers!
95	** Lampshaded in the same episode when Larry and Jackie try to find 3rd and 4th best friends among the other Zabvronians only to realize that they have zero chemistry. Especially since they're all warriors rather than socializers.
96	* HiddenDepths: Amber, insofar as she seems like your stereotypical snarky emo-teen but actually is more of a DeadpanSnarker in the vein of {{WesternAnimation/Daria}} than anything else.
97	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Larry refuses to get Dick an antfarm and won't listen to anyone saying otherwise... because he already got Dick an antfarm. To maintain the surprise, Larry is pretty mean even for him and he even gets in a reverse-WhatTheHellHero speech to Debbie. It looks like he'll be a KarmaHoudini when... [[spoiler:during his reveal to Dick, Jackie rolls in the antfarm. Which prompts Dick to thank Jackie much to Larry's chagrin.]]
98	* HyperCompetentSidekick: Jackie to Larry, depending on the situation. Same for Debbie to Marty.
99	* HypocriticalHumour: Larry's schtick at times, though usually due to differences between Zabvronian culture and human culture. For instance, Larry can pilot spaceships just fine... but is deathly afraid of driving a car. Other times, it flies the other way and Larry just needs to figure out the Zabvronian analog to a human tradition.
100	-->''Larry:'' [The PTA president] has become your Butcher of Hope!
101	* ImmigrantParents: One of the essential traits to the Zabvronians is this. Larry worries in one episode that Reggie and Dick will forget about Zabvron and their alien way of life.
102	* INeedAFreakingDrink: Debbie in response to [[spoiler:Marty playing in the ballpit Larry got him for Christmas.]]
103	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: A mild version in Larry and a lot of it comes from the combination of differing social norms and that he's the Supreme Leader of the Zabvronians on Earth.
104	** Amber has her moments, too, particularly with her younger siblings.
105	** Unsurprisingly, the two of them have a snarky respect for each other and have a lot in common. They even insult alike. One suspects that if they were closer in age and, you know, not completely different species, they'd probably be a match made in snark.
106	* JerkassHasAPoint: During a fight, Larry tells Jackie that her parents will inevitably abandon her for the latest cause of the day and that he'll have to pick up the pieces when it's all over. The in-laws prove him right.
107	* {{Joisey}}: But not the usual out-of-state view of the Garden State, but rather the native New Jerseyan's self-perception of NJ being a state of suburbia and weird, paranormal stuff ("Weird NJ"). To nobody's surprise, series creator Dan Fogelman is from River Vale in Bergen County.
108	** Larry attempts to kidnap Jackie's coworker.
109	-->'''Larry''': Marty, you're an Italian from New Jersey...where's the best place to dispose of the body?
110	-->'''Marty''': Larry, that is insulting and insane! (Beat) Pine Barrens.
111	* JustTheFirstCitizen: Larry's position among the Zabvronians, at least those on Earth.
112	** Larry considers this his occupation, forcing Jackie to go out and bring in the bacon possibly for the whole alien community. He gets better though once Jackie and the Weavers call him out on it. That said, his comparatively limited knowledge of human culture combined with his natural impulse to take over tends to get in the way. At one point, he mistakes a real estate ad for a job posting until Jackie points it out.
113	* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: The human couple that moves in at the end of season two. They would have served as a foil to the main cast had the show been renewed for a third season.
114	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Direct quote from Larry: "[[ThisIsReality This is real life, kids. It’s not TV!]] We are a family of aliens living amongst humans and every week we tackle a new problem together, and learn that while we may be from different backgrounds, even planets, family dynamics are in fact universal. It’s real life, kids, it’s not TV!"
115	** Crosses over into FunnyBackgroundEvent but when Larry, who is making a movie, comments that Dick keeps ruining his scenes by looking at the camera, Dick looks at the camera (the audience that is).
116	** In the episode, "This Just Got Real", Jackie prepares for dinner with Debbie's friends from New Jersey by watching episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Then, during dinner, after she makes a quip or insults one of the other women, she turns to the camera and comments on what she just said.
117	** "It Has Begun" has Larry basically describe the structure of the current episode... right down to the time the show ends (9 PM EST). Later in the episode, when discussing [[spoiler:his desire to stay on Earth to his father who wants to evacuate Hidden Hills]], he measures the time in seasons before correcting himself into years.
118	** "The One With Interspecies Friends" has a few and also crosses over into ShoutOut's. The title is a reference to Friends which also gets a reference in the opening ("Wait, Courtney Cox did something before Cougar Town?!") as well as a self-deprecating one when Marty suggests watching some network television ("[Watch network TV] on a Friday? Pfft!" -- ''The Neighbors''' time slot being Fridays).
119	*** In the same episode, the narration of the animal documentary Amber and Reggie watch through out the episode also describes the events of the episode itself.
120	*** "Shark Tank airs on Friday on ABC after, BlahBlahBlah. The "Blah, blah, blah" being this show.
121	*** Debbie winks and grins at the camera just before the cut to black that leads into the intro song in the episode.
122	** In "Thanksgiving is No Shmuck Bait", Jackie and Larry phrase holiday events in sitcom terms. When Jackie's parents show up unexpectedly Larry yells "Cut to commercial!" -- which they do. At the end of the show Larry finds out his in-laws are staying after the holiday, Larry whimpers "Oh, my God it's a two-parter!"
123	** In ''Close Encounters of the Bird Kind'' Dick invites three famous people for a talking head show.
124	-->'''Bill Nye''': Is this a real show?\
125	'''Dick Butkis''': I've been asking myself that for the last two years.
126	* LegFocus: Jackie's wardrobe seems to revolve entirely around short skirts that expose her legs, which is noted InUniverse.
127	-->'''Max:''' Have you seen her in shorts? I just hit puberty.
128	* LittleMissSnarker: Dick gets his fair share of one-liners in.
129	* LivingProp: All the other Zabvronian neighbors. Lampshaded when the Bird-Kersees talk to them to find additional friends only to realize that they all have zero personality.
130	* ManChild: Larry can come across as this sometimes, especially once he becomes comfortable with human culture. It goes with the overall HypocriticalHumor aspect of the show since Dick, his youngest son, tends to act more like a parent and father than Larry does. Marty too on occasion.
131	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Amber and Reggie's relationship and general personalities are like this. In their case, they mimic less the outwardly aspects of the trope and more the internal ones. Amber is emotionally private who has a certain sense of personal pride in that, Reggie is very flighty and is prone to hysterics.
132	* MeaningfulName: Last name anyway. You have the obvious Bird/Weaver connection but there's also Bird itself since birds of a feather flock together and the Zabvronians are fairly close knit and, at least initially, isolationist.
133	* MediumAwareness: The new theme song knows "...we'll be done in 30 minutes".
134	* {{Metaphorgotten}}: Larry keeps lapsing into this during "Family Conference":
135	-->'''Larry''': You know the old saying: "Happy wife, happy life."\
136	'''Debbie''': That's right.\
137	'''Larry''': "No need to use a knife."\
138	'''Debbie''': That's wrong.\
139	\
140	'''Larry''': I'm going to let Jackie go first this time. Because, as the old saying goes, "When the wife remains happy, the knife can stay in the drawer."\
141	'''Debbie''': Where are you finding these sayings?
142	* MileHighClub: Larry and Jackie, of course, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint comically miss the point]], thinking it involves going into the airplane lavatory and... watching on their GPS as the plane travels one mile.
143	* MistakenForGay: Reggie gets this from Amber when he's about to tell her he likes her.
144	* MisterSeahorse: Male Zabvronians are the ones who carry babies to term in a sac located on their backs. Unlike a seahorse, however, they are actually pregnant and not just carrying a fertilized egg in a pouch.
145	** Larry falls pregnant in season 2, leading various characters to muse about what might happen during the birth, because no Zabvronian has ever had a child while in human form.
146	--->Various characters: "But what hole will it come out of?"
147	* MonochromeCasting: Averted. Since Zabvronians don't understand how human race works, they picked bodies that were a sample of human variation. It's quite possibly the most ethnically diverse cast on American network television (not that that's difficult.)
148	** Played with in one episode where a country club invites the Birds and the Weavers to join them. The Weavers are worried that the only reason the Birds are invited is because of their diversity.
149	* MoodWhiplash: In "Larry Bird Presents an Oscar-Winning Film by Larry Bird", Larry Bird's movie [[spoiler:wasn't footage of Max Weaver's attempt to win a spelling bee but an homage of an attempt by his son, Dick Butkus]]. It is a happy emotional event when it seems that Larry Bird learned something important about family [[spoiler:when the tape cuts to footage from some log Larry Bird has been keeping on the Weavers, including on watching them sleep at night.]]
150	* MusicalEpisode: "Sing Like A Larry Bird"
151	* MyBelovedSmother: Jackie in season two, though far less intrusive than most examples. For instance, she dislikes Jane and prefers Amber mostly because Jane would take Reggie half-way across the galaxy whereas Amber would mean Reggie stays on Earth.
152	* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: ''All'' the Zabvronians. They believed that humans worshiped athletes, and so took their names. Justified in that though the Zabvronians read a lot so you'd expect them to know better, they don't know how human literature works and so they ended picking up the literature that's mass printed and popular. Which means pop culture magazines and the like. [[spoiler:Jackie's Zabvronian name is Debbie Callahan. Debbie Callahan is the name of the female cop from the ''Film/PoliceAcademy'' series. We also meet a Commander Bill who has no need for a human name either.]]
153	* NamedAfterTheirPlanet: Zabvronians the species come from the planet Zabvron.
154	* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: In the early episodes, there were some Zabvronian abilities that are never brought up again such as the community's emotional state mirroring Larry's. That said, some powers like the shapeshifting are said to change after puberty, once a Zabvronian has matured into who they are.
155	* TheNoseKnows: Dick can smell an ant farm. [[MakesSenseInContext Good thing Larry sprayed it with Train scent.]]. Also counts as a Callback to the fact that Zabvronians have a strong sense of smell.
156	* OneDrinkWillKillTheBaby: Directed Towards Amber.
157	-->'''Marty:''' You gave up drinking nine months for that one.
158	-->'''Debbie:''' Not entirely, ... That might be the problem.
159	* OneTrueLove: Played with. On one hand, Zabvronians really do have soul mates. On the other hand, just because there is a perfect match doesn't mean someone actually ''wants'' that match.
160	* OverlyLongName: Toks Olagundoye is actually short for Olatokunbo Susan Olasobunmi Abeke Olagundoye.
161	* PoorCommunicationKills: Larry's father has been trying to communicate with him for a while by [[spoiler:sending messages on pieces of toast. Larry claims to have not gotten them, and this is true because he gave the toaster receiving it to the Webbers.]] Dick lampshades the problem with this method by calling it very inconvenient. Also counts as both a Callback and a BrickJoke since in previous episodes Larry expresses a dislike of toasters and Dick is entranced by their new toaster.
162	** Becomes a {{Cliffhanger}} when in the last scene Marty [[spoiler:eats part of a message marked "Warning: Invasion Imminent!"]]
163	* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: Larry Bird even mentions it word for word and it really fits his personality.
164	* RealMenWearPink: Played with. When Max asks for a Princess Leia doll (emphasize on doll), Marty is worried at first... not that Max might be gay but rather that he won't have anything in common with Max. Marty winds up accepting that Max might have different tastes and standards and so buys Max an entire doll collection. [[spoiler:Turns out, Max just wanted a Leia doll because she's hot.]]
165	* SatelliteLoveInterest: Jane. She really has no personality or interest other than getting Reggie. Somewhat of a Deconstruction of OneTrueLove sitautions because of it.
166	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Played with in Reggie and Dick. Reggie really is sensitive, but his Zabvronian upbringing means that he can be insensitive or oblivious to human emotions. Likewise, Dick is otherwise a very manly character (assertive, confident, etc)... except he's absolutely terrible at athletics by both human and zabvronian standards much to his mother's chagrin. In other cases, Dick comes across as a RenaissanceMan or even Metrosexual - he's very empathetic to female motions, enjoys cooking and being paternal, and so forth.
167	* SexinessScore: In "Mother Clubbers", Larry and Jackie are both surprised by [[DudeMagnet how many men hit on Jackie]], and Debbie has to point it out it's because Jackie looks like a 10/10 HeadTurningBeauty on Earth, which shocks them both since on their home planet, ''Larry'' was considered the beautiful one, and is distressed they look like a UglyGuyHotWife couple.
168	-->'''Debbie:''' Larry, your wife is a 10.\
169	'''Larry:''' Out of how many? If she's a 10 I'm at least a 38!
170	* ShoutOut:
171	** In "I Believe I Can Drive", a random pair of Zabvronians drive by in one of their golf carts. The sound that plays is that of the ships from WesternAnimation/TheJetsons. In the same episode, Creator/DanicaMcKellar from ''Series/TheWonderYears'' as an actress that Larry Bird feels could do anything. As it turns out, outside of acting Danica is a writer, mathematician, and scholar among other things.
172	** The entire conversation between Grandfather (George Takei) and Commander Bill (Mark Hamill) is basically one big ShoutOut to their respective sci-fi franchises.
173	** As the shows brand of comedy develops, more of their jokes tend to be references to other shows - from more recent shows like Cougar Town and Malibu Country to older ones like I Love Lucy.
174	** Ah, ''Film/{{Grease}}'' ...who would have guessed that a 30 year old movie set 50 years ago would have been so relevant today!
175	** Max wants a [[Franchise/StarWars Princess Leia]] doll for Christmas. Larry does it one step better. [[spoiler:In itself shouting out to two of the movies when she says "Help me, Max Weaver, you're my only hope"; while at the same time wearing Leia's slave costume from the "Return of the Jedi".]]
176	*** In the same episode, Abigail gets a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Rarity]] doll.
177	** The tag of "You've Lost That Larry Feeling" to ''Film/{{Ghost\|1990}}''.
178	* SpotlightStealingSquad: The show was supposed to be about how a human family would cope in a community made entirely of aliens. But the humans, especially the younger children, were quickly pushed aside so that the focus could be put on the FishOutOfWater antics of the Bird-Kersees.
179	** The 2nd Season's ExpositoryThemeTune even goes so far as to state that it's the humans who are imposing on the aliens rather than the other way around.
180	** Marty at least had some focus throughout the series because of how he could bounce off of Larry Bird and occasionally Dick Butkus. Debbie, on the other hand, was often put into the role of OnlySaneMan and left to roll her eyes at the trouble the other characters caused.
181	* TheStarscream: Jackie's siblings were imprisoned for trying to overthrow Larry. Larry also becomes one when he joins the PTA.
182	* StepfordSmiler: Jackie, at least insofar as she tries to model her human persona around. In practice, she's something like a Stepford Snarker - loving, loyal, supportive, and puts up with her husband's antics, but perfectly willing to call him out as needed.
183	* StudioAudience: Inspired by a Nick@Nite holiday marathon, Jackie and Larry invite a studio audience to the Weavers Thanksgiving.
184	* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Played with. In some ways, Zabvron is an advanced alien society (they do have space ships after all and can [[ItMakesSenseInContext communicate through toast]]). In other ways, Zabvron is a lot like any other society, regardless of technology level. There are quirky cultural traits, there are traditions from older times, and there are aspects that are simply bizarre to outsiders.
185	* {{Theremin}}: Used as both a theme song and as background transition music. As of the second season the sting that served as an opening theme has been replaced by an actual theme song, but can still be heard within the show proper.
186	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Both Jackie and Larry are revealed to be at least over 470 years old.
187	* RunningGag: A minor one with the Bird-Kersee's refrigerator. Since they don't eat food the way they do, we see them use it for various related purposes - putting books in it in one episode, putting a fire extinguisher in it in another.
188	* TakeThat: Starting in Season Two, the Zabvronians make several jabs at NBC's The Today Show after ABC's Good Morning America started beating its rival in the ratings.
189	* TwoScenesOneDialogue: Happens in "The One With Interspecies Friends". Amusingly, the two conversations are about how dissimilar the Weavers and Bird-Kersees are.
190	** In "Any Friggin' Sunday"', Marty and Jackie quote a passage from the movie ''Any Given Sunday'' he to the men, she to the women (and Reggie).
191	* UglyGuyHotWife: Amusingly, the reverse was true on Zabvron for Larry Bird and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Larry is rather distraught to learn that it's the other way around on Earth.
192	** Also Debbie is substantially more attractive than Marty.
193	* TheUnfavorite: Dick Butkus' suggestions in family meetings are frequently shot down almost reflexively by Larry Bird, only for Larry to enthusiastically agree when someone else makes the same suggestion moments later. It may have something to do with the fact that Dick was a surprise while Reggie Jackson, his older brother, was a planned pregnancy. Larry occasionally shows that he does have great amounts of affection for his younger son, it's just that his penchant for grandiose plans frequently involves putting Dick down before a grand reveal. To the point where Dick assumes that it's Jackie Joyner-Kersee who's responsible for the good things in his life.
194	* VitriolicBestBuds: Abigail and Max. They're close enough in age that they're in full sibling rivalry mode, but when push comes to shove, they'll stick close. By the season one finale, Abigail and Max have become childhood BashBrothers, being inseparable and often getting into hijinks with each other... with Dick becoming their SitcomArchNemesis (in some ways). But this also goes to show how close the children have become despite being different races. Larry and Marty flip between this and HeterosexualLifePartners.
195	* WeDontSuckAnymore: Ads for the show have taken to saying things like, "Critics are changing their minds about '''The Neighbors''!"
196	** Another ad for the show starts off saying "Here's what critics used to think about ''The Neighbors''" and then showed a huge mass of negative reviews for the show. Then it says "Now here's what critics NOW think of ''The Neighbors''" and then it shows all of the positive reviews the show recently got.
197	* WhatTheHellHero: Reggie gives Amber a minor one in "It Has Begun" for clearly being interested in Reggie yet never actually doing anything about it, resulting in Reggie constantly getting emotionally hurt.
198	* WholesomeCrossdresser: Larry dresses as the sexiest person he knows for a role playing exercise. To him, that means dressing as Jackie, complete with mini-skirt. Even Marty finds Larry oddly attractive this way, and wonders if Larry shaved his legs for it.
199	* WikiWalk: In "One Night in (Lou Ferrigno's Hibachi) Heaven", the Bird-Kershees Google "How to spice up your marriage" and get distracted by recipes for spicy chicken.

Context Series / TheNeighbors