[[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_munch_6563.jpg]]

What we have here is a small, semi-just-for-fun page to the character with the single most appearances outside his own series this side of a PublicDomainCharacter, making him the king of the IntercontinuityCrossover. A police detective originally based in [[Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet Baltimore]] and later in [[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit New York]], in every appearance Munch was portrayed by the late Creator/RichardBelzer, who outside of this role was [[TomHanksSyndrome better known as a stand-up comedian]]. The shift in location was explained in-show by Munch's decision to retire from the Baltimore police department and put the city behind him for good.

When he left ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' early in its 15th season, Belzer had played Munch for 21 years and for 22 consecutive seasons as a regular on two different shows (along with [[TheCameo cameos]] and [[CrossOver crossover appearances]] on 8 others), making him the character who ran longest as a regular on TV, beating out Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane (on ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' and ''Series/{{Frasier}}''), James Arness as Matt Dillon and Milburn Stone as Doc Adams (both of ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'') as [[LongRunners American television's longest running live action character.]] Munch's departure was explained in-show as his retirement from the NYPD, but he made occasional appearances up until 2016, which would become the final appearance of the character before the death of Belzer in 2023.

See also: WolverinePublicity.

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!!Shows to feature John Munch:

!!!As a main character:
* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet''
* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit''

!!!As a guest star:
* ''Series/TheXFiles'' - As the Baltimore cop interrogating the future [[Series/TheLoneGunmen Lone Gunmen]]. There's also a hilarious scene in ''SVU'' where a reporter refers to Munch and Novak as Mulder and Scully. In one episode of ''Homicide'', Munch mentions that a character is probably watching ''The X-Files''.
* ''Series/LawAndOrder'': Munch's appearance on the original ''Law and Order'' as part of a ''Homicide'' cross-over is partly what got him the job on ''SVU''. Belzer originally pitched to Dick Wolf that Munch join ''Law and Order'' as Briscoe's new partner. The role had been filled, so Wolf transplanted Munch to ''SVU'' instead.
* An episode of the short-lived PoliceProcedural ''Series/TheBeat''.
* ''Series/LawAndOrderTrialByJury'': He appears in one scene of an episode that was already a crossover with [[Series/LawAndOrder The Mothership]], passing on some investigation details.
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' (credited [[CharacterAsHimself as himself]]), as a "[[PaperThinDisguise Professor of Scrapbooking]]"
* ''Series/TheWire'': Ironically, former Baltimore Police Department detective Jay Landsman, the real-life inspiration for Munch, plays a recurring role. It should also be pointed out that Landsman, playing Lieutenant Mello, was actually in the scene. As was Clark Johnson, formerly Munch's fellow ''[[Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet Homicide]]'' castmate. If that's not enough, ''Series/TheWire'' has a character named Jay Landsman who was also inspired by the real Jay Landsman, and was played by yet a third actor. One rather suspects that Creator/DavidSimon was having a particularly {{Mind Screw}}y field day with this one.
* The ''Series/SesameStreet'' skit, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5121VjLwqZM Special Letters Unit]]", a spoof of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', is the one time the character is not played by Richard Belzer.
* Prior to that, Belzer himself cameoed in the ''[[https://youtu.be/BAtrYL29Un4?t=1218 Elmopalooza]]'' special, along with a different Muppet who serves as his stunt double.
* And then there's the character's namecheck (an actual appearance fell through) in the French version of ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'', which is what tipped the character into a trope-on-his-own territory.
* London police drama ''Series/{{Luther}}'' gives him a hat-tip: "Send the details to Detective Munch in Special Victims Unit, New York." [[CelebrityParadox Munch might get a surprise]] if he met the eponymous British cop face to face though, since he's the absolute ''spit'' of Stringer Bell from ''Series/TheWire''...
* In the book ''I Am Not A Cop'', by Richard Belzer, Richard Belzer is mistaken for John Munch, and asked to help solve a case. A joke book about [[StupidCrooks stupid criminals]] recounted a story about a robber who stumbled into a taping of ''Homicide'' and surrendered to John Munch.
* In an episode of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Belzer and Ice-T show up as themselves, arriving on set to play their ''L&O:SVU'' characters. It's more than just an incidental cameo because it's clearly not a real episode of ''SVU''.
* Pete Munch, supposedly John's father, is an astronaut who appears in the "Minions of the Moon" backup in ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' Vol. III, ''Century: 1969''. Like John, he is a conspiracy theorist, but since this is the world of the League, he's actually probably right about most of his ramblings.
* An unnamed late-1980s Baltimore Homicide detective who is clearly John Munch appears in one of the short stories in Creator/KimNewman's ''Literature/JohnnyAlucard'', along with another unnamed late-1980s Baltimore Homicide detective who is clearly Meldrick Lewis, also from ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet''.
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