From sitcom wig reveals and secret cartoon grammar tweaks to real-world lawsuits, flooded TV sets, and game-show sabotage, these stories prove TV is rarely just what airs on screen. Here are 50 weirdly awesome facts about popular shows and the strange real-life ripple effects they left behind.
Previous parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
1 MythBusters Explosive Footage Destroyed
On MythBusters, hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman once tested a rumor that a widely available, everyday material could be turned into a powerful explosive. The result was so effective and appeared so easy to replicate that the team concluded it would be irresponsible to share the method publicly, so they destroyed the footage instead. Years later, when the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) asked the public for input on overlooked bomb risks, Savage contacted them to flag what the show had discovered and why it should not be publicized.
2 Real Ghostbusters Recast Winston
Ghostbusters actor Ernie Hudson played Winston Zeddemore in the live-action films, but he also auditioned to voice Winston again for the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. The producers turned him down because they decided his voice did not sound enough like the version of Winston they wanted from the movie. The show went forward without him in the role, even though he was the actor who originated the character on screen.
3 Parks and Recreation Libertarian Inspired Ron
While developing Parks and Recreation, writers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur interviewed real government officials to get the tone right. During one interview, an official told them, “Well, I’m a libertarian, so I don’t really believe in the mission of my job. Yes, I’m aware of the irony.” That deadpan contradiction clicked, and the writers used it as the spark for creating the character of Ron Swanson, the boss who works in government while openly opposing it.
4 Futurama Fry Voice Job Security
Voice actor Billy West voiced Philip J. Fry on Futurama and also performed several other characters on the series. In an interview on The Matthew Aaron Show, West said he intentionally kept Fry’s voice close to his natural speaking voice as a job-security move. He believed that if Fry sounded like “just him,” a replacement would have a harder time matching it.
5 Simpsons Chunkylover53 Inbox Flooded
In the 2003 Simpsons episode “The Dad Who Knew Too Little,” Homer gives his email as “[email protected].” Simpsons writer Matt Selman registered the address before the episode aired on Fox. After the broadcast, Selman logged in and found the inbox had already maxed out at 999 messages from fans writing to Homer. Selman replied to many emails in Homer’s voice, first crafting custom jokes per message, then switching to recycled replies as the volume kept coming.
6 South Park Kenny Inspired by Poor Kid
South Park’s Kenny started as a real childhood friend of American TV creator Trey Parker, a boy named Kenny who was the poorest kid in their neighborhood. He wore an orange parka that made him hard to understand, which became part of the character’s identity. He also skipped school so often that the other kids joked he had died. A few days later, he would just show up again, and that running gag became Kenny’s signature.
7 Glee Slash Blocked Guns N Roses
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash repeatedly turned down requests from Glee producers who wanted to use the band’s music on the show. He explained his stance with a blunt comparison: “Glee is worse than Grease, and Grease is bad enough.” His decision kept the series from using the band’s catalog, no matter how hard the production pushed.
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8 Breaking Bad Hopkins Praised Cranston
After binge-watching Breaking Bad, Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins wrote American actor Bryan Cranston a fan letter about his work as Walter White. In the letter, Hopkins told Cranston, “Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.”
9 The Voice Winner Unknown to Label
American singing reality show ‘The Voice’ sells its grand prize as a guaranteed record deal, and the show hypes that contract as the winner’s big career launch. There have been several reports of winners later losing momentum because labels drop them not long after they sign. The Season 7 winner walked into the label’s office soon after winning and realized none of the executives even knew who he was.
10 American TV Nightly Anthem Sign-Off
In the United States, before television became a 24-hour service, many stations ended the broadcast day with a nightly sign-off ritual. They played “The Star-Spangled Banner” while showing an image of the American flag on screen. Viewers then saw the screen cut to static until the next day’s programming began.
RE: Fact #4 (Futurama Fry Voice Job Security) – He has a few voices that are basically just variations of his own, like the red M&M or Stimpy. You can tell they’re Billy West, but then he does characters like Zapp Brannigan, Nixon, or Professor Farnsworth where you can’t even tell it’s him.
Zapp Brannigan was originally written for Phil Hartman, but after he died, Matt Groening asked West to do his best impression.
“The role of Zapp Brannigan was created for Phil Hartman, but he died before the show started and West was given the role. West has described his interpretation of Zapp Brannigan’s voice as an imitation of Hartman, but described the actual vocalizations of the character as being based on [“a couple of big dumb announcers I knew.”]”
Even though it started as a Hartman role, Billy West said in a commentary that he didn’t want to just do an impression. He modeled the voice on arrogant radio hosts who love the sound of their own voices. You can hear it shift when Zapp’s ego takes a hit. He has also mentioned it’s how he imagines William Shatner’s take on Captain Kirk.
RE: Fact #35 (Star Trek Saved Computer Voice Library) – they haven’t been using it in the current shows because they realize there still was not enough to make complete sentences.
RE: Fact #49 (Ed Sullivan Defied Ford Over Black Acts) – The first interracial kiss on US TV was actually Kirk and Uhura in Star Trek. Apparently, the producers wanted some B-roll filmed just in case they lost their nerve and needed to cut the kiss out. Shatner intentionally hammed up the B-roll so they’d be forced to use the real take. The network braced for a storm of complaints, but they only got one: “I am against the mixing of the races, but anytime a red-blooded American boy like Captain Kirk gets his arms around a gal like Lt. Uhura, he ain’t gonna fight it!”
RE: Fact #32 (Scrubs Used Real Medical Cases) – Wait, are you telling me that a show featuring constant bomb threats, bus crashes, and random explosions isn’t a 100% accurate portrayal of a real hospital?
Damn, I really thought doctors were out here breaking into people’s homes to solve mystery illnesses. House was a lie.
Do other medical shows do this? I always found it weird but assumed it was just a House trope to force two characters to talk. It felt like they couldn’t figure out any other way to start a conversation.
House was totally accurate. It’s never Lupus; that’s just what doctors say when they aren’t as smart as House or are running low on Vicodin.
Funny enough, the least realistic part is the lack of Asian and Indian doctors on that show.
My grandma works at a hospital, and once when I tagged along for a holiday party while my grandfather was sick, I had so much great Indian food because half the doctors were Indian. Would definitely go with her again.
Wait, so you’re telling me doctors don’t all moonlight as fitness models?
RE: Fact #32 (Scrubs Used Real Medical Cases) – Scrubs balanced the drama and comedy perfectly. The episodes featuring Brendan Fraser and Nicole Sullivan were some of my favorites.
They’re the best. Both resulted in some of the show’s greatest moments.
That scene still gets to me every single time.
He wasn’t going to die, right? He could have waited another month for a kidney.
RE: Fact #18 (American Idol Clarkson Feared Winner Movie) – And that rom-com was *From Justin To Kelly*, and it’s hilariously awful.
I just checked the Wikipedia entry and the “see also” section only links to two other articles: * Box Office Bomb * List of films considered the worst
It is not just the worst rom-com or musical, it is honestly just the worst film period.
2003 was such a rough year for movies. You had From Justin to Kelly and Gigli, though at least The Room also came out that year.
RE: Fact #49 (Ed Sullivan Defied Ford Over Black Acts) – Steve Allen had a similar moment on the first Tonight Show. After he kissed Lena Horne on the cheek, he got flooded with racist hate mail. The next week, he read one of the letters on air, word for word, without censoring anything. Sadly, that episode was lost when a fire destroyed the early archives from the Allen, Paar, and Carson eras. Billy Harbach, the original producer, remembered Allen staring right into the lens after reading the letter and saying, “If anybody happens to know who wrote this letter – he didn’t have the guts to sign his name – find him a doctor. He’s the sickest man in America.”
Those tapes weren’t lost in a fire. It was just standard practice at NBC to wipe and reuse the tapes, at least up through the 70s.
That’s right. Most of that footage was lost because they reused the tapes, which is why we only have kinescopes for the early stuff. Thankfully, Carson’s library is pretty much intact from 1972 until he retired in 1992, though the first ten years of his run are missing.
RE: Fact #9 (The Voice Winner Unknown to Label) – That’s generally true. The runner-up often has more freedom to negotiate, while the winner gets stuck with a rigid, prize-based deal. A friend of mine placed second on one of these shows and did really well, while no one even knows who the winner was.
Exactly. The winner is usually at the mercy of producers. The sweet spot is getting enough exposure to build a fanbase without being locked into a restrictive contract.
Chris Daughtry losing was the best thing that happened to him. Viewers got lazy because they thought he had it in the bag, but the sympathy and his following helped him land a great deal anyway. I can’t even remember who else was on that season.
RE: Fact #22 (Sopranos Mobsters Feared FBI Leak) – In this video around the 11:45 mark, an ex-mobster claims that Tony Soprano’s mother was based on his own. The FBI had the house bugged in the 60s, and this guy is convinced the show’s writers heard those tapes.
Her character wasn’t really a ‘mob’ thing. Any Italian Catholic family in America has a mother like that. It’s a stereotype for a reason. The ‘woe is me, nobody loves me, I sacrifice for everyone’ attitude is an everyday thing. Lol.
It was actually based on the creator’s own mother. He described her as paranoid, sharp-tongued, abusive, and dismissive of his career. Lines like ‘Poor you’ or ‘daughters are better at taking care of their mothers than sons’ were things she actually used to say.
My mom and her mother were exactly like that, and they were Scots-Irish from Alabama. My wife struggled to watch The Sopranos because Tony’s mother reminded her so much of my own. My mom watched the show and hated her, which I found hilarious.
Q: How many Italian grandmothers does it take to change a lightbulb? A: ‘Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll just sit here in the dark.’
RE: Fact #9 (The Voice Winner Unknown to Label) – The internet makes it obvious that there are countless people as talented as the famous ones, even if it doesn’t mean it’s more common. There are only so many spots in sports, music, or art for the massive amount of competent people out there. Talent isn’t a guarantee for success; it’s more like a lottery ticket where you still probably won’t win.
You nailed it. I’m always telling people that hard work is a requirement, but it’s definitely not a guarantee for success.
It depends on the field. If you’re a top-tier musician, luck is a huge factor. If you’re a top-tier software engineer, you’re usually going to have companies lining up to hire you.
RE: Fact #6 (South Park Kenny Inspired by Poor Kid) – I recall Liane Cartman’s personality being based on an ex-girlfriend of Trey’s. Also, Trey’s young daughter voiced Ike for a while.
His daughter recording those lines is the cutest thing I have ever seen.
She is adorable and he is so patient with her. He is definitely going to regret teaching her all those bad words later.
RE: Fact #47 (SNL Burt Reynolds Impersonation Excuse) – Norm didn’t have a huge range of impressions coming from a stand-up and writing background, but his Burt Reynolds and David Letterman were spot on.
His Quentin Tarantino is still his best one.
His Christopher Walken isn’t bad either.
RE: Fact #18 (American Idol Clarkson Feared Winner Movie) – Right, because being a talented singer definitely means you have the chops to be a great actor too.
RE: Fact #39 (Jeopardy Engagement Ring Quitting Strategy) – This reminds me of the contestant who went on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire specifically to pay for college. He succeeded, and then quit right there, even after Regis kept pushing him to risk it all on one more question.
RE: Fact #15 (The Wire Bubbles Offered Heroin) – Incredible character and an incredible show. It really deserved to win Emmys every single year for the performances. It’s a total travesty that it didn’t.
That’s definitely true, but everyone knows The Wire is easily the greatest TV series ever made. The fact that it never got an Emmy is ridiculous.
RE: Fact #27 (Seinfeld Soup Nazi Confronted Cast) – He definitely cashed in afterwards, though. I remember seeing a massive banner on 8th Avenue for years with his face and a big arrow pointing to the SoupMan location down the block.
Imagine going from thinking your reputation is ruined to becoming a huge attraction for fans of the show.
RE: Fact #28 (The Goodies Laughed Viewer to Death) – If you’ve ever laughed so hard you make that weird noise, you know that dying from laughter isn’t actually a pleasant experience.
RE: Fact #11 (King of the Hill Comedy Launchpad) – The writers on that show were so talented that they actually made you dislike Peggy Hill. And might I add, she won substitute teacher of the year three years in a row, thank you very much.
I don’t get the Peggy hate. She’s hilarious specifically because she’s so oblivious and full of herself.
I bet people hate her because she reminds them of someone in real life who drives them crazy by being just as pompous and dense.
Exactly. People say, “I can’t watch this, it’s a Peggy episode, ” but she isn’t meant to be likable. You don’t have to agree with her to see that her plot lines and one-liners are some of the funniest in the show. She’s a way better character than Lois, Marge, Tina, or Francine. King of the Hill is easily one of the best animated shows ever.
Peggy is awful, but I love her. I always liked the theory that her skydiving accident left her with some brain damage, and surviving it made her feel invincible, which explains why she became so unbearable. It’s fun watching her go off the deep end, though I get why others can’t stand her.
That’s the genius of the writing, they made her so frustrating that you can’t help but love her.
I love her too, especially because she isn’t afraid to challenge Hank’s comfort zone, which is about as narrow as his urethra.
RE: Fact #21 (Star Trek Scotty Inspired Engineers) – Astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was an engineer before his NASA career, actually told James Doohan during his final public appearance in 2004, “From one old engineer to another, thanks, mate.”
RE: Fact #1 (MythBusters Explosive Footage Destroyed) – Probably hydrogen peroxide based. It’s way more powerful than ammonium nitrate. Also, some people on factrepublic are terrifying, please stop messaging me with your homemade bomb recipes.
John Carmack dealt with hydrogen peroxide back in his rocketry days. It was incredibly dangerous to concentrate, and major suppliers refused to sell it to anyone but large corporations. He even argued that airline liquid bans were pointless because you could easily bring dangerous chemicals in under the size limit, but no one listened.
Pharmacy-grade peroxide is only 3% and isn’t powerful enough for that. If you actually manage to get the concentrated stuff, you’ve already got half the ingredients for a bomb since the other part is basically any fuel source.
RE: Fact #35 (Star Trek Saved Computer Voice Library) – It’s a shame they stopped using her voice right after she passed away. She was the perfect choice for the computer.
RE: Fact #36 (Buffy TV Revival Backed by Dolly) – I’m genuinely surprised. Everything I’ve ever read about Dolly Parton portrays her as such a kind, down-to-earth person. I had no idea she was responsible for bringing Buffy to television, too. Amazing.
I hate to be a buzzkill because I love Dolly, but it was all done indirectly through her company, Sandollar. She wasn’t involved in the day-to-day operations, so she likely didn’t even know she was producing it.
That’s true, but her company still recognized the value of the show and moved forward with it. She definitely fosters a creative environment.
People use the term national treasure way too loosely, but Dolly Parton actually fits the definition. She’s not just a once-in-a-generation vocalist; she’s a brilliant songwriter who has churned out massive hits for 50 years. Beyond her music, the amount of good she’s done for society is incredible. She pushed for feminist themes and shared women’s stories back when that wasn’t considered marketable. Plus, between her charity work and the free library program for kids, she’s a total legend.
She’s also been really vocal about supporting racial equality and Black Lives Matter, even though she knew it might alienate a big chunk of her country music audience. She didn’t stay quiet. Dolly is a queen.
I’ll always stand up for Dolly Parton. She’s an amazing person and I have nothing but respect for her, especially with things like Dollywood and her book program.
Dolly Parton is basically the Mr. Rogers of country music, but with a legendary figure.
RE: Fact #24 (The Office Phyllis Shopped on Set) – The set had fully functional computers with internet access, so as far as I can tell, they were all just messing around online whenever they were in the background. It’s the same deal as the rest of us.
RE: Fact #46 (Millionaire Ask The Audience Accuracy) – That stat can be misleading. Smart contestants only use that lifeline on questions where a general audience is likely to know the answer, like pop culture. Ask the audience who won a specific season of The Voice, but phone a friend for something obscure like the name of Mozart’s cat.
Smart players also avoid thinking out loud before locking in their audience lifeline because it totally biases the results. Saying, ‘I think it’s A but it might be C, let me ask the audience’ just tells everyone who doesn’t know the answer exactly what to guess.
While that’s true, it makes sense that an audience would still be good at guessing even harder questions. If you have 100 people and most don’t know the answer, they’ll guess randomly. But if even a small number of people know the right answer, they’ll skew the results in that direction. It rarely helps to use the 50/50 before asking the audience because it limits the wrong answers, unless the 50/50 clears out a really convincing ‘bait’ answer.
I’ve never seen that happen. They claim the 50/50 picks two incorrect answers at random, but I doubt it. It always seems like they know which answers are obvious traps and leave those in instead.
That’s a pretty flawed assumption. That only holds true if people are completely clueless about the subject matter.
RE: Fact #19 (Saturday Night Live Macdonald Roasted Return) – The funniest part is that Norm wanted to make the audience believe he was walking off stage when his monologue ended, and then just not come back. His friends had to talk him out of it.
RE: Fact #3 (Parks and Recreation Libertarian Inspired Ron) – It reminds me of what a casting director said after meeting Aubrey Plaza: “I just met the weirdest girl I’ve ever met in my life. You have to meet her and put her on your show.”
Chris Pratt was only meant to be around for a few episodes as Ann’s boyfriend, but he was so good that they kept him permanently. I’m glad they did; that “connectivity problems” line is exactly what hooked me on the show.
The line, “Can you make me pancakes real quick while you’re in the kitchen?” sold me on the show. I doubt I would have stuck with it after he left.
Seeing his blooper reels on factrepublic is what made me watch. That “hot snakes” clip had me dying even though I hadn’t seen a single episode yet.
I became a fan of Aubrey Plaza after seeing her on Harmonquest. I don’t mean that in a romantic way, just that I appreciate her in the same way one appreciates a fine cigar.
RE: Fact #12 (Saving Hope Actors Watched Rectal Exam) – Yeah, that’s absolutely not okay on the hospital’s part. Plus, isn’t that a massive breach of doctor-patient confidentiality?
They probably made money off it, and someone likely got a bonus for their incredibly poor judgment.
RE: Fact #38 (Diners Drive-Ins Invited Make-A-Wish Families) – So he spends his time traveling with his family, highlighting great food, and giving free publicity to small businesses. And now this? The guy just keeps finding ways to be a better person.
People are way too hard on him for having a cheesy personality. Honestly, his show is one of my absolute favorites.
I love that show. It feels like you’re just hanging out with them. I’ll smoke a bowl and watch it until I’m totally burnt out, just zoning out in front of the TV.
RE: Fact #50 (South Park Casa Bonita Reruns Boosted Demand) – Casa Bonita will always be special to me. I make a trip there every year. I do miss the guy in the gorilla suit who used to run around messing with everyone, though.
That terrified me as a kid, especially crossing the bridge over to Bad Bart’s Cave. Nothing but nightmares.
I’m still terrified of gorillas because of that suit. Seeing it in the video almost gave me a panic attack.
RE: Fact #12 (Saving Hope Actors Watched Rectal Exam) – Imagine being in that situation and then seeing a familiar face on TV like, “Wait a minute, that’s the guy who was looking at my rear end!”
TV Doctor 1: “Check out this prostate. Have you ever seen cancer this bad?” TV Doctor 2, staring off into space: “Yes… once before…”
RE: Fact #48 (Batman Animated Series Painted on Black) – This show was and still is iconic and groundbreaking. Everything from the animation to the writing and voice acting was perfect.
RE: Fact #33 (Game of Thrones Skipped Bean Audition) – I think George RR Martin also insisted on Charles Dance for Tywin, though I’m not sure if he had to audition either.
Patrick Stewart is the only other person I could see pulling off Tywin, though I don’t really remember him playing villains often.
I heard those two were his conditions for signing off on the show.
Pretty sure it was Dinklage, not Dance. Tywin wasn’t even in the first few episodes, and the pilot was filmed a year before it aired. Hard to believe the show depended on a commitment for a role that hadn’t even shown up yet.
RE: Fact #25 (The Simpsons McCartney Made Lisa Vegetarian) – >Lisa: You do Yoga? >Jesse: Yeah, but I started before it was cool. >Lisa: My name’s Lisa Simpson. I think your protest was incredibly brave. >Jesse: Thank you. This planet needs every friend it can get. >Lisa: Oh, the earth is the best! That’s why I’m a vegetarian. >Jesse: Heh. Well, that’s a start. >Lisa: Uh, well, I was thinking of going vegan. >Jesse: I’m a level 5 vegan , I won’t eat anything that casts a shadow. >Lisa: Wow. Um … I started an organic compost pile at home. >Jesse: Only at home? You mean you don’t pocket-mulch? [takes out pocket mulch for Lisa to feel] >Lisa: Oh, it’s so decomposed! Do you think I could join Dirt First? >Jesse: Well … we might have an opening at the poser level. >Lisa: Oh, thank you, thank you!
Homer: This is your fault, with your Bobby Sherman style good looks! No girl can resist that! Jesse: This was her choice, Mr. Simpson. Homer: I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening. I was lost in your eyes…
RE: Fact #36 (Buffy TV Revival Backed by Dolly) – This is a little off-topic, but a friend of mine lives next door to the house used for Buffy. Whenever they filmed, they’d block her driveway and make a huge mess with their equipment and crews. When my friend asked for compensation on her mother’s behalf, they laughed at her. So, whenever they started rolling, my friend would start watering her lawn or dancing in the background to ruin the shots. They eventually increased their offer from $500 a day to $1, 000 a day just to keep her happy.
I love this story. It’s my headcanon now that Joyce Summers just hated her neighbors.
RE: Fact #29 (Jeopardy Scott Weiss Forced Three-Way Tie) – This reminds me of that John Carpenter moment on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire where he called his dad just to say he was about to win the top prize.
I remember watching that episode back in elementary school. The show used to be so much better, but now it’s just filled with weird survey questions.
RE: Fact #42 (Simpsons Milhouse Named After Nixon) – “Is this the untimely end of Milhouse?” “But Milhouse, that’s my name.” “But I thought I was the only one.” “A pain I know all too well…” “So this is what it feels like when doves cry.”
RE: Fact #3 (Parks and Recreation Libertarian Inspired Ron) – I worked in state government, and Parks & Rec was spot on. That line about a town meeting being “surprisingly relevant” is so accurate. I can’t imagine dealing with that at the local level.
You have no idea. I work in a city manager’s office. Even though we aren’t supposed to deal with direct public inquiries, people still manage to find us, and the stuff we deal with gets pretty weird.
RE: Fact #26 (Jeopardy Contestants Stand on Platforms) – > Her appearance on the show also gained her access to a secret Facebook page of former Jeopardy! contestants, which has provided a support system of sorts. What other secret Facebook pages exist?
RE: Fact #12 (Saving Hope Actors Watched Rectal Exam) – Even if they were medical students, the doctor should have explained and asked if I was okay with them being there. I’ve had that come up, and I was always given the option to decline.
My guess is he was asked but told they were students. People feel differently about it, but I’m usually okay with students because that’s how they learn. But I’d definitely say no to actors, get out of here with that. When I had wrist surgery, there were student nurses who wanted to watch. I was asked and signed a waiver. I even chatted with one of them in pre-op, and she was really excited to see her first procedure. That hospital was definitely asking for a lawsuit.
I fired my doctor immediately when I realized halfway through an exam that he had a live Skype call going with a bunch of students. He never asked, and I only found out because he started talking to a microphone about me like I wasn’t even there. When I asked what was going on, he got annoyed and told me he was talking to his class. I don’t know how he has such good ratings online, I would’ve been totally fine with it if he’d just asked me first!
I think I would’ve lost it. Having a student in the room is one thing, but secretly broadcasting a private exam to a whole class is just completely inappropriate.
And don’t feel bad about saying no. You’re a patient, not a teaching tool. They aren’t paying you to help them learn, nor are they giving you a discount on the bill. Considering how much universities charge for tuition, you have to wonder what it’s actually worth to have a live subject to practice on.
I had a rare condition once and was actually happy to let students check me out and ask questions. Laying in a hospital room for weeks gets really boring.
RE: Fact #17 (Office Krasinski Warned Greg Daniels) – Krasinski was living in New York back then, and his next audition was actually on the show’s set where he met Fischer. He said, “The moment I sat down with her I was like, ‘This girl’s gonna get it.'” It’s cool to have that backstory for his comment.
RE: Fact #13 (The Office Krasinski Wig Approval) – I definitely didn’t notice, but he only wore the wig for the last six episodes of season 3. Two of those episodes feature his actual hair, and one of them is the beach episode where he’s wearing a baseball cap the whole time.
There are a few moments where his hair looks a bit off, but it never crossed my mind that it was a wig until I read about it.
I actually thought Meredith’s bald cap looked super obvious, but it just made the episode funnier. Maybe part of that was me subconsciously thinking there’s no way they’d actually shave her head for a bit, but it really added to the humor. It makes the decision to have her shave her head for real feel kind of extreme.
RE: Fact #21 (Star Trek Scotty Inspired Engineers) – Star Trek is responsible for so many STEM careers. For that reason alone, it should always be available to stream.
RE: Fact #39 (Jeopardy Engagement Ring Quitting Strategy) – There was another reason for changing the rule: Final Jeopardy often became boring because second and third place would just play it safe, figuring a small payout was better than nothing. The change forced them to take bigger risks because they had nothing to lose.
Yeah, but why is Jeopardy! so stingy with the $1, 000 and $2, 000 runner-up prizes? Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right are handing out $30k or $40k a day.
Probably because being on Jeopardy! is considered more of an accomplishment. They pick you based on merit, so the money feels earned rather than just based on luck.
RE: Fact #32 (Scrubs Used Real Medical Cases) – It’s similar with my uncle who is a chef; he says the kitchen scenes in Ratatouille are exactly how a real restaurant kitchen runs, minus the rat. Also, My Cousin Vinny really nailed the accuracy of court proceedings.
I was going to bring up My Cousin Vinny too. I remember reading an article about a professor who used it as a prime example of what not to do in court and what kind of judge reaction you’d get for it.
Back in law school, a judge teaching our criminal procedure class played that movie for us before break and broke down why Vinny’s cross-examination was so realistic. He said he uses it as an example every year because of that.
RE: Fact #34 (Antiques Roadshow Closet Blanket Hit $1.5M) – Moran seems like a genuinely great guy. Sure, he was in line for a nice commission, but hiring a CPA to help his client manage his sudden windfall shows he really cared about the guy’s future. Going above and beyond like that is pretty rare.
That guy is really lucky he dealt with Moran instead of someone who would have realized what the blanket was worth, noticed how desperate the owner was, and just paid him peanuts for it.
RE: Fact #43 (Chernobyl Score Power Plant Sound Track) – This is a top five show for me, miniseries or otherwise. They did an incredible job breaking down the events and making them feel so real. The music and cinematography were perfect. It’s a 10/10.
RE: Fact #38 (Diners Drive-Ins Invited Make-A-Wish Families) – People love to bag on Guy Fieri for his questionable fashion, but he seems like a genuinely solid guy. I remember reading a hit-piece by an ex-producer of his show that was meant to make Fieri look like a jerk, but it backfired. It just painted the producer as an abusive nightmare who treated his crew like garbage and was clearly just bitter that Fieri was so well-liked by everyone on set. It honestly made me respect Fieri even more.
He actually addresses his old ‘fashion sense’ and admits it was a mistake during his Hot Ones interview. It’s a great watch, even though that bit is only around the 16:30 mark.
RE: Fact #24 (The Office Phyllis Shopped on Set) – The computers didn’t actually have internet until season 2, so the cast must have been pretty bored.
That’s ironic considering season 1 was the only one filmed inside an actual office building.
RE: Fact #4 (Futurama Fry Voice Job Security) – If you aren’t familiar with his work, [this] video features so many of his voices. Enjoy!
I just got my kid into Futurama, so I’ll definitely show them that clip. I hadn’t seen it before either.
RE: Fact #30 (The Muppets Started as Adult Comedy) – I remember Jim Henson and his Muppets appearing on the first season of SNL. One of them was definitely a talking rock.
If you want to track them down, they are still on the Hulu versions of SNL under the name Land of Gorch. It is a cool piece of history to see those early, weirder hippie vibes before the characters became more polished.
The writers absolutely despised working with Henson. Apparently they even drew straws to see who had to do it, and Michael O’Donoghue famously yelled at Lorne Michaels, ‘I don’t write for felt!’
One of the SNL writers at the time famously complained, ‘I don’t write for felt.’
RE: Fact #35 (Star Trek Saved Computer Voice Library) – This reminds me of that 30 Rock episode where they had to preserve Jack’s voice.
RE: Fact #40 (CSI Effect Raised Juror Expectations) – There was a similar thing called ‘Perry Mason Syndrome, ‘ where people expected witnesses to just break down and confess while on the stand.
I have clients walk in all the time expecting court to play out like Perry Mason. I always have to break it to them that those dramatic moments don’t really happen.
RE: Fact #46 (Millionaire Ask The Audience Accuracy) – I’d like to see these numbers broken down by the difficulty level of the question. I remember watching the show and seeing people use that lifeline on really easy questions.
I could swear I remember someone using the ‘Phone a Friend’ lifeline on the first or second question back when that was still a thing.
The guy who used his final phone-a-friend just to tell his dad he was winning the million dollars is my favorite moment.
RE: Fact #17 (Office Krasinski Warned Greg Daniels) – I grew up on a farm and saw animals mating in every way you can imagine. Goats on chickens, chickens on goats, pigs watching the whole thing.
I love that Dwight said this, but I can totally hear Gareth saying it too.
RE: Fact #25 (The Simpsons McCartney Made Lisa Vegetarian) – I think it fits her personality and works into the wider Simpsons world really well.
Yeah, it seemed like a natural way to evolve her character. I love that episode. >Lisa: You… don’t eat cheese, Apu? >Apu: No I don’t eat any food that comes from an animal. >Lisa: So you must think I’m a monster! >Apu: Yes indeed, I DO think that!
If you listen to the ending theme of that episode backwards, Paul McCartney gives a recipe for lentil soup. It’s also included on the DVD as an extra.
I was curious to hear it so [here it is]
RE: Fact #11 (King of the Hill Comedy Launchpad) – Mike Judge gets a lot of the credit, but Greg Daniels is arguably just as important. You see his impact with the US version of The Office, too. His career was already solid before King of the Hill, but he seems like the type who prefers working behind the scenes. There’s also a clear creative lineage from shows like Dr. Katz and Home Movies that runs through all these series.
I’ll always maintain that Coach McGurk is the definitive H. Jon Benjamin character.
RE: Fact #3 (Parks and Recreation Libertarian Inspired Ron) – “Normally, if given the choice between doing something and nothing, I’d choose to do nothing. But I will do something if it helps someone else do nothing. I’d work all night, if it meant nothing got done.” Ron, give me all the bacon and eggs, Swanson.
RE: Fact #15 (The Wire Bubbles Offered Heroin) – When I was watching The Wire, I actually thought the guy who played Bubbles was a real drug addict they’d cast. I mean, Snoop was a real street person and drug dealer, too.
Melvin Williams, who played the priest, was the real deal. He was the actual inspiration for Avon Barksdale.
I had no idea he wasn’t just a regular veteran actor when I first heard that.
That scene where Snoop buys the nail gun at the hardware store is easily in my top 3 scenes from the whole series.
RE: Fact #14 (Mandalorian Cast Bill Burr Irony) – You’re making it sound like that was the main reason he was cast, which isn’t right. It was just a point they brought up later to try and convince him to do it. “I ran into Jon [Favreau] somewhere, and he was like, Hey, I’m doing this Star Wars thing, would you wanna do something?” Burr said. “And I was like, I kinda always made fun of it.” Burr was worried about how it would look if he jumped on a Star Wars project, but Favreau just thought, “I think that’d be funny.”
Glad you brought this up. I felt the same way, and I recall him mentioning something similar on his podcast.
I thought he did a great job with his biggest role so far. They really let him play a character that felt like his actual stage persona, and it worked perfectly.
RE: Fact #43 (Chernobyl Score Power Plant Sound Track) – I absolutely love that they did this; the sound design in that show was spot on. The whole series was phenomenal.
I swear I could feel the radiation coming off my screen during the tense parts. It was so well done!
It’s unintentionally one of the best horror series ever. Radiation is the ultimate monster, it’s incredibly deadly, invisible, and you don’t even know you’re doomed until it’s too late. From a filmmaking perspective, not showing the monster and just detecting its presence keeps the audience on edge.
The audio really made this a perfect series. I watched with headphones, and the sound design and music brought all that tension and anxiety to life.
The scenes under the plant and on the roof were scarier than any horror movie, mostly because that stuff actually happened. You don’t have to worry about exorcists or ghosts in real life.
She also did the soundtrack for Joker. Take the music out of that movie, and it really falls flat.
RE: Fact #37 (The Simpsons Spec Got Glover Hired) – Just a heads-up: the script was about Homer getting arrested for stealing a song online and facing Hall & Oates in court.
I actually kind of want them to make it now. That sounds like exactly the kind of chaotic premise the show hasn’t covered yet.
RE: Fact #50 (South Park Casa Bonita Reruns Boosted Demand) – Some fun facts about Casa Bonita: It’s about a 30-foot drop from the cliff to the pool, and the water is 14 feet deep. There are air pockets under the rocks along the sides where you can hide and scare people into thinking you drowned. Also, the actors clean Black Bart’s cave, so please don’t spit off the bridge. The gorilla suit smells like a mix of chlorine, BO, and garbage because it only gets cleaned once a year. I once caught Capt. Amazon and Annie hooking up in the diver’s pit behind the waterfall, which was wild. And yeah, you’ll definitely end up in jail for trespassing if you jump in the pool, if they catch you, that is. I worked there as an actor in college, so I’ve got plenty of stories.
RE: Fact #16 (Archer Season Five Country Album) – Jon Benjamin put out a jazz album called “Well I Should Have…” where he hired professional musicians to back his piano playing, even though he had no idea how to play.
On top of that, the musicians he hired didn’t know what was going on beforehand. They were so upset that they almost walked out and scrapped the whole project right when it started.
That’s the story, anyway. I’m not sure if that’s legit or just a funny backstory they made up to promote the album.
Was it recorded as a live session? It would’ve been cool if he’d actually picked up some basics over the course of messing around so the last track sounded a bit more musical.
I’ve listened to it, and it’s actually not bad. You can tell he has an idea of what he wants to do, he just lacks the skills to pull it off.
RE: Fact #20 (Teletubbies Set Flooded to Stop Tourists) – When I was in Chiang Mai, my guide mentioned that the hit movie Lost in Thailand was filmed at their university. Tourists were buying actual uniforms and sitting in on classes to feel like they were part of the movie. It got so out of hand that the school started offering paid tours to manage the fans.
RE: Fact #22 (Sopranos Mobsters Feared FBI Leak) – Is The Sopranos on any streaming service? I’d love to rewatch it sometime.
In Canada it is on Crave. I think there is an HBO streaming service you can get in the US.
Ah, Crave TV. The XFL of streaming services. It’s a shame it’s pretty much the only way to get HBO in Canada.
RE: Fact #30 (The Muppets Started as Adult Comedy) – Those commercials were fantastic.
These are great! They actually would have convinced me to buy their coffee.
A lot of them relied on the same slapstick joke, but I really enjoyed the one about the abandoned island and the bit around the world in 80 days. They were actually pretty creative.
I was actually surprised by how many of these there were. I thought there would be a handful, not fifteen minutes worth.
If you enjoyed those, you should check out the pitch video Henson made for the show. It starts out a bit slow but gets very weird. Interestingly, it also shows that he was always planning to include children in his audience, which contradicts the main fact here.
RE: Fact #48 (Batman Animated Series Painted on Black) – That show had the best Joker, too. It blew my mind when I found out Mark Hamill was the voice behind him.
It didn’t just have the best Joker, it had the *only* Joker. Nicholson and Ledger were great, but there’s really only one true Joker.
Just in case you didn’t know, Mark Hamill was the primary voice actor for the Joker in those animated projects. I say ‘was’ because that specific voice and cackle are really hard on his vocal cords, so he isn’t doing the role anymore.
He also played the Trickster in the 90s Flash show, Justice League Unlimited, and the CW Flash series.
RE: Fact #34 (Antiques Roadshow Closet Blanket Hit $1.5M) – The caption on one of the photos seems awkwardly written: > Jeff Moran immediately called his late father into the room
First they came for the copy editors, and I didn’t care because I wasn’t one. Then they came for me, and there was nobody left to speak for me.
RE: Fact #42 (Simpsons Milhouse Named After Nixon) – “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” , C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
That’s the opening line of the book. And I thought Christians considered murder a sin.
RE: Fact #21 (Star Trek Scotty Inspired Engineers) – And just like every other engineering major, he was probably drowning in attention from the women on campus.
I went to MSOE for a year and I have never seen a campus so lacking in women. That said, Marquette is only two miles down the road, so it didn’t really matter.
RE: Fact #23 (SNL Christopher Walken Host) – The centaur doctor sketch is easily one of my favorites ever. Christopher Walken: “If you saw a horse wearing a human mask, would you be attracted to it?” Centaur doctor: “No. Would you be attracted to a monkey wearing a human mask?” Christopher Walken: “This interview is not about me.”
RE: Fact #7 (Glee Slash Blocked Guns N Roses) – Does that mean Slash was the one who allowed them to use it in Step Brothers? That is one of my favorite scenes.
Axl, Slash, and Duff hold the rights to Guns N’ Roses recordings from before 1996. Axl owns the rights for everything after that.
Axl’s mailbox must be full of Chinese Democracy royalty checks.
I came here for this. “OK, I’m going to save it with the solo. Baume-baume, I’m Derek and I can sing high like this…”
I think you can use material for satire for free anyway. Also, Derek has a mangina.
If I were a musician and someone could make me laugh with my music, I wouldn’t mind them taking it and making it their own.
RE: Fact #14 (Mandalorian Cast Bill Burr Irony) – The best part about him showing up in the show is that it basically implies Space Boston exists.
Earth exists in the Star Wars canon, though they never really name-drop it. There are also plenty of non-canon stories involving Earth, like when Han and Chewie crash the Millennium Falcon here in the 1800s. Han ends up dying from his injuries, and Chewie stays in the woods, becoming the legend of Bigfoot. Then 100 years later, Indiana Jones finds the ship with Chewie still roaming around.
That’s not canon, that’s just the Legends continuity. Even then, it was always just an alternate reality side story, like Red Son Superman. Earth is in a galaxy far, far away. There’s no real confirmation that Earth exists within the main Star Wars universe. The closest we get is mentions of species being from outside the galaxy.
Star Wars has hyperspace, so I’m pretty sure Earth just got destroyed for a bypass. The plans were on display.
RE: Fact #33 (Game of Thrones Skipped Bean Audition) – They were perfect for those parts. Writers often have specific actors in mind when they’re crafting roles.
This isn’t rare. Plenty of scripts are written with specific stars in mind. It’s why that “I need a Sean Bean type” joke exists, they want him, they can’t afford him, so they get the next best thing.
Sean Bean interview: “How do you feel about playing a character who dies?” “Used to it.” “You’re hired.”
He might be a little tired of the question, but he answers it gracefully. It’s not really a random coincidence, it’s because of his level of fame. He’s famous enough to play villains and tragic sidekicks who die, but not quite at the level of the classic heroes who always survive. People on factrepublic love the meme, but it’s pretty obvious why he gets those roles.
RE: Fact #6 (South Park Kenny Inspired by Poor Kid) – Mike Judge mentioned that Beavis and Butthead were based on a couple of slackers from his high school. When someone asked if he was worried they would try to get money out of him, he said they were too dense to even realize it.
I love the story about Boomhauer from King of the Hill. A guy left a rambling message on his answering machine complaining about Beavis and Butthead and kept calling the show “Porky’s Butthole” for some reason.
Bobby: “How long are you going to stay mad at my dad?” Boomhauer: “Man talkin bout gotta let dang ol bygones be bygones man maybe bout… 3 weeks.” Bobby: “You know Mr. Boomhauer, I can see why my dad is always quoting you.” Boomhauer: “Dang ol, your daddy quotin me boy?! Maybe… 2 weeks.”
Judge mentioned that Beavis’ voice and laugh came from a guy in his high school calculus class who always laughed awkwardly whenever the attractive teacher said anything funny.
RE: Fact #1 (MythBusters Explosive Footage Destroyed) – They also pulled an episode about credit card security because it revealed how shockingly insecure the systems were. I can’t recall where I read that, though.
RE: Fact #4 (Futurama Fry Voice Job Security) – It is wild to think that one of the best voice actors ever felt like he needed “job security.” Keep the money, Billy!
When he was on Howard Stern, he actually brought up wanting job security in private, and the rest of the group really gave him a hard time for it. That is likely where this comes from.
He also ended up getting replaced as the voice of Doug.
RE: Fact #41 (Captain Planet Merch Sustainability Rule) – I remember a tip from the show about not running the tap while brushing your teeth, and I still do it to this day. I wonder how many gallons I’ve saved over the last 25 years.
The average sink faucet flows at about 2.2 gallons per minute, and you’re supposed to brush for two minutes twice a day. Over 25 years, that’s roughly 80, 300 gallons, not even counting leap years.
That’s 160, 600 gallons then, since I was also influenced by Captain Planet as a kid.
Who actually leaves the water running while brushing, and why? Don’t people realize they’re supposed to be brushing for a while?
My roommate is the absolute worst about this. They leave the water running for their entire bathroom routine, even if they wander off to get something from their bedroom. It drives me crazy!
I’ve only met one person who does that, and it still baffles me. It’s such a massive waste.
Sesame Street had a similar short in the 90s where a kid leaves the water running and a goldfish in a nearby pond starts struggling as the water level drops. Those shows really knew how to get an environmental message across.
I remember that! As a kid, I actually thought everyone’s house was connected to a pond 50 feet away.
RE: Fact #39 (Jeopardy Engagement Ring Quitting Strategy) – I’ve always wondered why Jeopardy! only lets the winner keep their money while Wheel of Fortune lets everyone walk away with what they earned. Now I get it. Thanks for ruining it for everyone, 1967 guy. You’d think they would have gotten over that move by now.
Nah, he was smart and had a clear goal. The show was the petty one for changing the rules.
This fact is a bit misleading. That guy was just an extreme case of a recurring problem, and the rules weren’t actually changed until way later.
RE: Fact #25 (The Simpsons McCartney Made Lisa Vegetarian) – He’s also the only reason Weird Al Yankovic couldn’t release his “Live and Let Die” parody “Chicken Pot Pie, ” even though McCartney was a Weird Al fan.
RE: Fact #50 (South Park Casa Bonita Reruns Boosted Demand) – Pro tip for visiting Casa Bonita: grab a meal somewhere else first. You’re basically just paying for the experience.
They actually have it plastered all over the menu that everyone over two has to order a meal, specifically to stop people from doing that.
It’s Mexican food. Even the worst Mexican food is usually still edible. And yeah, I’ve eaten there, and I live right near the border. You guys are being way too bougie.
Calling someone bougie while spelling it “booshie” is probably the least bougie thing I’ve ever heard.
RE: Fact #9 (The Voice Winner Unknown to Label) – This is standard for these shows. Once you win, they’ve already made their money back, and you’re trapped in a terrible contract where you’re responsible for your own promotion unless you’re as marketable as Taylor Swift. It’s basically one step above those old get-rich-quick scams.
True, but her dad did buy the record company that signed her.
People love to downplay her success, but she turned a tiny label into a massive asset. Her family was comfortable, but they weren’t exactly wealthy by coastal standards.
That’s not really how it happened. The label didn’t exist until Taylor. Her dad invested a small amount, but she was the only artist and she’s the one who made that label something.
Maybe, but apparently they weren’t smart enough to hold onto her publishing rights.
That whole scenario was actually in an episode of Black Mirror.
RE: Fact #2 (Real Ghostbusters Recast Winston) – It feels like there was more going on behind the scenes. Ernie Hudson didn’t mention it was about the voice quality, but he was asked to read, then told he was wrong, and eventually replaced by Arsenio Hall. It’s a shame, especially since he didn’t feel great about someone else playing his character.
RE: Fact #35 (Star Trek Saved Computer Voice Library) – She was the only actor to appear in every version of Star Trek, even the original pilot. She was a first officer in that pilot and then Nurse Chapel in the original series, plus she provided the computer’s voice for everything else. She really earned the title of the first lady of Star Trek.
That usually happens when you’re dating the producer, Gene Roddenberry.
RE: Fact #42 (Simpsons Milhouse Named After Nixon) – This is a perfect example of how the humor style shifted between the early days and later in the series.
Exactly. The Nixon jokes in The Simpsons and Futurama are legendary. Milhouse was such a subtle, funny jab at naming a boy. I hadn’t seen the reveal about his middle name, so I checked it out. It felt like a lazy way to turn Milhouse into an Italian tutor, even though his family doesn’t look like the other Italian caricatures on the show. It’s like the writers just thought, “His first name is Nixon’s middle name, so let’s pick a random dictator for the middle name.” It felt like they were just out of good ideas.
There’s something genuinely funny about putting a subtle joke right next to a really blunt one.
I’d find it funny as a quick, blink-and-you-miss-it joke during roll call. The biggest laugh I got from Bojack Horseman was the intro for Horsin’ Around, where they reveal a child actor’s name is Bradley Hitler-Smith. It’s so absurdly blatant and never mentioned again, which makes it hilarious.
RE: Fact #47 (SNL Burt Reynolds Impersonation Excuse) – Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but Sean Connery was always my favorite in those sketches.
RE: Fact #27 (Seinfeld Soup Nazi Confronted Cast) – It was later rebranded as The SoupMan, a chain of successful soup and lunch spots.
The “soap” comments below are a total waste of time. How long can you keep that joke going?
They had very shady business practices. One opened in Scranton and closed pretty quickly because of issues with non-payments. > In 2017, the chief financial officer of The Original Soupman was indicted for income tax evasion, and the chain went into bankruptcy, which led to all of its stores being closed. Later in 2017, the chain emerged from bankruptcy under new ownership, and it re-opened a physical location in late 2018.
Any business opening in Scranton pretty much has to be shady. It’s just local law.
RE: Fact #31 (The Office Made Dothraki Canon) – Dwight: I throat-rip. Erin: Foth aggendak! Dwight: You throat-rip. Erin: Foth aggendi! Dwight: He/she/it throat rips. Erin: Foth aggenda! Dwight: Use more of a barbaric growl. Erin: [growling] Foth aggenda! Dwight: Louder! Like you’re shouting from a horse! Erin: Wah! Aggenda!
RE: Fact #45 (Parks and Recreation Duke Silver Surprise) – The Duke Silver segments were easily some of my favorite parts of the show. It makes them even cooler knowing he actually played the saxophone himself.
He also did ballet in college to try and meet women and got his start in LA on the old show Kablam! You should really check out his autobiography, Paddle Your Own Canoe. It’s a great read. I’ve heard he narrates the audiobook version himself if that’s your thing.
I kept waiting for your comment to stop being so good as I read, but it never did.
The audiobook is definitely worth a listen, 10/10. My girlfriend got me a paperback copy of Gumption, which is his follow-up book about various badasses throughout history.
RE: Fact #47 (SNL Burt Reynolds Impersonation Excuse) – That would have been incredible.
Burt definitely had a good sense of humor about doing cameos.