I love television crossovers. If you're an obsessive like me you'll know all about the episode of The Love Boat where Charlie's Angels take a trip on the Pacific Princess. You'll know about the episode of Magnum where Murder She Wrote's Jessica Fletcher turns up at Robin Masters' home in Hawaii. You'll love the moment on Spin City where Michael J Fox switches on CSC and watches "Sports Night", the self-titled programme being made in Aaron Sorkin's pre-West Wing days. You'll also know about the episode of Diagnosis Murder where Cinnamon Carter, Barbara Bain's character in Mission Impossible checks into Dr Sloan's clinic.
I get a big kick out of these crossovers because it means that these TV shows exist in each other's worlds. So, when Detective Munch from Homicide: Life on the Street appears in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, all the characters and everything that ever happened in those programmes exist in the same universe. And, when said Detective Munch appears in an episode of The X-Files (Richard Belzer being a conspiracy theory buff) that means that Fox Mulder lives in the same universe as everyone in Law and Order. I could go on...
Last week my wife spotted the ultimate crossover. It was so subtle that a week's Googling still hasn't uncovered anyone else having made the same connection. It's a doozy, and frankly I'm incredibly jealous I didn't spot it...
In seminal 1980's TV series thirtysomething, the central character Michael Steadman is the Creative Director of advertising agency DAA. In one of the penultimate episodes in 1991 (series 4, episode 21 "A Stop at Willoughby") Michael starts to have a breakdown which causes him to give up his work and return to his life-long desire of being a writer. He's pushed over the edge by a campaign he's working on that starts to fall apart. The product he is promoting is a (fictitious) beer called Durstin Gold ("Who Deserves it More?").
Jump to 2004 and series 1, episode 16 of The OC ("The Links"). Seth is throwing a party at his house, and in preparation unloads a case of beer from his truck. A case of "Durstin Gold" beer. The same logo and very prominently placed in the frame.
Normally this kind of thing only happens when the shows share a network or a producer but further hours on the web shows no connection. 
Then I read the self-penned IMDB bio of Michael Lange, the OC episode director. Bingo. Lange spent 8 years in the Advertising business, working for Cunningham and Walsh on Madison Avenue and Creamer Advertising, and among other things produced commercials for Schlitz Light Beer. My guess is that the irresistible parallels of their backgrounds as young Jewish advertising producers making ads for a beer company drew Lange to be a fan of thirtysomething and he couldn't resist dropping in an in-joke when the opportunity arose.
In a further twist, in 2006/7 Lange directed a 2-part episode of ABC's Brothers and Sisters, which is Executive Produced by Ken Olin (Michael Steadman himself) and stars his real-life wife Patricia Wettig, another of the main stars of thirtysomething. I wonder if Lange confessed his homage...
By the way, check out Lange's IMDB CV. It's quite the most impressive FanboyGeek set of credits I've ever seen - among many others The Fall Guy, The Commish, American Gothic, Lois and Clarke, The X-Files, Buffy, Angel, Roswell and of course Diagnosis Murder.
Stu ;-)
Yano or anyone else do you know how/where I can get hold of a bottle of Durstin please?!
Posted by: Holly | August 01, 2012 at 15:48
I remember seeing this from way way back! I didn't realize its purpose until now.
Posted by: Enjoy Online Bingo | May 04, 2012 at 06:05
Ahh Durstin! I work at a prop company and this is one of our standard brands. We're independent, so we get business from just about every studio. We still use the label- keep looking. It's everywhere! Let me see if I can track down other shows that use that brand. Awesome to see people recognizing our work. :-)
Posted by: yano | April 11, 2012 at 19:07
i thought i was the only one who got a kick out of tv crossovers... they are so bizarre but at the same time they are great. usually tv shows are in their own little universes, unaware of any other character outside that specific tv show but when two tv shows connect their universe grows and it is usually interesting and entertaining.
Posted by: Online Bingo | March 27, 2012 at 20:25
that's so great. I love that keep up the great work I remember seeing this like a long time ago…
Posted by: Online Bingo | March 26, 2012 at 23:35
Worth noting - Rules of Engagement, episode titled: "Beating the System" - Patrick Wharburton is in the drugstore drinking Durstin beer.
Posted by: David | April 08, 2011 at 04:57
I'd just like to point out that I (the wife) was off sick with a devastating cold the day I watched that 'OC' episode... though I was a 'thirtysomething' addict even when healthy. I guess I shouldn't be so defensive though: Ira Glass is a fan after all...
http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=328 (See act 3)
Posted by: Sunny Bains | June 04, 2007 at 22:47
Now that's funny. I myself didn't even realize this connection. The Durstin Beer thing is a Hollywood prop deal. It's the go-to "brand" when you can't get anything else cleared. So, sorry to disappoint, there's no beer connection here. As with most conspiracy theories....when closely examined, they fall apart. Anyway, I did enjoy working with Ken very much on "Brothers & Sisters". Hope to be involved with the show for many years. Thanks for your awesome blog. I love all this stuff.
Michael Lange
Posted by: Michael Lange | June 04, 2007 at 22:17