TV Show Crossovers That Happened
TV crossovers are like surprise parties for fans—you never quite expect them, but when they happen, they’re absolutely memorable. These special episodes bring together characters from different shows, creating moments that range from hilarious to downright epic.
Some crossovers make perfect sense because the shows share a similar vibe, while others pair up worlds that seem completely incompatible, yet somehow work brilliantly. Here is a list of TV show crossovers that actually happened.
I Love Lucy and Superman
This 1957 episode is believed to be the very first crossover in television history. Little Ricky’s birthday party becomes the setting for Lucy’s latest scheme when she tries to one-up a rival mother by getting Superman himself to attend.
Lucy disguises herself as the superhero and gets stuck on a ledge, only to be rescued by George Reeves as the real Superman. The episode set the standard for every crossover that followed.
Friends and Mad About You
Lisa Kudrow played a small role as Ursula, a waitress on Mad About You, before Friends even existed. When Friends premiered, Kudrow brought the character over and made Ursula Phoebe’s twin sister.
This clever connection gave Friends one of its best recurring characters and created a shared universe between two of the ’90s biggest sitcoms.
The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones
A family from the future meets a family from the Stone Age in this 1987 made-for-TV movie. The two-hour special featured time travel gone wrong, with the Jetsons stuck in prehistoric times while Fred Flintstone explores the space age.
Hanna-Barbera’s two flagship families finally sharing screen time was exactly what cartoon fans had been waiting for.
Family Guy and The Simpsons
When two of animation’s most iconic families collide, you know it’s going to be big. The 2014 crossover episode pulled in over eight million viewers, proving that Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson teaming up was exactly what audiences wanted.
The episode leaned into the friendly rivalry between the shows and gave fans plenty of jokes about their similarities and differences.
New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine
These crossover episodes relied on quick cameos rather than full interaction from both casts. The shows shared a Fox network connection and both featured workplace comedy with heart, making the pairing feel natural.
Detective Jake Peralta’s brief appearance on New Girl and Nick Miller’s cameo on Brooklyn Nine-Nine gave fans just enough crossover content without forcing an awkward full-episode merge.
Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
This 2024 crossover proved that the crossover episode is still a great idea. Two Philadelphia-set shows finally acknowledged they exist in the same city, and the results were perfect.
The Abbott Elementary crossover brought in characters from It’s Always Sunny for a collaboration that felt both unexpected and completely logical.
Scooby-Doo and Supernatural
The Winchester brothers get sucked into a TV and find themselves inside an episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. This 2018 crossover mixed live-action with classic animation in a way that shouldn’t have worked but absolutely did.
Watching Sam and Dean team up with the Mystery Inc. gang to trap a ghost showed how creative crossovers can be when writers take risks.
iCarly and Victorious
Everything about the iCarly and Victorious crossover episode ‘iVictorious’ was well done. The plot worked seamlessly for both Nickelodeon shows, and the writers even snuck in a joke about Victoria Justice having already played a different guest role on iCarly.
The episode ended with an epic song between the two casts, giving fans exactly what they wanted from a musical crossover.
That’s So Raven, Suite Life, and Hannah Montana
Kids who watched ‘That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana’ in 2006 watched it live because it was appointment TV. Disney Channel created its first live-action crossover special by bringing together three of its biggest shows.
Raven Baxter meeting Zack and Cody at the Tipton Hotel, with Hannah Montana appearing to close out the event, was the kind of TV moment that defined a generation of Disney Channel viewers.
Full House and Family Matters
Full House and Family Matters doing a crossover episode was a ’90s sitcom dream. Both shows were part of ABC’s TGIF lineup, making them natural partners for a special episode.
Steve Urkel’s appearance on Full House brought together two family-friendly sitcoms that dominated Friday night television.
Fresh Prince and The Jeffersons
In one episode, Will and Lisa meet George and Louise Jefferson at couples counseling, leading to a fight between both couples. The Jeffersons made a second appearance in the Fresh Prince series finale, where it’s revealed they bought the Banks family’s mansion.
These crossovers honored two pioneering African-American sitcoms and connected different generations of Black television excellence.
How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal
The crossover episodes were exceptional examples of powerhouse women sharing the screen. Shonda Rhimes brought together two of her biggest dramas for a special event that had fans buzzing.
Annalise Keating and Olivia Pope teaming up created the kind of television magic that only happens when a showrunner controls multiple hit series.
Crisis on Infinite Earths
In December 2019, the CW Network launched this crossover event that spanned all the DC programming on the network at the time. Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow united for what became a five-episode epic.
Icons from across the Arrowverse teamed up for the crossover episode of the decade, delivering superhero action on a scale television had never seen before.
Phineas and Ferb and Marvel
Who would’ve thought that Phineas and Ferb, of all shows, would get legitimate Marvel cameos. Disney’s ownership of Marvel made this 2013 crossover possible, bringing Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Thor into the animated world of Danville.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s invention accidentally drains the heroes’ powers, forcing Phineas and Ferb to help save the day alongside depowered Avengers.
The X-Files and Cops
The X-Files season seven featured a crossover episode with the reality TV series Cops, resulting in one of the best and most unique episodes of the show. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan pitched and wrote the episode as an experimental format.
While Cops couldn’t lend any characters, The X-Files brilliantly adopted the show’s documentary style, creating a self-reflective episode that became one of the series’ most celebrated.
Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med
The One Chicago franchise has produced numerous crossover episodes since 2014, with characters moving between the three shows. These crossovers tackle everything from devastating fires to bioterror threats, with first responders from all three services working together.
The January 2025 crossover was described as ‘a three-hour action movie’ by producers, showing how ambitious these events have become.
Bones and Sleepy Hollow
In October 2015, one of the craziest television crossovers happened when Bones met Sleepy Hollow. A grounded procedural about forensic anthropology suddenly had to deal with Ichabod Crane and supernatural forces from Revolutionary America.
The pairing seemed completely odd on paper, but the episode worked by having the supposed supernatural case turn out to be explainable by science.
Where Crossovers Still Matter
Crossover episodes remain special because they remind us that television doesn’t have to exist in isolated bubbles. Even in an age of massive cinematic universes, seeing characters from different shows interact still feels like a treat rather than an obligation.
The best crossovers honor both shows equally while creating something new that couldn’t exist in either series alone. Whether it’s classic sitcoms sharing their worlds or superheroes assembling for epic battles, crossovers prove that television works best when it’s willing to surprise us.
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