So instead, I chose an off-beat candidate which has a longstanding connection to November and I think everybody can support the choice….
From Wikipedia:
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit (with both parades being four years younger than Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade). The three-hour parade is held in Manhattan, ending outside Macy's Herald Square, and takes place from 8:30 a.m. to noon Eastern Standard Time on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953.
The majority of the parade’s depictions in several TV dimensions involve unexpected calamities. Macy’s probably doesn't appreciate that being played up, but there was precedent for such problems here on Earth Prime.
More from Wikipedia:
During the 1993 parade, strong gusts of wind pushed the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon into a lamppost at Columbus Circle. The lamp post damaged the balloon and the top of the post broke off while inside the balloon, dragging it down, injuring a child and an off-duty police officer in the process.
During the 1997 parade, very high winds pushed the Cat in the Hat balloon into a lamppost. The falling debris struck a parade-goer, fracturing her skull and leaving her in a coma for 24 days. The winds also caused trouble for the other balloons. The Barney the Dinosaur balloon veered out of control and was eventually stomped and stabbed by the NYPD. The Pink Panther balloon collapsed onto the ground and was stabbed by an NYPD inspector. Mayor Rudy Giuliani formed a task force in response, and numerous safety regulations were implemented the next year, including size restrictions that eliminated larger balloons such as the Cat in the Hat and the Pink Panther, the removal of lamppost arms on the parade route, and both physical training and lessons in balloon physics for handlers.
During the 2005 parade, the M&M's balloon collided with a streetlight in Times Square; parts of the light fell on two sisters, who suffered minor injuries.
Regarding the telecast of the parade, here’s another selection from Wikipedia….
The NBC broadcast of the 2022 parade marked the first time that the broadcast was hosted entirely by women, as Al Roker was unable to host that year due to blood clots in his legs and lungs.
More than 44 million people typically watch the parade on television on an annual basis; in 2024, it was the most-watched television special of the year, outdrawing all of the major awards ceremonies, New Year events and Christmas specials. It was first televised locally in New York City in 1939 as an experimental broadcast on NBC's W2XBS (now WNBC). No television stations broadcast the parade in 1940 or 1941, but local broadcasts resumed when the parade returned in 1945 after the wartime suspension.
The parade began its network television appearances on CBS in 1948, the year that major, regular television network programming began. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the event since 1953. As of 2024, NBC pays Macy's $20 million per year for the license to be the parade's official broadcaster; the parade earns a substantial profit for the network, with ad buys averaging $900,000 per 30-second commercial in 2023—a fee comparable to NBC Sunday Night Football—bringing in a gross revenue of $52 million.
In November 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that during negotiations to extend their broadcast contract for the parade and the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks for ten additional years, NBC offered to pay Macy's an increased license fee of $60 million to continue carrying the parade telecast. The renewal was officially announced on February 25, 2025, extending NBC's rights through 2035. The renewal will also include rights to a third Macy's-sponsored special to be held in the future.
At first, the telecasts were only an hour long. The telecast then expanded to two hours in 1961, reduced to 90 minutes in 1962, reverted to two hours in 1965, and expanded to all three hours of the parade in 1969. The event began to be broadcast in color in 1960. NBC airs the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live in the Eastern Time Zone as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as the network uses broadcast feeds from that time zone (which due to time differences starts at 10:00 a.m. AST), but tape delays the telecast elsewhere in the continental U.S. and territories from the Central Time Zone westward to allow the program to air in the same 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. timeslot across its owned-and-operated and affiliated stations (except for Guam, which airs it the day after Thanksgiving at 8:30 a.m. local time, as the territory is located west of the International Date Line and therefore a day ahead from the rest of the United States).
With the launch of Peacock in 2020 and branded extensions such as a virtual reality broadcast sponsored by Verizon however, it is now possible to watch the parade live across the United States without any tape delay through Peacock, or another international streaming provider with rights to NBC's programming.
Here are the TV shows which prove there is a televersion of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Toobworld….
WHAT’S MY LINE?
JACK PALANCE (1955)
Afterwards, the broadcast ends with an elderly woman who makes Santa Clause beards and mustaches.
O'Bservation:
I'm assuming she made them for use by Macy's, which would be why this episode got mentioned in a search of the IMDb.
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
THE JINGLE BELLS AFFAIR (1966)
The leader of a country (who appears to be modeled on Nikita Kruschev) is visiting New York City. Solo and Kuryakin must protect him from assassination attempts.
O’Bservation:
They are stymied in smuggling Premier Koz across Manhattan by the parade.
SEINFELD
THE MOM AND POP STORE (1994)
Elaine wins a spot on the parade route for her boss, Mr. Pitt, to hold the Woody Woodpecker balloon.
FRIENDS
THE ONE WHERE UNDERDOG GETS AWAY (1994)
In 1994 the first Thanksgiving-themed episode centered on the accidental release of the "Underdog" balloon.
O’Bservation:
At that time, the Underdog balloon was not used, so it’s a good example of Earth Prime-Time not being the same as Earth Prime.
CAROLINE IN THE CITY
CAROLINE AND THE BALLOON (1995)
All the gang get together to walk a 'Caroline in the City' balloon in the Thanksgiving Day parade. Unfortunately, Shelly's actions result in the balloon being released and subsequently causing havoc.
Caroline has a large 'Caroline in the City' balloon in the Thanksgiving Day parade and needs some people to hold the rope and pull the balloon along. Richard is a reluctant starter but it was either the balloon or Shelly. Then Shelly takes an anti-fur stance that eventually results in the balloon being released. This causes a number of problems that included injuring Florence Henderson. Caroline is very upset when the balloon is eventually destroyed.
“The Brady Bunch” (1969–1974) is mentioned by Annie, Caroline and Del as Caroline's balloon goes right behind Florence Henderson in the Thanksgiving parade. Annie also wears a "Brady Bunch" t-shirt to the parade.
O'Bservation:
This is not a Zonk. "The Brady Bunch" situation in the inner reality of Toobworld would be a natural for a TV series in that dimension as it was here in the Trueniverse.
LAW & ORDER
ENDURANCE (2000)
A frustrated, over-stressed mother is charged with murder after starting a fire that killed her disabled son, but the case weighs heavy on Jack McCoy's conscience.
JACK
I don't think she's lying. Assume she's not. That's manslaughter. Given her state of mind and the extenuating circumstances, I don't think what she did warrants a conviction for manslaughter.
UNKNOWN
Well, what do you think? Marshal of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?
JACK
I don't think we should be sending her to prison.
CSI: NY
CONSEQUENCES (2006)
The investigation of the death of a professional paintball player is complicated by the discovery of drugs supposedly confiscated in a drug bust conducted by detective Flack years earlier.
CSI Detective Mac Taylor:
A little early for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Don Flack:
Well, according to Miss Lorraine Hanaford, a century-old tradition doesn't just "happen". There's months of prep. Organizers inflate balloons, check for leaks, let their volunteers get a trial run at steering these things. This big fellow was scheduled for a test run tomorrow morning.
Taylor:
Looks like our only witness is full of hot air.
Dr. Sheldon Hawkes: [about to perform an "autopsy" on a giant, inflated Nutcracker balloon]
This job is never boring.
COCA-COLA COMMERCIAL (2008)
In 2008, a Coca-Cola CGI ad aired in the United States during Super Bowl XLII. The commercial's plot centered around Underdog and fictional Stewie Griffin balloons chasing a Coke bottle-shaped balloon through New York City. The spot ended with a Charlie Brown balloon holding the Coke balloon.
CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA
CHAPTER SEVEN: FEAST OF FEASTS (2018)
The coven prepares for an annual ritual as Harvey takes part in a Kinkle family tradition. Sabrina grows suspicious of Lady Blackwood.
JESSICA JONES
A.K.A. HERO PANTS (2019)
Jessica wrestles with her emotions as she tries to untangle herself from a murder investigation.
SUPERSTORE
DEEP CLEANING (2021)
On the day of Store 1217's first deep cleaning since the pandemic began, Glenn ropes Garrett into throwing a party to cheer up the employees; Dina needs Cheyenne's guidance when her ability to run the store is compromised.
TOON IN WITH ME
SOCKEYE IN NYC (2022)
Sockeye takes a trip to New York City.
O'Bservation:
I assumed he saw the parade while there. If so, it probably looked something like this....
ALTERNATE TOOBWORLDS
THREE CINEVERSE BORDERLANDS
O’Bservation:
While “Miracle on 34th St.” is treated as a movie in Earth Prime-Time*, it actually played out in the timelines for three different Toobworlds.
And so their presentations of the parade also contribute to making it multi-dimensional.
SKITLANDIA
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
THE TOONIVERSE
O’Bservation:
That makes the events depicted in the commercial multidimensional.
EARTH PRIME-TIME (WELDONIAN TOOBWORLD)
CASTLE
THE TIME OF OUR LIVES (2014)
When Castle gets knocked out while tracking some criminals with Beckett, he wakes up to a world in which he and Kate have never met.
[reading from his file, trying to prove to alternate universe Ryan and Esposito something doesn't make sense]
Richard Castle: Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey. It says here I jumped on a Macy's Parade float and sang "Let it Go" with Idina Menzel, and then landed a hot air balloon naked in Central Park. I didn't do these things, guys. Come on. I would never sing "Let it Go" as a duet.
O’Bservation:
Because the Mayor of New York City of Earth Prime has appeared in Earth Prime-Time over several administrations, any TV show episode featuring a fictional mayor should be considered an Alt-Toobworld. This doesn’t mean the whole series should be shipped out of the main Toobworld, unless it’s central to the show’s plotline.
In the case of ‘Castle,’ in which the mystery writer was a friend of Mayor Robert Weldon, the entire show is in an alternate TV dimension because Weldon was mayor through several seasons. (This is also true for ‘Spin City’ and ‘Blue Bloods’.)
For the record, Bill De Blasio was the Earth Prime mayor in 2014, the year in which he appeared in an episode of ‘The Good Wife’.
Finally... here's a touch of Earth Prime Reali-TV:
LATE NIGHT with SETH MEYERS (2014 - maybe)
By the time this is uploaded to the blog, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a few hours away from beginning the route down to Herald Square.
All the best for a disaster-free parade this year and welcome to the Television Crossover Hall of Fame!
The parade always ends with the arrival of Santa Claus, so this TVXOHOF post will do the same. This is the float which carried Kris Kringle from 1948 (the year of the first telecast to 1952....
* Make sure you come back on December 1st for more about the 1947 original movie of "Miracle On 34th St." as seen on Earth Prime-Time!
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit (with both parades being four years younger than Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade). The three-hour parade is held in Manhattan, ending outside Macy's Herald Square, and takes place from 8:30 a.m. to noon Eastern Standard Time on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953.
The parade became known nationwide, having been prominently featured in the 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street”*, which included footage of the 1946 festivities. The event had its first broadcast on network television in 1948.
The majority of the parade’s depictions in several TV dimensions involve unexpected calamities. Macy’s probably doesn't appreciate that being played up, but there was precedent for such problems here on Earth Prime.
More from Wikipedia:
During the 1993 parade, strong gusts of wind pushed the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon into a lamppost at Columbus Circle. The lamp post damaged the balloon and the top of the post broke off while inside the balloon, dragging it down, injuring a child and an off-duty police officer in the process.
During the 1997 parade, very high winds pushed the Cat in the Hat balloon into a lamppost. The falling debris struck a parade-goer, fracturing her skull and leaving her in a coma for 24 days. The winds also caused trouble for the other balloons. The Barney the Dinosaur balloon veered out of control and was eventually stomped and stabbed by the NYPD. The Pink Panther balloon collapsed onto the ground and was stabbed by an NYPD inspector. Mayor Rudy Giuliani formed a task force in response, and numerous safety regulations were implemented the next year, including size restrictions that eliminated larger balloons such as the Cat in the Hat and the Pink Panther, the removal of lamppost arms on the parade route, and both physical training and lessons in balloon physics for handlers.
During the 2005 parade, the M&M's balloon collided with a streetlight in Times Square; parts of the light fell on two sisters, who suffered minor injuries.
Regarding the telecast of the parade, here’s another selection from Wikipedia….
More than 44 million people typically watch the parade on television on an annual basis; in 2024, it was the most-watched television special of the year, outdrawing all of the major awards ceremonies, New Year events and Christmas specials. It was first televised locally in New York City in 1939 as an experimental broadcast on NBC's W2XBS (now WNBC). No television stations broadcast the parade in 1940 or 1941, but local broadcasts resumed when the parade returned in 1945 after the wartime suspension.
The parade began its network television appearances on CBS in 1948, the year that major, regular television network programming began. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the event since 1953. As of 2024, NBC pays Macy's $20 million per year for the license to be the parade's official broadcaster; the parade earns a substantial profit for the network, with ad buys averaging $900,000 per 30-second commercial in 2023—a fee comparable to NBC Sunday Night Football—bringing in a gross revenue of $52 million.
In November 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that during negotiations to extend their broadcast contract for the parade and the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks for ten additional years, NBC offered to pay Macy's an increased license fee of $60 million to continue carrying the parade telecast. The renewal was officially announced on February 25, 2025, extending NBC's rights through 2035. The renewal will also include rights to a third Macy's-sponsored special to be held in the future.
At first, the telecasts were only an hour long. The telecast then expanded to two hours in 1961, reduced to 90 minutes in 1962, reverted to two hours in 1965, and expanded to all three hours of the parade in 1969. The event began to be broadcast in color in 1960. NBC airs the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live in the Eastern Time Zone as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as the network uses broadcast feeds from that time zone (which due to time differences starts at 10:00 a.m. AST), but tape delays the telecast elsewhere in the continental U.S. and territories from the Central Time Zone westward to allow the program to air in the same 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. timeslot across its owned-and-operated and affiliated stations (except for Guam, which airs it the day after Thanksgiving at 8:30 a.m. local time, as the territory is located west of the International Date Line and therefore a day ahead from the rest of the United States).
With the launch of Peacock in 2020 and branded extensions such as a virtual reality broadcast sponsored by Verizon however, it is now possible to watch the parade live across the United States without any tape delay through Peacock, or another international streaming provider with rights to NBC's programming.
Here are the TV shows which prove there is a televersion of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Toobworld….
WHAT’S MY LINE?
JACK PALANCE (1955)
Afterwards, the broadcast ends with an elderly woman who makes Santa Clause beards and mustaches.
O'Bservation:
I'm assuming she made them for use by Macy's, which would be why this episode got mentioned in a search of the IMDb.
THE JINGLE BELLS AFFAIR (1966)
The leader of a country (who appears to be modeled on Nikita Kruschev) is visiting New York City. Solo and Kuryakin must protect him from assassination attempts.
O’Bservation:
They are stymied in smuggling Premier Koz across Manhattan by the parade.
THE MOM AND POP STORE (1994)
Elaine wins a spot on the parade route for her boss, Mr. Pitt, to hold the Woody Woodpecker balloon.
THE ONE WHERE UNDERDOG GETS AWAY (1994)
In 1994 the first Thanksgiving-themed episode centered on the accidental release of the "Underdog" balloon.
O’Bservation:
At that time, the Underdog balloon was not used, so it’s a good example of Earth Prime-Time not being the same as Earth Prime.
CAROLINE AND THE BALLOON (1995)
All the gang get together to walk a 'Caroline in the City' balloon in the Thanksgiving Day parade. Unfortunately, Shelly's actions result in the balloon being released and subsequently causing havoc.
“The Brady Bunch” (1969–1974) is mentioned by Annie, Caroline and Del as Caroline's balloon goes right behind Florence Henderson in the Thanksgiving parade. Annie also wears a "Brady Bunch" t-shirt to the parade.
O'Bservation:
This is not a Zonk. "The Brady Bunch" situation in the inner reality of Toobworld would be a natural for a TV series in that dimension as it was here in the Trueniverse.
LAW & ORDER
ENDURANCE (2000)
A frustrated, over-stressed mother is charged with murder after starting a fire that killed her disabled son, but the case weighs heavy on Jack McCoy's conscience.
JACK
I don't think she's lying. Assume she's not. That's manslaughter. Given her state of mind and the extenuating circumstances, I don't think what she did warrants a conviction for manslaughter.
UNKNOWN
Well, what do you think? Marshal of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?
JACK
I don't think we should be sending her to prison.
CONSEQUENCES (2006)
The investigation of the death of a professional paintball player is complicated by the discovery of drugs supposedly confiscated in a drug bust conducted by detective Flack years earlier.
CSI Detective Mac Taylor:
A little early for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Don Flack:
Well, according to Miss Lorraine Hanaford, a century-old tradition doesn't just "happen". There's months of prep. Organizers inflate balloons, check for leaks, let their volunteers get a trial run at steering these things. This big fellow was scheduled for a test run tomorrow morning.
Taylor:
Looks like our only witness is full of hot air.
This job is never boring.
In 2008, a Coca-Cola CGI ad aired in the United States during Super Bowl XLII. The commercial's plot centered around Underdog and fictional Stewie Griffin balloons chasing a Coke bottle-shaped balloon through New York City. The spot ended with a Charlie Brown balloon holding the Coke balloon.
CHAPTER SEVEN: FEAST OF FEASTS (2018)
The coven prepares for an annual ritual as Harvey takes part in a Kinkle family tradition. Sabrina grows suspicious of Lady Blackwood.
JESSICA JONES
A.K.A. HERO PANTS (2019)
Jessica wrestles with her emotions as she tries to untangle herself from a murder investigation.
DEEP CLEANING (2021)
On the day of Store 1217's first deep cleaning since the pandemic began, Glenn ropes Garrett into throwing a party to cheer up the employees; Dina needs Cheyenne's guidance when her ability to run the store is compromised.
TOON IN WITH ME
SOCKEYE IN NYC (2022)
Sockeye takes a trip to New York City.
O'Bservation:
I assumed he saw the parade while there. If so, it probably looked something like this....
But as it turned out, the parade was only mentioned by Toony at the end of the episode as he imagined what it would be like if he was a giant specter like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in "Ghostbusters". [Seen on the TV screen below.]
When Bill asked where he would encounter Noo Yawkers to have his imagined conversations with them, Toony figured it would have to be at the Thanksgiving parade.
When Bill asked where he would encounter Noo Yawkers to have his imagined conversations with them, Toony figured it would have to be at the Thanksgiving parade.
THREE CINEVERSE BORDERLANDS
O’Bservation:
While “Miracle on 34th St.” is treated as a movie in Earth Prime-Time*, it actually played out in the timelines for three different Toobworlds.
MIRACLE ON 34th St. (1955)
MIRACLE ON 34th St. (1959)
[Watching the parade without showing the parade]
[Watching the parade without showing the parade]
MIRACLE ON 34th St. (1973)
And so their presentations of the parade also contribute to making it multi-dimensional.
SKITLANDIA
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
FAMILY GUY
THANKSGIVING (2011)
THANKSGIVING (2011)
The 2008 Coca-Cola commercial was also referenced in a 2011 episode of "Family Guy". Stewie, one of its main characters, is seen watching the parade only to see the balloon of himself in the parade.
O’Bservation:
That makes the events depicted in the commercial multidimensional.
CASTLE
THE TIME OF OUR LIVES (2014)
When Castle gets knocked out while tracking some criminals with Beckett, he wakes up to a world in which he and Kate have never met.
[reading from his file, trying to prove to alternate universe Ryan and Esposito something doesn't make sense]
Richard Castle: Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey. It says here I jumped on a Macy's Parade float and sang "Let it Go" with Idina Menzel, and then landed a hot air balloon naked in Central Park. I didn't do these things, guys. Come on. I would never sing "Let it Go" as a duet.
O’Bservation:
Because the Mayor of New York City of Earth Prime has appeared in Earth Prime-Time over several administrations, any TV show episode featuring a fictional mayor should be considered an Alt-Toobworld. This doesn’t mean the whole series should be shipped out of the main Toobworld, unless it’s central to the show’s plotline.
In the case of ‘Castle,’ in which the mystery writer was a friend of Mayor Robert Weldon, the entire show is in an alternate TV dimension because Weldon was mayor through several seasons. (This is also true for ‘Spin City’ and ‘Blue Bloods’.)
For the record, Bill De Blasio was the Earth Prime mayor in 2014, the year in which he appeared in an episode of ‘The Good Wife’.
Finally... here's a touch of Earth Prime Reali-TV:
LATE NIGHT with SETH MEYERS (2014 - maybe)
All the best for a disaster-free parade this year and welcome to the Television Crossover Hall of Fame!
The parade always ends with the arrival of Santa Claus, so this TVXOHOF post will do the same. This is the float which carried Kris Kringle from 1948 (the year of the first telecast to 1952....
* Make sure you come back on December 1st for more about the 1947 original movie of "Miracle On 34th St." as seen on Earth Prime-Time!
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