TVXOHOF, MARCH 2026 - HANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

 

Later this year, Tom Hanks turns 70 years old.  Now, he may have two Academy Awards, so much success on screen and behind the scenes, and Rita Wilson as his wife, BUT!  I have one thing he hasn't got - membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.

Today, that oversight will be corrected.

By the power invested in me (by me), I hereby declare that as a member of the League of Themselves,

TOM HANKS

is hereby declared a member of the TVXOHOF!

Okay, so it's not as cool as membership in the Five-Timers' Club of SNL, but 'twill serve.

From Wikipedia:

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon.

Hanks is ranked as the fourth-highest-grossing American film actor. His numerous awards include two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards; he has also been nominated for five BAFTA Awards and a Tony Award. He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2020.

Hanks rose to fame with leading roles in the comedies "Splash" (1984), "The Money Pit" (1986), "Big" (1988), and "A League of Their Own" (1992). He won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor, playing a gay lawyer suffering from AIDS in "Philadelphia" (1993), then the title character in "Forrest Gump" (1994).

His breakthrough television role was a co-lead in the ABC sitcom 'Bosom Buddies' (1980–1982). He has hosted 'Saturday Night Live' ten times and launched a production company, Playtone, which has produced various limited series and television movies, including From the 'Earth to the Moon' (1998), 'Band of Brothers', 'John Adams' (2008), 'The Pacific', 'Game Change' (2012) and 'Olive Kitteridge' (2015).

That's his life here in Earth Prime-Time.  But as for his televersion, these are some of the appearances which differentiate him from the real Tom Hanks.  Also included are references to Hanks which verify his existence on several Toobworlds.  And as you will see, that means he is a multi-dimensional....

THE NAKED TRUTH
BALD STAR IN HOT OIL FEST! (1995)
Nora is anxious to get a job at a respectable publication, but during the interview she catches Tom Hanks in a very compromising situation.

THE NANNY
YOU BETTE YOUR LIFE (1997)
Maxwell Sheffield:
Good idea, C.C., putting Tom at our table.
Fran Fine:
So who's Tom, and does he have a Cruise, Hanks or Selleck after his name?

MOVIE STARS
21 Episodes (1999-2000)
Reese Hardin and his wife Jacey Wyatt lived next door to Hanks in Malibu.

POPULAR
BOOTY CAMP (2000)
The sergeant forces a recruit to watch "Philadelphia."

LIFE WITH BONNIE
WHAT IF? (2002)
On her wedding anniversary, Bonnie dreams she's married to Tom Hanks after she names him as her ideal fantasy.

WILL & GRACE
STEAMS LIKE OLD TIMES (2005)
Larry and Ellen come over to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Game Night Spectacular.  ("Big", "Splash", and "Philadelphia" come up during game night.)
&
THE MOURNING SON (2006)
Jordan Truman:
The last time I saw Grandpa, we played baseball in the backyard. Well, we played "A League of their Own". He was Tom Hanks, I was everybody else.

PSYCH
DIS-LODGED (2008)
Shawn says he lived in an airport for a month and Gus replies "That was Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal'."

PARTY DOWN
PRECIOUS LIGHTS PRE-SCHOOL AUCTION (2010)
The producer mentions the movie "Turner and Hooch".  The wife of Leonard Stiltskin, an agent, is auctioning lunch with Tom Hanks.
Stiltskin:
What the hell are we auctioning?
Mrs. Stiltskin:
Lunch with Tom Hanks.
~~~~
Casey:
When we met you said you and Tom are close--
Stiltskin:
I was trying to get into your pants.  Hanks hasn't talked to me since I put him in "Turner and fucking Hooch".
~~~~
Stiltskin:
I made a promise to myself - that I would support my daughter Escapade's dreams.  And Tom Hanks would love Escapade.
~~~~~
You're not gonna get a grand for that shit-box.  I think you need to set the bar a little bit lower.  You're never gonna get Hanks; R Kelly maybe, if he's available--
~~~~
Okay wait a second, bidding on the Hanks lunch?   I heard Stiltskin say that he can't make the Hanks lunch happen, so he's gonna outbid anyone who tries to win it.
~~~~
?1: You once told me you'd drink two pints of ape sperm to play Pebble Beach with Tiger Woods.
?2: Yeah, but that's sports. Sports are cool.  Tom Hanks is a grown man who wears eyeliner and plays make believe.

30 ROCK
100: PART 2 (2011)
When Hank Hooper threatens to cancel "TGS", Jack convinces him to allow Liz and company the chance to do their 100th episode. To produce the best show possible, however, Liz must deal with less-than-ideal working conditions.
Tom Hanks is singing Billy Joel's "My Life", which was the theme song to his breakout TV series Bosom Buddies (1980).

HOT IN CLEVELAND
I LOVE LUCCI: PART ONE (2011)
Melanie:
You lost your L.A. driving privileges when you flipped off Tom Hanks.
Elka:
Forrest Gump drives like a soccer mom.

COMMUNITY
PILLOWS AND BLANKETS (2012)
Britta:
If you want, I can read it in the documentary.  That is, unless you get Tom Hanks.
Narrator:
We tried to get Tom Hanks, but he's too expensive.

THE MINDY PROJECT
PILOT (2012)
Mindy is watching "You've Got Mail" in a flashback when she was in High School.
&
IN THE CLUB (2012)
1] Baron Davis says "Splash" is his favorite Tom Hanks romantic comedy.
2] Amar'e Stoudemire says "Sleepless In Seattle" is his favorite Tom Hanks romantic comedy.
3] Josh says "Apollo 13" is his favorite Tom Hanks romantic comedy.
4] Danny Granger says "You've Got Mail" is his favorite Tom Hanks romantic comedy.

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
THE SLUMP (2013)
Boyle refers to "Turner & Hooch".

NCIS
BLAST FROM THE PAST (2015)
"Big" is mentioned in dialogue by Bishop.
McGee:
He's like a teenage boy living in a 50-something-year-old's body.
Bishop:
Hmm. Tom Hanks in "Big."
McGee:
Hah. Tony would be proud you actually saw that one.
Bishop:
Well, half of it.

MULANEY
FRENCH ROAST (2015)
John is faced with a dilemma when he is asked to roast Lou. (Hanks sent a polite text message to get out of it.)

FRESH OFF THE BOAT
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN (2017)z
O'Bservation: Hoping to break it to her Dad that she is gay, Nicole sets up a movie night to show "A League Of Their Own".
Marvin:
"That Tom Hanks isn't half bad either."

GRACE AND FRANKIE
THE LODGER (2018)
Frankie mentions "Larry Crown" is bad even though Tom Hanks played in it.

UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
KIMMY DISRUPTS THE PARADIGM! (2018)
Jacqueline mentions Tom Hanks shooting Nazis in "Saving Private Ryan".

BULL
A REDEMPTION (2018)
Bull jokes that in "A League Of Their Own", Tom Hanks said, "There's no crying in trial science".
Benny responds to Bull that Tom Hanks said something about chocolate, and not trial science in "Forrest Gump".

BOOMERANG
GAME NIGHT (2019)
During game night, "Forrest Gump" is used as a substitute for Tom Hanks' name.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
THE FALLOUT (2019)
The narrator (Ron Howard):
"Reminds me of how Hanks walked around like Jim Lovell for a year."  
(Howard directed the movie "Apollo 13.")

KIMMY VS. THE REVEREND (2020 TV movie)
Hanks is referenced.

THIS IS US
FORTY: PART ONE (2020)
1] Tom Hanks got it.
2] Hanks got the corona?
1] Hanks got the corona.
2] Oh, I got to call Kate.

(News of Tom Hanks getting covid and the death of George Floyd are mentioned as happening at about the same time. In reality Tom Hank's found out he got covid in March of 2020 and George Floyd died in May 2020.)

SUPERSTORE
ESSENTIAL (2020)
(The news of the NBA suspending play and the news that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson had contracted the Coronavirus are presented as occurring simultaneously. The NBA suspended play on March 11, 2020, while Hanks and Wilson's diagnosis was made public on the 12th.)

9-1-1
TREASURE HUNT (2021)
Hollis Harcourt:
"Gutted in Glendale". It's my next novel. I've been working on it for two years. Huge advance. Already sold the movie rights. Tom Hanks wants to star. He loves these, uh, blood and treasure stories. Mine is gonna be like The Da Vinci Code, only bigger.

AMERICAN AUTO
COMMERCIAL (2022)
Katherine and the team re-shoot a commercial to make it more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.  Katherine mentions Tom Hanks playing a gay character in "Philadelphia".

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY
CANDY ZOMBIES (2022)
Janine
Chesley Sullenberger shouldn't have had a movie before Harriet Tubman.
Gregory (dressed as Sully):
Tom Hanks couldn't play her.

TOON IN WITH ME
DOG DAY MORNING (2023)
Bill mentions Hooch, the dog in the film; image shown of Tom Hanks and Hooch.

O'Bservation: "Big" Picture is from another episode in which they discussed boardwalk fortune teller machines.  Good enough for me.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING
BLOW-UP (2024)
Rudy Thurber:
Mr. Spielberg movie.... "Catch Me If You Can". I play an agent in Tom Hanks' office.
Oliver:
Oh!
Rudy Thurber:
At the 1:07 mark, you can see me in the far right cubicle making a phone call.
Oliver:
Really?
Rudy Thurber:
Yeah, and then he got up and walked to the bathroom! But Leo DiCaprio had it cut. Too threatened. Also, I kept looking in the lens.

From alternate Toobworlds....
CASTLE
A CHILL GOES THROUGH HER VEINS (2009)
CASTLE:
Sometimes, when I'm trying to figure out how a character of mine does something, I will walk the crime scene. This one time, I was trying to figure out how to throw someone off the Empire State Building, and that movie 'Sleepless in Seattle' had just come out. So many lonely women approached me, thinking I was their Tom Hanks. I got laid--
BECKETT:
Castle....
&
GET A CLUE (2013)
The team investigates the ritual murder of a woman. Symbols on the woman's body and the items left in her apartment seem reminiscent of "The Da Vinci Code".

VEEP
FUNDRAISER (2012)
SELINA
You think they'll hear tomorrow?
MIKE
They might not hear. What if Tom Hanks dies?
ANNA
What?
MIKE
Just a for-instance - what if Tom Hanks dies? That's all that will be on the news for like a week. When Phil Spector was convicted we couldn't get anything in the papers for two days.  
&

VEEP (2019)
Mike McLintock:
We will have more coverage of the funeral of President Selina Meyer. But first, as someone who served with President Meyer for over two decades, I feel I'd be remiss if I did not offer my own heartfelt eulogy to a president who many feel was very underrated and deserved m...

I'm sorry. Breaking news. I've just been told that four-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks has died at the age of 88. The star of such Hollywood films as "Big," "Forrest Gump," "Philadelphia" and "Philadelphia 2" passed away in his Bel Air home after a long illness, surrounded by his loving family. Husband of actress Rita Wilson and father of four children, Hanks was often considered the finest actor of his generation, an American everyman who could leap effortlessly between comedy and drama, and moved audiences both young and Old. Today the world mourns the loss of this towering and beloved figure. Let's take a look at the storied career of Tom Hanks, American icon.

SUPERGIRL
DREAM WEAVER (2021)
They are playing a celebrity variation of either 'Password' or '$10,000 Pyramid'

Kelly Olsen:
Um... typewriters?
Alex Danvers:
Tom Hanks?

From Skitlandia....

MAD TV
Episode 1.1 (1995)
A sketch that combines "Forrest Gump" and "Pulp Fiction".

And over in the Tooniverse....

FAMILY GUY

DEATH HAS A SHADOW (1999)
The family is watching "Philadelphia" in a theater, where everybody except Peter is crying.

Peter Griffin:
I got it!  It's the guy from 'Big'. Tom Hanks, that's it! Aw, funny guy, Tom Hanks. Everything he says is a stitch.
Tom Hanks:
I have AIDS.
[Peter starts laughing uncontrollably]

MAD
DA GRINCHY CODE
Christmas will be ruined in Whoville unless Tom Hanks can solve Da Grinchy Code.   Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage & Harrison Ford team up to solve the mystery of the Whoville present heist.

BLESS THE HARTS
MIRACLE ON CULPEPPER SLIMS BOULEVARD (2019)
Wayne Edwards says all that is missing from the party is "The Polar Express".  But when the Polar Express crashes, Wayne exclaims, "Oh, my Lord! Tom Hanks! No!"

BOB'S BURGERS
THE HANDYMAN CAN (2020)
Teddy says he sees Reggie crying about his gazebo like Tom Hanks when he loses his volleyball in "Castaway".

CLOSE ENOUGH
HANDY/BIRTHDAZE (2021)
Randy ends up on a desert island.  He fails to name the movie "Castaway", but he does mention "Big".

SOLAR OPPOSITES
ENDAMAME DUFFEL BAG (2022)
A picture of Tom Hanks in "The Polar Express" is inside Korvo the train.

THE SIMPSONS
BART'S BIRTHDAY (2024)
&

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (2007)

This is one time when one could say "It couldn't happen to a nicer guy."  But I'm sure there are others who are wondering what he did wrong to deserve this "honor".

Welcome to the Hall, Tom Hanks!  
(A warning to his televersion in the 'Veep' dimension:
Just be careful, 18 years from now.  There will be a target on your back when you turn 88 years old....)

ON THE PROFESSOR'S BIRTHDAY

Today, Toobworld Central is remembering
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
on the 134th anniversary of his birth.

In the greater TV Universe, J.R.R. Tolkien and his writings are represented in several alternate Toobworlds.  “The Hobbit” and “The Return Of The King” were both animated and are considered part of the Tooniverse.  Gollum and Frodo showed up in sketches on ‘Saturday Night Live’, thus placing them in Skitlandia.  

And a TV movie based on his early adult life could be considered part of the man Toobworld – Earth Prime-Time – but it’s definitely part of the TV dimensions which is comprised of made-for-TV movies.

He also exists in the alternate dimension of Toobworld DC (‘Legends of Tomorrow’ and in an as-yet-unnamed TV dimension in which Tolkien’s faith was examined (‘A Question of God’).    

'Legends of Tomorrow'

O’Bservation: During RTD’s first tenure as the showrunner of ‘Doctor Who’, the Time Lord met a series of writers – Christie, Shakespeare, Dickens, Mary Shelley, King James 1, HG Wells, and Bracebridge Hemyng.  (Look him up!)

Tolkien as seen in
"CS Lewis: Beyond Narnia"

(My fanfic fantasy involved the Doctor and Tolkien in an adventure, with Tolkien inspired to create the Ents after meeting the humanoid trees from the Forest of Cheem.)

I’ve only seen one episode of “The Rings of Power” so I can’t make a qualified assessment as to whether or not it belongs in Earth Prime-Time.  I’m tempted to add yet another TV dimension called “Middle-Earth Prime-Time”.  (O’Bservation: I didn’t care for that first episode; I found it boring.)

As far as references to his world of Middle-Earth go, I think it’s a safe bet that most of the mentions by TV characters deal with the Peter Jackson movies.

The Tolkien Televersion ('Columbo')
&
The Professor His Own Self

O’Bservation: I even posited a theory that Tolkien was actually seen in the main Toobworld, and Lt. Columbo sat right next to him!

In the latest episode of ‘Harry Wild’ (a special movie entitled “You Are Cordially Invited To An Assassination”), the topic of the movie adaptations versus the original books comes up near the beginning….

I accept that ‘Harry Wild’ is part of Earth Prime-Time.  So if “Rings of Power” does get absorbed into the main Toobworld, there will have to be a splainin to do to reconcile the books and the adaptation (plus the references to the movies) all being in the same TV dimension.

And I think I have one….

The televersion of J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the novels, but they were actually based on the historical record set down in the Red Book of Westmarch.  And so if ‘Rings Of Power’ is accepted as part of the main Toobworld, the adaptations of his account, which was already diluted by his use of more common names and other words instead of the original Shire-speak, should be considered TV adaptations within the TV Universe and not as the actual, factual, historical depictions.  

If there be scenes which were created specifically for the series, then we could assume the Red Book of Westmarch, as well as “The Lord Of The Rings,’ is different from the books we know here in the Trueniverse, Earth Prime.  They include chapters which don’t exist in our world, making the trilogy even heftier!

Well, that’s my splainin to do, anyway.

Here’s to you, Professor…. 

ACTORS IN BOTH 'DOCTOR WHO' & THE 'HARRY POTTER' FRANCHISE

 

THE INCARNATIONS Q&A - "ARE YOU A WOKE WARRIOR?"

 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 
Before we get started, here’s a chance to review all of the incarnations of the Doctor who took part in adventures seen in the television series.  (Not seen are the supposed incarnations who were seen in the Fourth Incarnation’s memories during his mental battle with Morbius in “The Brain of Morbius”.)  They are not seen in any ordered sequence, at least not in any which I can discern.  But I think it’s better this way – rather in a linear fashion, like chronological order, they appear in a timey-wimey jumble.

Hopefully, I will have some kind of blog post showcasing each one individually over the next 24 hours.

OCTOBER/HALLOWEEN 2025 - DEATH COMES TO THE TVXOHOF

October is usually given over to the Spooky when it comes to the monthly induction into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  (And because the theme is suited for it, I sometimes hold off on posting until Halloween.  Like this year.)

Famous monsters have made it into the Hall during October – Frankenstein’s Creatures, the “embraced bloodline” of Dracula, even the Tribbles.  But human monsters have also gained access because they not only met the criteria for membership, but it was too tempting to let slide when Halloween season rolled around.  Hitler unfortunately was a natural.  Lee Harvey Oswald.  Q of the Q Continuum.  Frank Barone.

Originally for this month, I was going to play fast and loose with the candidate, choosing to induct a horror movie from Earth Prime which has a televersion in Earth Prime-Time with plenty of references in TV shows.  

It would not have been unprecedented; back in December of 2023, “It’s A Wonderful Life” entered the TVXOHOF.  (Granted, TV series are more likely to be inducted with a higher number of references.)

But that movie will have to be shelved because recent events sadly gave us a candidate who is/are perfect for a membership ceremony in October….

DEATH

As you can see, it was the death of Robert Redford on September 16, 2025 which led me to consider this option.  But it was not the first time I dealt with the topic of Death’s portrayal in the greater Multiverse of Toobworld.  And being an adherent to the Church of Lazy Boy Saints, I decided to give them a rerun, to serve as the induction speech.

Both of these blog posts ran in May of 2006….

On a recent episode of 'Medium', Allison's dreams were haunted by the visitations of Death himself, armed with a dry wit rather than a scythe and dressed to the nines in a tuxedo instead of the usual black hooded robes.

In fact, had she been a resident of Seattle rather than Phoenix, she might have noticed his resemblance to a certain radio talk show host/psychiatrist.

Death has appeared on a lot of TV shows in a variety of forms. Had it been an appearance by Satan or one of the alt. dimensional aliens who passed themselves off as the Greek gods, or an appearance by God Almighty, the splainin for their change in appearance would be easy. Each of them has the power to alter their appearance whenever they see fit.

God once appeared as the very character He was visiting in his coma, explaining that Wayne Fiscus was made in His image after all. ('St. Elswhere')

But when it comes to Death, it's not that he's altering his image with each appearance in a TV show. If he could, don't you think he'd always look like a matinee idol? ('The Twilight Zone' - "Nothing In The Dark")

Each time he shows up, it's a different "Death", because it's not the “man”, it's the occupation. Death is nothing more than a job title. (Officially, it's "Angel of Death"). It's something for them to put down on their tax forms each year.

Although some of them are addressed as "Mr. Death" ('General Electric Theater' - "The Rider On The Pale Horse"), many of them have actual names. Andrew was often teamed up with the angels Monica and Tess for their missions on Earth ('Touched By An Angel'), while Michael was spotted down on 'Fantasy Island' working in cahoots with the Gallifreyan Time Lord known as Rourke ("The Angels' Triangle/Natchez Bound"). And that "matinee idol" who posed as a wounded policeman to gain access to Wanda Dunn's hovel used the name of Harold Beldon ('The Twilight Zone' - "Nothing In The Dark").

Over in the Tooniverse, however, Death could be the same guy no matter what show he appears on, from 'Family Guy' to 'The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy'.

Death for the Tooniverse is also a traditionalist.  Most of the time, he wears the standard issue hooded black robe and wields the regulation scythe, as he was portrayed in the Broadway production of 'Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol'. While he's on the clock as the Grim Reaper, he wears that hood pulled forward so that his face can't be seen. But when he's kicking back with his young friends Billy and Mandy, Death has no trouble with allowing his grim visage to be seen.

As to the changes in his voice, that can be attributed to role-playing on his part. After a while, harvesting souls and snuffing out lives gets to be kind of a hum-drum civil service occupation; not unlike being a mailman I should think. So Death livens it up a bit by assuming different personalities.
Or it could be that he's just wacked. If you had a Mother like Death's, maybe you'd be driven crazy too. ('Family Guy' - "Death Lives")

Back on Earth Prime-Time, we have seen a lot of the employees in the Death Industry. Some of them obviously got hired because of who they know... or knew, considering the hazards of being acquainted with Death.

I'm not sure if they have any sort of SATs that they have to take in order to apply for the job of Death, but they should at least be given psychiatric evaluations before they take up the profession.

There was one Death who was suicidal, until he was talked out of doing his job by an idealistic doctor. Once that doctor realized the downside of a world in which Death no longer operated, it took all of his persuasive skills to convince Death to get back in the game... only to learn too late that his name had been next on Death's list. That's why he found Death "hanging" around the hospital where he worked. ('The Twilight Zone' - "One Night At Mercy")

Some of them may even have been actual Toobworld characters in other shows who had passed on to find something else to do in the afterlife.

This could have been the case with former photojournalist Dennis "Animal" Price, who used to work for the Los Angeles Tribune ('Lou Grant'). Perhaps after his career faltered at the newspaper, "Animal" explored his interest in the Dark Arts.

Finally he attained the ranking of First Warlock and served in that capacity in the New England town of Harmony, until his untimely death ('Passions'). But then, less than a year later, he returned to Harmony in his new guise as Death.

No sense in wasting good talent.

Some of these members of the Death Squad are able to cross over into other TV dimensions. One of the most imposing employees in the Death program - six foot five and with a rumbling voice that could have found a home in the Hammer films - used to work over in France ('Les Redoutables') at the dawn of the new Millennium.

However, nearly a quarter of a century before, he was plying his trade in the alternate TV dimension dedicated to comedy sketches. There, he visited a young girl to comfort her after he came to claim her dog Tippy. And he promised to visit her again on her sixteenth birthday...... ('Saturday Night Live')

Another Death who was visiting from a universe created from Man's Imagination crossed over from the Operatic Universe. He was probably summoned to Toobworld by the daemonic powers and musical stylings of Mr. Sweet ('Buffy The Vampire Slayer' - "Once More With Feeling").

As noted above, Death does not always act alone. Obviously he oftentimes uses others to actually carry out the Deed - it can be so messy, after all, - but he sometimes also has assistants for the grunt work. Usually for the clerical stuff; lots of filing, that sort of thing.

Occasionally, Death recruits from the very ranks of those he was sent to ferry over to the Other Side. There was one woman who actively sought out Death and he was so taken by her enthusiasm, he allowed her to accompany him on his rounds ('The Twilight Zone' - "Rendezvous In A Dark Place").

And that brings up another point. I'm sorry if I sounded sexist in what I've already written, usually addressing Death as "he"; when in fact, there are several employees in the program who are females. (I'm not sure, considering they are only assuming the human form, if I can actually call them men and women.)

Female Deaths have been known to work the Chicago area ('Chicago Hope' - "Cold Hearts"), Llanview, Pennsylvania, ('One Life To Live'), and a remote plateau in South America where dinosaurs still roam ('The Lost World' - "End Game").

Death can be found anywhere, from the mundane to the fabulous. From the mean streets of New York City ('The Twilight Zone' - "One For The Angels") and the hills of San Francisco ('Charmed' - "Styx Feet Under" & "Apocalypse, Not." [Two different Deaths worked that beat.])

And in the City of Angels ('Six Feet Under' - "In The Game") to the fabled empire of China ('Shirley Temple's Storybook' - "The Nightingale") to the palaces of Atlantis ("The Emperor Of Atlantis") and the hallways of crypt-like "Gormenghast".

Death is not Earth-bound, as any red-shirt on 'Star Trek' could tell you that. Death has found his way to the farthest reaches of outer space ('Red Dwarf' - "Only The Good....")

Where will he show up next? So long as there are TV shows like '24' and 'Lost' and 'ER', Death will always be around. But so far as a physical manifestation, who's to say? 'Supernatural' is a possibility for next season; even 'Smallville'.

O'Bservation:
Death finally did show up in 'Supernatural'.

Personally, I'd start watching 'American Idol' if Death could be involved in the elimination rounds.

"Seacrest Out" indeed!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"Abra Cadabra,

The guy's a cadaver."

David Addison

'Moonlighting'

And here was the other blog post from May of 2006:

Thanks to the IMDb.com, here's a list of the actors who have portrayed the Spectre of Death in Toobworld. (This includes alternate dimensions such as Earth Prime Time Toon, the Tooniverse, and Sketchworld aka Earth Not Ready For Prime Time.)

O’Bservation:
Sketchworld is known as Skitlandia now.

Also in this list are Death's assistants (who would probably go on to become full-fledged Angels of Death themselves), as well as family members and even one of Death's pets.

O’Bservation:
This is probably not a complete list as I used only the terms "Death" and "Grim Reaper" to find these characters.  And I couldn’t find pictures for all of them.  Still, it’s a nice collection to show that the Concept of Death as a TV character(s) belongs in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.

Jason Alexander
. . . "Twilight Zone, The" (2002) {One Night at Mercy (#1.2)}

Daryl Anderson
. . . "Passions" (1999) {(#1.1141 & 1.1142)}

Sebastian Bach
. . . "Strange Frequency" (2001) {Don't Fear the Reaper (#1.12)}

Lawrence Bayne
. . . "Big Wolf on Campus" (1999) {Clip Show: The Kiss of Death (#2.22)}
. . . "Big Wolf on Campus" (1999) {Don't Fear the Reaper (#1.21)}

Gary Bullock    
. . . "Sisters" (1991) {Angel of Death (#5.17)}

Corey Burton    
. . . "Toonsylvania" (1998)

Ed Bye    
. . . "Red Dwarf" (1988) {Only the Good... (#8.8)}

1] Adam Carolla    
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Death Lives (#3.6)}    
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Family Guy Viewer Mail #1 (#3.21)}   
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {I Take Thee, Quagmire (#4.21)}    
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Mr. Saturday Knight (#3.9)}    
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {The Perfect Castaway (#4.12)}    
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Wasted Talent (#2.20)}  
2] Tom Kenny        
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Brian: Portrait of a Dog (#1.7)} 
3] Norm MacDonald
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Death Is a Bitch (#2.6)}  

O'Bservation:
They are in alphabetical order, not by order of appearance.

Gower Champion (Mr. Death)
. . . "General Electric Theater" (1953) {The Rider on the Pale Horse (#5.7)}    

Gary Collins (Michael, the Angel of Death)
. . . "Fantasy Island" (1978) {The Angel's Triangle/Natchez Bound (#6.4)}    

Gregory Scott Cummins    
. . . "Step by Step" (1991) {Never on Sunday (#3.3)}    

Neil Dickson    
. . . "Iron Man" (1994) {The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat (#1.5)}    

John Dye (Andrew, Angel of Death)
. . . "Touched By An Angel" (1995 - 2002)
. . . "Promised Land" (1996 - 1998)

Greg Eagles
. . . "Grim & Evil" (2001)    

Noel Fielding 
. . . "Mighty Boosh, The" (2004) {Bollo (#1.3)}    

Alistair Fullarton
. . . "Storyteller, The" (1988) {The Soldier and Death (#1.1)}    

“There's an old saying:

The enemies of Death are Luck and Hope.

Not true by the way.

I'm good friends with both.”

Kelsey Grammer    
. . . "Medium" {Death Takes A Policy (#2.22)}    

Murray Hamilton  
. . . "Twilight Zone, The" {One for the Angels (#1.2)}    

Erik Hell
. . . Blodsbröllop (1965)    

Brian Huskey    
. . . "Upright Citizens Brigade" (1998) {Hospital (#3.3)}    

Tony Jay    
. . . "Darkwing Duck" (1991) {Dead Duck (#1.47)}    

Stanley Kamel    
. . . "Six Feet Under" (2001) {In the Game (#2.1)}    

Patrick Kilpatrick    
. . . "Charmed" (1998) {Apocalypse, Not (#2.21)}    

Igor Kolva    
. . . Johanka z Arku (2003)    

Christopher Lee (segment "Confession"))
. . . "Redoutables, Les" (2001)    
. . . Saturday Night Live
. . . Wyrd Sisters (1997)    

Denis Lill    
. . . "Red Dwarf" (1988) {Gunmen of the Apocalypse (#6.3)}    

Leon Lishner    
. . . "NBC Opera Theater" {The Labyrinth, 1963}

Dayton Lummis
. . . "Shirley Temple's Storybook" (1958) {The Nightingale (#1.3)}

Alexander Malta    
. . . Emperor of Atlantis, The (1977)    

William Marshall    
. . . "Benson" (1979) {The Stranger (#7.4)}    

Tom McCamus    
. . . Death and the Maiden (2003)    

Patrick McCartney    
. . . "Upright Citizens Brigade" (1998) {Hospital (#3.3)}    

Stephen McHattie    
. . . "Twilight Zone, The" (1985) {Rendezvous in a Dark Place (#3.26)}    

Spike Milligan    
. . . "Gormenghast" (2000)    

Erik Mørk    
. . . Sanct Hansaften-spil (1979)    

Kendo Nagasaki
. . . "Send in the Girls" (1978) {The Wild Bunch}    

Martin Novotny        
. . . "New Addams Family, The" (1998) {Pilot (#1.1)}    

Regis Parton    
. . . "Faerie Tale Theatre" (1982) {The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers (#3.7)}    

Gunnar Randin
. . . Förlorade sonen, Den (1964)    

Robert Redford (AKA Harold Belden)
. . . "The Twilight Zone" (1962) (Nothing In The Dark)    

Ian Richardson        
. . . Hogfather (2006)    

William Sadler
. . . "Tales from the Crypt" (1989) {The Assassin (#6.8)}    

Paul Scheer    
. . . "Upright Citizens Brigade" (1998) {Hospital (#3.3)}    

Tom Schiller    
. . . "Saturday Night Live" (1975) {(#1.23)}    

Angus Scrimm    
. . . "Nutt House, The" (1989) {Suites, Lies and Videotape (#1.6)}    

Andrew Secunda    
. . . "Upright Citizens Brigade" (1998) {Hospital (#3.3)}    

Corey Sevier    
. . . And Then There Was One (1994)    

Jonny Spanish    
. . . "Upright Citizens Brigade" (1998) {Hospital (#3.3)}    

Simon Templeman
. . "Charmed" (1998) {Styx Feet Under (#7.5)}    
. . . "Charmed" (1998) {Vaya Con Leos (#8.10)}    
. . . "Charmed" (1998) {Death Takes a Halliwell (#3.16)}    

Danny Thomas (AKA Mr. Dee)
. . . "It's a Living" (1985) {A Very Special It's a Living (#4.19)}    

John West  (Death’s Assistant)
. . . Labyrinth, The (1962)    

Birger Åsander
. . . Fan ger ett anbud (1963)    

THE LADIES' AUXILIARY
Mary Kay Adams
. . . "One Life to Live" (1992)    

Sofia Andersson    
. . . Ingen som jag (1999)    

Danielle Carter    
. . . "Lost World, The" (1999) {The End Game (#3.12)}    

Estelle Harris
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Death Lives (#3.6)}    

Kate Hodge (Celesta, Goddess of Death)
. . . "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995) {Death in Chains (#1.9)}    

Dot Jones
. . . "Chicago Hope" (1994) {Cold Hearts (#6.17)}    

DEATH’S PET

Jimmy Kimmel (Death's Dog)
. . . "Family Guy" (1999) {Mr. Saturday Knight (#3.9)}    

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"Death, is good. Death is necessary.
And with a little bit of planning,
Death can even be a win, win.
I honestly marvel at
how passionately some people resist it."
The Angel of Death
'Medium'