Mandels character, though, gets the easiest metaphor of the episode. Death! Elsewhere. Hour shows are just not selling into syndication; the market is saturated with them, Paltrow said in a telephone conversation from New York, where he and others from the St. While the doctors of St. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. He also loves both Marvel and DC movies, and wishes every superhero fan could just get along. Other people didnt care for it at all. That series introduced the character of Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer), who went on to become a main character onLaw and Order:Special Victims Unit (and has made guest appearances in virtually everyLaw and Order series), and who has also popped up on shows likeThe Beat, The Wire, The X-Files, Arrested Development,and30 Rock. Not necessarily because the serieswhich had earned 13 Emmy Awards during its runwas ending, but because producers opted for a highly unconventional finale. Dr Pepper includes an homage to Tommy Westphall's snowglobe in its 2021 advertising campaign. Elsewhere into Homicide.". Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. John Munch). And none of MTMs shows better defined quality television than St. There is too much that is rich, that is still to be mined., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Get ready for the 2023 Met Gala: Heres when, and how, to tune in live, Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon blasted at White House Correspondents dinner, Tom Jones review: PBS Masterpieces latest period drama is laid-back and enjoyable, Michael J. There are no villains in this piece. The full list includes 419 shows as of 2016, the last time the curators of the Westphall theory updated its website. [3][1], The foremost interpretation of this scene is that the entire series of events in St. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. We always said: Thats a tough question--well, good night! . And I dont think that set of circumstances will ever happen again. Westphall, Auschlander, and Gideon (Cox) are stressing about how they can possibly keep the hospital open. Elsewhere, NBCs darkly comic series about a financially strapped Boston hospital and its beleaguered staff, is dead. Elsewheres Wednesday night time slot in the fall. Elsewhere was the father of the modern medical drama, establishing a format that's been followed by pretty much every serial fitting of that description to come after it. Tommy Westphall, portrayed by Chad Allen, is a minor character from the drama television series St. Elsewhere have dropped out of the cultural lexicon entirelyexcept for one. And what about the real people who have appeared on the included shows, like Alex Trebek on Cheers? This is the final scene from "The Last One", the 22nd episode (137th overall) from the sixth and final season of NBC's 1982-88 medical drama WebThere are oodles of ways to end a TV series. If the universe of St. I thought it was terrible. You can barely please half the people most of the time. Toe-tagged. I tell you, the last episode, I never bought it. Much of the humor between characters is gallows humor. And Howie got so mad, because I got paid for a full episode, and all I had to do was lie on a slab for five seconds. Not enough dollars, however, to keep the series alive for another year. I felt it wasnt serious. It is underfunded, understaffed, crowded, and running on fumes. Nicknamed St. He sits there, all day long, in his own world, staring at that toy. How's he been? The series was also known for one of its more playful aspects: it was prone to dropping references and callbacks to other TV series. was never a huge ratings hit, but it had a loyal following, won awards, and remained well-regarded in the years following its final curtain call. And then I saw it and I thought, Its too much. Elsewhere take place within Tommy's mind, but so do numerous other television series which are directly and indirectly connected to St. Suddenly, we're taken to a small apartment where Tommy sits on the floor, playing with a snow globe. ", Grandfather: "He's been sitting there ever since you left this morning, just like he does every day. Despite its high standing among TV critics, St. Because a lot of autistic children are withdrawn, it seems as though they're in their own world. Elsewhere an autistic boy is shown to have imagined and created a vast and deeply human universe. It was seen as a cheap shot and a quick fix, even though the mechanism and method was mimicked many times over afterwards. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Does the 500-table limit still apply to the latest version of Cassandra? EW gathered a dozen members of the cast for a photo shoot and asked them to reflect on the years they spent making this provocative, eccentric, beloved show, which you can check out in our third-annual Reunions Issue. Theyre more interested in the colossal mind-fuck that is the Tommy Westphall Universe. Kenneth Lowe is a regular contributor to Paste TV. Crisis On Infinite Earths Solved DC Movies' Continuity Problem, Star Wars' Next Show Needs To Fill The Biggest Gap In Anakin's Life, 1 Sorcerers Stone Problem Could Make The Harry Potter Remake Harder, Why Missy's Hair Is Shorter In Young Sheldon Season 6 Episode 18. Though they remain philosophical about the loss of St. A Weyland-Yutani ship is seen in the BBC series Red Dwarf, which also depicted The Doctors TARDIS. At one point I was the answer for a Trivial Pursuit question. You can follow any one of these connective threads down a series of increasingly convoluted rabbit holes, and it probably won't surprise you to learn that a number of fans have done exactly that. Often, characters crossing over on the same network can ignite a connection, with shared brands or locations providing the connective tissue for others. Of course, every party has a pooper, and there are those that consider the Tommy Westphall universe ridiculous. Over time and with the help of reader contributions, The Tommy Westphall Universe grew to include shows as diverse as ALF, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Knight Rider, Melrose Place, Seinfeld, and dozens of others, much of it helped along by the character of Munch appearing in more than 10 series, and those series making reference to other characters and brands. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. You never knew what was going to happen next. Elsewhere had been a product of Tommy Westphall's (an autistic boy) imagination, with elements of the above scene used as its own evidence. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Jerry Springer kept his aggressive cancer a family secret in his final months, James Corden gets a star-studded send-off on his final Late Late Show, Kim Kardashian is catching shade from Patti LuPone and Sharon Stone for AHS casting, Jonathan Majors accuser gets full temporary protection order ahead of court date, Review: The Russo brothers spy thriller Citadel has plenty of action and little else. This year, Ken Lowe is revisiting some of the most influential TV shows that made it to an officially planned final episode. Elsewhere's final moments. Elsewhere to end the way it did? I could have put in a sauna and a Jacuzzi, you know?. Its an episode of heartfelt goodbyes and dramatic exits. Elsewhere links to Doctor Who [PDF], hypothetically rendering the TARDIS a figment of Tommys imagination: Donald Westphall and two other doctors visited Sam Malones bar from Cheers; There are two very important reasons why the ending is not only justified but important and even critically needed for a show like St. Like their small but loyal band of viewers--who have already written at least 300 letters to MTM and the network protesting its cancellation--the St. Theres also nothing standing in the way of the belief that perhaps the Tommy Westphall end sequence was itself a dream, negating the snow globe conceit. The best music, movies, TV, books, comedy and more. Fiscus and Morrison and the death of Dr. Auschlander, I thought it was ahead of its time, pretty ingenious and creative and not like anything else. He adds that, "while a controversial and maddening ending for some loyal viewers, the final episode of St. Most scripted television shows end in cancellation, so theres something special about the ones that get the chance to go out on their own terms. (Quizzed by IndieWire in 2012 as to who exactly came up with the idea, neither Fontana nor co-writers Channing Gibson or John Tinker could remember. Why did the Fairy Queen have to die for a poor deal? I was not upset. For indeed, St. Elsewhere through fictional crossovers and spin-offs, resulting in a large fictional universe taking place entirely within Tommy's mind. Its just too big a leap. This is more interesting than interrogating the deeper philosophical or metaphorical meaning behind the very last scene of a six-season show! The Marvel Cinematic Universe might seem like a huge landscape of interconnected shows and TV movies, but the Tommy Westphall universe has it beat. A terrible ending! (referring to Tommy) He give you any trouble? Elsewhere. "I prefer character connections, myself," Gow says. Dedicated fans attempting to chase down every connection toSt. If a person dreams about visiting London and meeting Gordon Brown, it does not follow that because the city of London and Gordon Brown appeared in a dream, they do not exist in real life. It was certainly something no other network would put up with. Elsewhere" that the whole show had been in the character These strings go on across multiple decades of television, with I Love Lucy being the earliest example. I spent a shift sitting bedside with my daughter in the emergency room during a three-day-long stay once, watching the same sainted nurse come and go as an endless tide of needy patients washed in. Why is it shorter than a normal address? Where things get complicated is that characters from St. God love him."[9]. Elsewhere signed off after six seasons on May 25, 1988, more than a few viewers were saddened. So what happens when an ending goes completely off the rails? Elsewhere to a trivial mention in Fontanas biography, if not for the curiosity of a playwright named Keith Gow. I remember reading about it in the paper that there was controversy over it. Birth! The whole circus is overseen by Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders), with Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) and Dr. Mark Craig (Daniels) rounding out the experienced older set of doctors helping the residents learn the ropes. Syndication used to be the method by which we would see old scripted shows, and a shows rep needed to be good enough for you to stop flipping channels if you happened to land on an episode (. Although you may have never noticed the connection, there's a compelling case that "Friends," "Breaking Bad," "Seinfeld," "I Love Lucy" and just about every other popular American television show exist within the same universe. Howie goes to the morgue, slides me out, says something to me and pushes me back in. Elsewhere" and "Oz," and, as Gow tells it, "It was that little connection that spawned a thousand other connections -- references to fictional airlines, companies, nods from one series to another.". Mimsie the Cat has seen better days. Donald Westphalls autistic son, who was gazing into a snow globe containing a miniature version of the hospital. We're often considered and thought of as robot-like people who have no emotions and who only see other people as objects. "St. The Show [11], NewsRadio episode "Daydream" (season 3 episode 7) ends with Jimmy James staring into a snow globe that appears to contain a miniature version of the WNYX office, thus seeming to indicate that Jimmy James has imagined the entire episode.[12]. We cant take that jump from seeing these people, Norman, Ed [Flanders] and Bill [Daniels], and this young boy for six years, and suddenly were supposed to believe that theyre these other people. More: Why The X-Files Season 12 Never Happened. Here's my son, I talk to him, I don't even know if he can hear me. Web"Cora and Arnie". Goober and the Truckers Paradise [pilot only], Mrs Columbo/Kate Columbo/Kate the Dectective/Kate Loves a Mystery, use this link to the web that allows for zooming. I think the final years story line reflected it, she said, referring to the takeover and makeover of St. Eligius by a wealthy corporation at the outset of the final season. Elsewhere is not a great place to work or convalesce. I hear people, like Oh, what happened there? or Oh, I didnt understand that or Oh, I love that! You got all kinds of comments on it. As one of the co-authors of the scene that ignited the entire premise, Fontana said he was stunned to discover the aftershocks and that the theory basically means that Tommy Westphall is the mind of God.. According toMental Floss,that series once mentioned a firm called Yoyodyne, which also was a client of a fictional law firm Wolfram and Hart, which appeared in theBuffy the Vampire Slayer spin-offAngel. characters got the business from Carla while drinking at Cheers, the bar from, uh, , a spinoff, must also exist somewhere in that snow globe. In the door comes Dr. Westphall, but he hangs up a construction workers hat. Westphall, who is autistic, played an increased role in St. You can make up your own line what it means. The most far-reaching regulation is that they "do not include any show that is not a narrative live-action program with a shared continuity from episode to episode. St. Is it safe to publish research papers in cooperation with Russian academics. Would you ever say "eat pig" instead of "eat pork"? As the episode comes to a close, Dr. Westphall is sitting alone in the office of his friend and mentor Dr. Auschlander, who has recently died when in runs his son, Tommy (Chad Allen), a quiet, autistic boy whom viewers had met a time or two before. World of his own. If the show were not great, if we had not had as many nominations, we probably wouldnt even be talking about it. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. But [executive producers] Tom Fontana and John Masius and Bruce Paltrow didnt want just a normal ending. Autism news, information and support. You cant please most people most of the time. I sure heard about it. Elsewhere--a derisive nickname for the aging South Boston medical facility--was never healthy in the ratings. I actually have an easy answer for that - assuming that the 'real world' has shows like Cheers and MASH on TV, it's entirely plausible that Tommy took characters from those shows after seeing them on TV and made them part of his imagination. Theres a lot to unpack: is it simply making a statement on the show as a fictional world? Walter White and Rachel Green are no longer just characters in your pop culture-themed fantasy game of Clue, they're characters that could have bumped into each other on the street. Elsewhere ' s series finale features momentous changes for several main characters, including the departures of Drs. What is the Russian word for the color "teal"? In that time, Michael has written over 2000 articles for the site, first working solely as a news writer, then later as a senior writer and associate news editor. (On that series, Bobby Ewing was brought back to life after his "death" turned out to be just a bad dream. Christina Pickles, whose character of Nurse Helen Rosenthal ended the series triumphantly by kicking a drug dependency, is the only one who believes that St. Fontana was being facetious (we think), but not everyone was as enthused with the premise. Christina Pickles, whose character of Nurse Helen Rosenthal ended the series triumphantly by kicking a drug dependency, is the only one who believes that St. In another, Dr. Morrison, played by David Morse, lost his wife in a freak household accident, then listened with a mixture of anguish and reverence to her heart beating after being transplanted into someone elses chest. St. In fact, for all its success, most aspects of St. Elsewhere airs at 10 p.m. on Channels 4, 36 and 39. The last year, I put in a rug and a lamp. "You know, I still have the snow globe," he said. Somehow, a literal airplane has crashed into the hospital. Web359. In the last episode's final two scenes, Donald Westphall having just returned to St. Eligius is shown in Dr. Auschlander's office pondering the recent death from stroke of his colleague and mentor. It made me smile when I heard about what they did because it was so them. It's not every day we see Plucky Comic Relief commit suicide. Marriage! One TV writer wants to put a copy of the grid on her office wall and put 'YOU ARE HERE' on the show she writes for.". Elsewhere, you see, fielded one of the most confoundingly weird finales in television history, a variation on the age-old "it was all a dream" trope that left viewers scratching their heads. Even some of the more innocuous-seeming connections can lead to some shocking places takeThe John Larroquette Show, which all but the most dedicated TV fanatics could be forgiven for not remembering. There are other possible interpretations of Tommy's "vision" which may suggest something other than the entire series being his dream. With the aria "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" (Doretta's Beautiful Dream) from Puccini's opera La Rondine playing, Tommy Westphall enters the office and runs to the window, where he looks at the snow falling outside St. Eligius. I felt one thing when I read it and one thing when I saw it. If the theory holds, then a large chunk of television is the direct result of one childs formidable imagination. Can you still use Commanders Strike if the only attack available to forego is an attack against an ally? When directing episodes for the eighth series of the revived Doctor Who in 2014, Ben Wheatley had the art department create a replica of Tommy Westphall's snowglobe, which Wheatley placed in the TARDIS set as a reference to the hypothesis. Six years . Yet, in the ending of St. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The finale (if youre lucky enough to ever have a planned one air) might be one of the most watched episodes in the whole run of the show and the impression that lingers in the minds of most viewers long after the show ends. John Hemingway of The John Larroquette Show once called into Frasiers talk show; In a way that actually sucks most of contemporary-set American scripted TV into the inside of a snow globe? Lloyd, whose Dr. Auschlander was supposed to die years ago but enjoyed a miraculous remission, is even more hopeful. The original decision to include fictional product crossovers actually comes from the origins of the chart itself. As Gow told HuffPost, "St. Elsewhere" writer Tom Fontana began writing connections between his shows using fictional products and companies. For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV. Elsewhere, Alfre Woodard's Dr. Roxanne Turner,appeared) andOz (in which a company that briefly owned St. Eligius, Weigert, makes a bid to buy that show's Oswald Maximum Security Prison). Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. They made a choice and the choice is interesting. Westphall, who is autistic, played an increased role in St. Elsewhere ' s final episode, "The Last One", one interpretation of which is that the entire St. Elsewhere storyline exists only within Westphall's imagination. On this day in 1988, TV viewers saw one of the most famous and perhaps the most debated series finales in TV history. Eligius. Inside the globe was a tiny mock-up of St. Eligius, the medical center that was featured in the series. And in the end, Fiscus patient does finally sing. The John Larroquette Show once mentioned Yoyodyne, a manufacturing client of law firm Wolfram and Hart; Helen Hunt even appeared in a few episodes. Elsewhere" Dwayne McDuffie at the Los Angeles premiere of "All Star Superman" Elsewhere Tags theory, tv, map, universe, autism, st. elsewhere, concept, 80s Additional References Urban Dictionary Wikipedia About. Marriage! It wasnt darker than reality, he said. Like St. Eligius itself, St. ", Tommy, who is shaking a snow globe,[5] is told by his father to come and wash his hands. Television these daysor rather, television that jerks like me actually bother to write aboutbasically falls into two categories now: Heavily scripted and serialized prestige TV or reality show stuff that sounds like a made up show on 30 Rock. Elsewhere in its final season owned the prison hospital in his series Oz.". Death! Sealed and locked. If you notice any other connections, feel free to join in on the madness. I saw it as a show about people struggling to answer lifes ridiculous questions--sometimes they would do it in a comic way, sometimes they would do it in a serious way, said Tom Fontana, one of the shows core group of writers and producers, who served as a creative consultant this season. Elsewhere,[1] which ran on NBC from 1982 to 1988.[2]. Craig, always a prissy sort, is absolutely beside himself with the prospect that his wife Ellen is taking a job in (gasp) Ohio. It made me laugh actually because it just is so like those guys. Elsewhere have appeared on other television shows and those shows' characters appeared on more shows, and so on, a "Tommy Westphall Universe" hypothesis (postulated by Dwayne McDuffie) argues that a significant amount of fictional episodic television exists within a fictional universe imagined by Tommy Westphall. So far, the included shows span from "I Love Lucy" in 1951, to today, with 26 listed shows still on the air. "Red Dwarf" is now included as well. But this television-changing theory doesn't stop there. Birth! Tell me if you think it means what I think it means! My mom read it, and she looked at me sort of puzzled too and said, I think it means its all in your head? I said, Thats what I thought it think it means! So I knew that it was really cool, and I loved that. The original decision to include fictional product crossovers actually comes from the origins of the chart itself. Executive producer Bruce Paltrow explained that the show cost MTM more to produce than what NBC paid to broadcast it--which is common--but that because the outlook for recouping those deficits through syndicated reruns is so bleak, the company didnt consider another year of expenditures worth its while. Elsewhere was a solid drama that gave a boatload of great actors some steady work for a few years, but it will always be a peculiar show for that final detail. WebSt Elsewhere Closing Credits Season 5 Lorenzo F 1.61K subscribers 47 Share 14K views 2 years ago #bumpers #tvthemes #televisionthemes WELCOME TO MY VIDEOS of little-known, forgotten TV gems. Fontana went on to create Homicide: Life on the Street and HBOs groundbreaking prison drama Oz. Can my creature spell be countered if I cast a split second spell after it? NORMAN LLOYD: (Dr. Daniel Auschlander): Theyd been talking about Citizen Kane. St. If it were just a solid hospital show, it would be a popular back catalog binge watch, but its a part of TV history for two reasons: its novel approach to the hospital drama, and, Nobody is too interested in that, though. Garry Shandling crossed over with The Andy Griffith Show (no, really!). A few shows are outside of American television such as the British show, "Red Dwarf." We all knew that whenever you do the last episode of any series, the last chapter of any story like that, youre never going to come up with an ending that will satisfy everybody. Elsewhere's characters. The series is (implied to be) a figment of Tommy Westphall's imagination, existing in the snowglobe that he is focused on. Elsewhere was a hospital drama where we, the audience, are invited to feel and think along with the patients, the families and the medical staff. At one point. He sits there, all day long, in his own world, staring at that toy. Gow and Crowe have an elaborate system of rules for what shows can and can't be included in the list, which they shared with HuffPost and can now be seen on their site's latest update. If Cheers is not real, then is Trebek? The problem that I see with the ending is that they explained away the whole show as the daydreams of an autistic child's imagination. What world is Tommy imagining inside that snow globe, he wonders aloud. "The theory doesn't really depend on Tommy Westphall, but he's a good hook," Gow says. Both shows took a grittier and more realistic approach to their drama. Why was it necessary for St. He gets Tommy up to wash up for dinner, and as he puts the snow globe on the TV set, the camera zooms in. The fictional Morley cigarettes are particularly pervasive, as is Hudson University, an institution of higher learning mentioned on The Cosby Show, Law & Order, and Murder, She Wrote. Elsewhere to another series likely has additional connections of its own and for a sterling example of this, look no further thanHomicide. It is underfunded, understaffed, crowded, and running on fumes. ). Fiscus (Mandel), Morrison (Morse) and Ehrlich (Begley) are all dealing with their own issues around their impending exits. What's the cheapest way to buy out a sibling's share of our parents house if I have no cash and want to pay less than the appraised value? Did the drapes in old theatres actually say "ASBESTOS" on them? The shows one truly lasting and iconic Weatherson, in his sixth objection, offers the example of Michael Bloomberg playing the role of New York City Mayor both on Law & Order and in real life, which, if one accepts the logic of the hypothesis, indicates that real life is in the head of Tommy Westphall. Ambiguous cut to black! As Gow told HuffPost, "St. Fontana wrote a fictional "Weigert Corporation" as an intergral part of both "St. As they leave the living room, Tommy's father places the snow globe upon a television set. Elsewhere take place Via Wikipedia: The most common interpretation of this scene is that the entire series of events in the series St. What is the rationale/justification for ending the series this way? Elsewhere, the magic was in the tone, as it was with another show by the same production company, Hill Street Blues. Elsewhere has fallen victim to economic pressures. So you pick your horse and place your bet. Gow, a resident of Melbourne, Australia, spent time in pubs and online wondering what Tommys scene meant for every show connected to St. ", Father: "I don't understand this autism thing, Pop. St. Eligius is a teaching hospital in Bostons South End (the building that appears in the title sequence is actually an apartment building there). Quantum Leap is on!). The shows cast had seen ups and downs, additions and subtractions in its time, with Flanders character Westphall eventually stepping down as the hospitals head to become a doctor there. Tommy runs to see the snow falling outside the window, and that's when everything changes. A long-term member of the Screen Rant family, Michael looks forward to continuing on creating new content for the site for many more years to come. The Tommy Westphall universe hypothesis is an idea discussed among some television fans, it makes the claim that not only does St. The St. In the closing moments of the episode, a boy named Tommy Westphall (Chad Allen), the son of medical director Dr. Donald Westphall, was seen peering into a snow globe. When I read it, I thought it was amazing: Only these people could come up with this idea And I thought it was very touching. Partnering with The Huffington Post, Gow and Crowe published an extensive update of the "Tommyverse" to their television web of compromised shows, which HuffPost illustrator, Alissa Scheller, put into visual form. English version of Russian proverb "The hedgehogs got pricked, cried, but continued to eat the cactus". Gow said, "I've heard from TV writers who deliberately put in references to draw their shows into Tommy's mind. Wikipedia describes the content of the show as: Though the series dealt with serious issues of life, death, the medical profession, and the human effects of all three, a substantial number of comedic moments, inside jokes, and references to television history were included, as well as tender moments of humanity. When NBCs hour-long hospital drama St. Elsewhere': About that snow-globe ending. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Flashforward! "The discussion began on alt.tv.homicide, a newsgroup that discussed Homicide: Life on the Street," Gow tells Mental Floss. Are you and I??? Observers of the theory take issue with the idea out of what they deem is a misunderstanding of an authors intent.
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