TVXOHOF - THE MAY QUEEN, MAY 2025... DR. LILITH STERNIN-CRANE

The month of May brings May flowers and here at the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, it also brings us the Queen of May as the latest inductee.

It may be warmer weather, but for 2025 we’re welcoming an Ice Queen!  (And the way it has been going in April as I write this, it might still be appropriate!)

DR. LILITH STERNIN (CRANE)

From Wikipedia:
Lilith Sternin (formerly Sternin-Crane), M.D., Ph.D., Ed.D, A.P.A. is a fictional character on the American television sitcoms ‘Cheers’ and ‘Frasier’, portrayed by Bebe Neuwirth. The character first appears as a date for Frasier Crane, though mutual hostility and discomfort causes the evening to end badly. Several months later, Lilith meets Frasier again and, with some help from Frasier's ex-fiancée, Diane Chambers, they start a romantic relationship, eventually living together, marrying, and having a son, Frederick.

In the final season of ‘Cheers’, Lilith has an affair with another man and leaves Frasier. The affair later unravels and Lilith returns, seeking reconciliation with Frasier. Although ‘Cheers’ ends ambiguously with regard to Frasier and Lilith's marriage, at the beginning of the spin-off series ‘Frasier’, their divorce has been finalized, with Lilith gaining custody of Frederick and remaining in Boston while Frasier has moved back to his hometown of Seattle. Lilith occasionally appears in ‘Frasier’, sometimes with Frederick.

In the spin-off ‘Frasier’, Lilith and Frasier have divorced, and Frederick continually lives with Lilith in Boston after Frasier's move to Seattle.

Actress Bebe Neuwirth reprises the role of Lilith in several episodes of ‘Frasier’. In her debut ‘Frasier’ episode, "The Show Where Lilith Comes Back" (1994), Lilith calls Frasier during his radio show, which surprises him, and mocks Frasier's psychiatric advice to his callers, especially one who overeats and whom Lilith attempts to help. Later at his apartment, Lilith reminds him about their times together during marriage. They make love at one point, but end up regretting it, strongly indicating no chance of a lasting reconciliation. Throughout the series, Lilith reappears on occasion, often rekindling hers and Frasier's lingering emotional bond, sometimes over concern about the future of Frederick, who also makes recurring appearances.

A running gag throughout ‘Frasier’ is that Frasier's father and brother, Martin Crane and Niles Crane, are never pleased to see Lilith. Martin finds her "weird" and usually shouts out in shock when he unexpectedly sees her in his and Frasier's apartment. Niles resents her for mocking the vows at his wedding but forgives her when she apologizes. Lilith's presence frightens Martin's dog Eddie, terrifying the normally defiant dog into obedience. Martin's live-in physical therapist, Daphne Moon, who fancies herself as having minor psychic abilities, routinely suffers debilitating headaches when Lilith is in town, citing an evil spiritual presence.

Lilith marries her fiancé Brian, an MIT seismologist who appears in only one episode "Adventures in Paradise, Part Two" (1994). A later episode, "Room Service" (1998), reveals that Lilith is recently divorced from Brian after he came out of the closet.

Niles, who a few episodes earlier had also just gotten divorced from Maris, ends up sleeping with Lilith after taking her home. However, the next morning, Frasier shows up and catches them. They end up having a three-way spar analyzing each other's issues.

Lilith returned in the 2023 edition of ‘Frasier’.  Frasier and Lilith avoid each other in the wake of the former's returning to Boston, only running into her by chance a few weeks later. In spite of their earlier détente, the pair immediately start sparring verbally, much to their son's chagrin. They nonetheless attempt to share a place in Freddy's life, but after passionately kissing on his bed, they agree to divide the holidays between them so that Freddy never has to deal with the two of them together.

CHEERS
80 Episodes (1986-1993)

WINGS
1 Episode (1992)

FRASIER
12 Episodes (1994-2003)

FRASIER II
1 Episode (2023)

Welcome to the Hall, Your Majesty....

THURSDAY'S THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - A COUPLE OF GRAYSONS

THURSDAY’S THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY

We’ll see how this goes, but I’m thinking of getting back into a more active role with the Inner Toob blog, beyond the monthly inductions into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame (and the unexpected memorial tributes.)

So I hope to add weekly theories of “relateeveety”, a way to connect TV characters in unofficial (for the most part) family trees.  You may disagree with some of them, which is why I’m presenting them only as theories.  I’m not going to go deeply into these theories; my focus these days is in building my fantasy world.  (One reason I stepped back from the Toobworld concept is that I don’t own it.)

To kick off the weekly theories of relateeveety, here is one which I shared in a Facebook comment recently.  As Stuart Best would say in ‘Murphy Brown’, for alls I know, I’m definitely not the first one to come up with this.  I would not be surprised if it is used in the concept of the Wold Newton Universe….

Mr. Spock’s mother was a human, Amanda Grayson.  She was (will be) supposedly born in 2210, according to one ‘Star Trek’ source.  Her lineage can be traced back to Richard Grayson, known by the nickname of “Dick”, who was the ward of millionaire Bruce Wayne in Gotham City.  What Toobworld at large did not know was that Dick Grayson was also Robin, the Boy Wonder; he was the sidekick to Batman, the Caped Crusader, who was Wayne’s alter-ego.

The 1960s TV series is – for Toobworld purposes – the official setting for the televersions of those DC comic characters (as well as the many other characters depicted in those episodes, everyone from Alfred the butler to King Tut (created for the TV show, but finally made his comic book debut in 2009.)  

‘Batman’ and ‘Star Trek’ share the same world – Earth Prime-Time.

O’Bservations:
1] This is for my purposes as the Toobworld Curator.  Your mileage may vary.

2] I would have used Zelda the Great for a true A to Z, but she has never appeared in the comic books.  So I went with one of my favorites.

In that incarnation, Dick was in high school.  In an interview, Alan Napier (who played Alfred) said that at the beginning of filming, Burt Ward – who played Dick Grayson – was already 21, but he sounded 15.  So, using that for as good a reason as any, I’m going to say that Dick was born in 1951.

And there you have it.  As to when Dick Grayson finally married, or at least fathered a child (no judgments) whose lineage would eventually lead to Amanda Grayson….  I’ll leave that to the fanficcers out there.  I just provide a few building blocks.

Hey now....  That was longer than I thought it would be.

BCnU! 

A LOST CROSSOVER - "DOCTOR WHO" & "DEEP SPACE NINE"

From Screen Rant:
A proposed ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Star Trek’ crossover would have sent the Doctor to ‘Deep Space Nine’. In the early 2010s, IDW released a crossover that saw Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor meet Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise. The book was a hit with fans and critics, and IDW began plans for a follow-up, titled “Domination”. However, due to licensing issues, the series was scrapped early on, depriving fans of what could have been an epic crossover.

Rich Handley, a noted ‘Star Trek’ comics historian, provided more details about the aborted crossover on his website. Details about the project were scarce, but it would have seen the Doctor arrive at Deep Space Nine. While the site did not specify which Doctor the series would star, two clues point towards it being Matt Smith. First, the crossover would have seen print in 2013, and Smith was still the incumbent at that time. Second, “Domination” would have involved companion Clara Oswald, who, while serving with Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor, also traveled with the 11th.

For fans, part of “Domination”’s appeal would have been watching the Doctor interact with Deep Space Nine’s crew, some of whom have rougher edges than their counterparts on the Enterprise. How the Doctor would have taken to former revolutionary Major Kira or Doctor Bashir is anyone’s guess, and thanks to licensing issues, fans will never know. Likewise, fans have been deprived of watching the Doctor potentially put the Founders and the Vorta in their place, which would have been satisfying to read. While another ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Doctor Who’ crossover may be a pipe dream at this point, there are always possibilities—including the potential to go to ‘Deep Space Nine’.

I have one suggestion for a plot sideline – the sonic screwdriver should have in its databanks a record of the DNA for Lady Cassandra O’Brien.  And in a moment of idle curiosity on board the space station, the Doctor surreptitiously takes a reading from Commander Miles O’Brien and finds that through his daughter Molly, he is a direct ancestor to the “Human Trampoline” who was present at the “End of the World”.  

What he does with that information… well, that I would leave in more capable hands.

A CROSSOVER THWARTED

 

CAPTAIN JACK'S THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY

 

In March of 2021, Sarah Brown posted these comparison pictures of Captain Jack Harkness and Jethro Gibbs of ‘NCIS’.

Sarah Brown:

Anyone else? No? Just me?

Most of the people who responded were fixated on the idea that Ms. Brown was suggesting that Mark Harmon could play an older version of Jack.  And maybe she was.  But I chose to think “Inside the Box” with my comment….

Maybe Captain Jack figures in Gibbs’ family tree far enough back. He was certainly around to be a great-great-grandfather.

Using his temporal wrist band, Jack sent himself back to Earth after his “rebirth” thanks to Rose’s powers as the “Bad Wolf”.  But he overshot his landing date and ended up in 1869.  His only choice was to wait it out through Time until he could safely reunite with the Doctor.

During that time, he had several lovers of both sexes and even fathered children.  So it could be that Captain Jack figured in the Gibbs family tree at some point and contributed some of the genetic material that was part of Gibbs’ DNA…..

THURSDAY THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - COLUMBRO

Often with my Thursday Theories of Relateeveety, I often turn to ‘Columbo’ and seek out possible family relations for the various characters in the episodes – murderers, victims, and those on the sidelines.

I think it’s time I turned my attention to the main man himself.  And since he would have been 92 today….

First off, big thanks go out to Ted Kerin, who collected all the info about Lt. Columbo’s family for the best Columbo web site out there.

Q. Did Columbo come from a big family?
A. Yes. His mother was in the hospital having a baby "about once a year for a while there" ("Murder Under Glass"). Dinnertime at the Columbo household 
"was like, well, you know, Madison Square Garden." ("Lady In Waiting")

Q. How many brothers and sisters did Columbo have?
A. Five Brothers and one sister. "We were never lonely." 
("Make Me A Perfect Murder")

Q. How many of Columbo's siblings can you name?
A. He has a brother Sal, who taught him to smoke at age 12 ("Strange Bedfellows"). 

He also had an older brother, who was very popular with the girls: Columbo got "an education" by impersonating his older brother on the telephone when the girls called. ("Murder In Malibu") 

I think we can combine all of those references into being about just one of the Lieutenant’s brothers, excluding his younger brother “Baby”, and O’Bviously that would be Salvatore Columbo.  Sal should then be the brother who taught him to smoke cigars, and he was the one who was popular with the girls in school.  Sal Columbo also has a voice that Frank Columbo found easy to imitate and he might have fallen into sounding exactly the same as Sal out of habit... and because of the cigar habit. 

None of those brothers made it into the ‘Columbo’ series – hey, if we weren’t going to meet his wife, it was unlikely we were ever going to meet his brothers nor his sister Mary.

But of course, I’m not bound by the confines of TV series borders when it come to my theories of relateeveety.  Nothing says we have to find any of them (but especially Sal) within an episode of ‘Columbo’.  I looked elsewhere and finally found him right where I expected to – at least as far as location goes.  New York City.

But as far as the TV series…?

‘DOCTOR WHO’
“THE CHASE:
"FLIGHT THROUGH ETERNITY"

[1966: Atop the Empire State Building, a tour guide is showing the latest group around the Observation Deck.]

GUIDE:
Here on top of the Empire State Building, you're on the hundredth and second story above the ground level. At a height of one thousand four hundred and seventy three feet. This is the tallest building, the tallest structure in the entire world. Now you'll note, when you come up in the elevator, it took you seven minutes. Well, this way down, you wanna get down in a hurry, it would take you thirty seconds.
(laughter)

GUIDE:
Well, of course, we don't recommend that. Now as we gaze out across the panorama. As we gaze out across the imposing panorama of our proud city, you will notice many other notable buildings. Among them the Chrysler Tower, that's one thousand and forty six feet high, and the Chanin Tower, that's six hundred and eighty feet high and already it's threatened with obsolescence.  

Observe also the mighty Hudson river and now if you'll come with me to the north aspect of the building, I will point out many more items of interest.  

And that was that, the scene shifted its attention to one of the stragglers from the tour group named Morton Dill.

Nothing in his speech to the tour group would suggest that he was Columbo’s brother, let alone that he was Salvatore Columbo.  But listen to the way he talks – the raspy quality, the Noo Yawk inflections.  Add to that a similarity in appearance – I’m not saying they’re identical twins but there is a resemblance.

And the actor who played the tour guide, Arne Gordon, was definitely older than Peter Falk.

If you’d like to check out the tour guide “in action”, click on either of these two links below.  You can either watch the full episode or go to about 4:35 into the episode for the beginning of his quick scene.

DOCTOR WHO-FLIGHT THROUGH ETERNITY

Just one more thing….

Making this claim that the tour guide and Lt. Columbo are brothers doesn’t harm the integrity within their respective shows.  It’s all a bit of “wish-craft” on my part to curate this illusion that most TV series are connected in some way. 

And thanks to those skilled in photoshopping, we already know Lieutenant Columbo has dealt with the Time Lord known as the Doctor….

BCnU!

THURSDAY THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE

Back in December of last year, the Facebook group “Columbo TV” held a competition to write a 200 word ‘Columbo’ story.  I submitted a few – one in which the Lieutenant gathered all of the surviving Vito Scotti characters together (one of them had been murdered.)  It was my first attempt and had there been no word limit, I could have had a cool resolution – also at that meeting was the lawyer played by Don Ameche in “Suitable For Framing.”  It would have turned out that he wasn’t there to advise Columbo, but that he proved to be Columbo’s suspect.

But O’Bviously there was no way I could have fit all of that into 200 words. I should have dropped the character of Frank Simpson and made it a self-contained story in which one of the other Vito Scotti characters was the killer.  Probably Thomas Dolan since he had the best line to close out the story – “Perhaps I should consult my solicitor….”

Maybe I’ll give it another go one day.

I also wrote a few others – one in which we got to see the Lieutenant buy that umbrella in London atGrace Brothers; another with Columbo meeting up with Peter Falk at the soundstage for ‘The Larry Sanders Show’; and then of course for this unabashed Whovian, the Doctor got Columbo to go back in Time to check on the status of Amy and Rory, trapped in 1938.

But enough about me.  There were plenty of other stories that really impressed me and it’s a good thing I wasn’t a judge because I probably could never have been able to make a choice.

As this is a Thursday Theory of Relateeveety, there was one story which really impressed me for making a connection I never would have come up with.  And I would like to share it with you here.

The author is Terry Waters and the story combines two ‘Columbo’ episodes:

• “Requiem For A Falling Star”
• “Ashes To Ashes”

I hope you like it as much as I did….

Columbo: Fallen Star

‘Chandler, you have a visitor.’

Nora looked up to see her sister standing outside her cell. They hadn’t spoken for years and now was the worst time she could pick to reconcile. Although, it was probably some kind of game; her sister was good at playing games, especially when it meant dishing up some dirt to sell a news story - true or not.

‘Well, well….’ said her sister, a smile as broad as her hat spread across her face. ‘You have been a bad girl. Would you care to put your side across so my readers can make an informed decision on what really happened between you and Al?’

‘We both know there would be no informed decisions here. Now I remember why we have spent so many years apart.’

‘Nora, didn’t Daddy always tell you to play nicely?’

‘Our father let you get away with murder.’

‘Well, you sure didn’t. I can see I’m not going to get anything here. I’ll have to try and find the truth on my own.’

‘You should be careful about the way you handle your version of the truth, Verity…one day it might just get you killed!’

By Terry Waters

An excellent theory of relateeveety, Terry!

BCnU!

MONDAY MEMORIAL THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - THE PANTUSSOS

From the Los Angeles Times:
Carmine Caridi, the actor best-known for portraying Carmine Rosato in “The Godfather: Part II,” has died. He was 85.

Caridi died on Tuesday after being in a coma at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, his reps confirmed to Variety. TMZ first reported the news.

“From broadway, to film and television, Carmine spent over six decades entertaining audiences, and nothing made him happier,” his reps said in a statement. “His talent, wit, warmth, and charm will be missed. Carmine passed peacefully, surrounded by friends and family, yesterday afternoon at Cedars Sinai Hospital.”

His character in “The Godfather: Part II,” Carmine Rosato, played a key role in the territorial feud with Frank Pentangeli, played by Michael V. Gazzo. Studio executive Robert Evans said in his 1994 memoir “The Kid Stays in the Picture” that Caridi was director Francis Ford Coppola’s first choice for the role of Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather.” However, Evans he said in the book that he over-ruled Coppola because he thought Caridi was too tall for the role, which instead went to James Caan.

I didn't know Mr. Caridi; I got to meet him a couple of times though while I was working at "That Place" in Times Square.  Like a lot of savvy actors in New York City, he knew to come to eat at the cafe which was part of our building, and he would schmooze with us in the lobby who knew him well from his roles.  For just about everybody else among my co-workers, it was his two roles in the second and third "Godfather" movies which they knew best.  For me, being the tele-fanatic, it was his role as Dan in 'Phyllis'.

None of his TV roles are eligible for membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, but I still wanted to find some way to pay tribute to his TV career in some small way.

And looking over his various roles, I found what I was looking for with a theory of "relateeveety".

But first, we have to look at a different actor and his most famous character....

From Wikipedia:
Ernie Pantusso, commonly known as "Coach", is a fictional character on the American television show 'Cheers', portrayed by Nicholas Colasanto between 1982 and 1985. Coach was originally Sam Malone's baseball coach before the show's pilot episode. He later became a bartender of Cheers, while Sam became its owner and another bartender. He is not "worldly wise" but has some shred of wit. He also has a daughter [with his late wife Angela] named Lisa, who appeared in "Coach's Daughter" (1982).

As a young man, Ernie attended Catholic School, but dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. He has a sister and two brothers; the younger brother has a daughter Joyce (Cady McClain), who appears in only "The Godfather, Part III" (episode 117, 1987). 

Occupation
Baseball coach (retired)
Assistant bartender (1982–1985) (until death)
Family
Two unnamed brothers
Unnamed sister
Spouse
Angela (deceased)
Children
Lisa (daughter)
Relatives
Joyce Pantusso (niece)
Phyllis Pantusso (sister-in-law)

Here's my theory of relateeveety - even though he wasn't seen in 'Cheers', Carmine Caridi was that youngest brother of Coach.  He was the father of Joyce Pantusso with his wife Phyllis Pantusso.

Why do I think that unnamed brother would look like Carmine Caridi?  Because Caridi played him in another TV series....

'Taxi'
"Out of Commission" (1981) 
... Lou-Lou Pantusso

From the IMDb:
After Tony's third knockout in five fights, a concerned doctor goes to the boxing commission and convinces them to revoke Tony's license. 

The character of Lou-Lou was based on Tony Danza's real life boxing manager.

A few months later, Lou-Lou Pantusso made another appearance in 'Taxi':

On the Job: Part 1 (1981) 
... Lou-Lou

From the IMDb:
After the Sunshine Cab Company goes bankrupt, the gang decides to meet at Mario's a month later to tell stories about their new jobs.

It turned out that Lou-Lou wasn't just Tony's manager, but he was a bookie as well.  And when Tony needed a job while the cab company was shut down, Lou-Lou hired him to be his "enforcer" in order to get deadbeat gamblers to pay up on their bad bets.  (Tony proved to be too soft for the job, while Lou-Lou proved to be so as well.)

Apparently Lou-Lou realized that he just wasn't cut out for such a life.  Or it could be that soon after trying to shake down the priest, Lou-Lou got in trouble with either the Law or with the Mob and decided it was too hot for him to stay on the East Coast with his wife Phyllis and his daughter Joyce.

They moved to Reedsport, Oregon, and six years later Lou-Lou's daughter Joyce showed up in Boston where she was going to go to college.  And she grew close to her uncle's former "padiwan", Woody Boyd.

According to Toobworld Central rule of thumb, characters are the same age as the actors who played them unless otherwise stated in the script.  So Ernie Pantusso was born in 1924, while his brother Louis "Lou-Lou" Pantusso was born ten years later.  Therefore, he's the younger brother.

Lou-Lou Pantusso was created by Sam Simon who would later go on to write five episodes of 'Cheers' where Ernie Pantusso already existed.  I have to wonder if maybe Simon also had in mind that Lou-Lou was a brother to Coach.

Good night and may God bless, Carmine Caridi....

THURSDAY THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - THE WILLES WOMEN

‘McHale’s Navy’
“Send Us A Hero”
&
‘The Twilight Zone’
“Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?”

Submitted for your approval: Congresswoman Clara Carter Clarke, visiting elected official from Massachusetts, came to Taratupa when she was forty years old.  She left her husband and their daughter Ethel to find a PT boat commander whom she could bring home to the States in order to make speeches to bolster the war effort.

Back home, her young daughter, Ethel, would grow up with dreams of becoming a dancer, only to be disillusioned by Life, men, and what being a “professional dancer” would entail. 

She would marry a man named McConnell, which would prove to be the first of the misjudgments she would make in Life. The last one would be getting back on a bus to cross a rickety bridge on a snowy night.  She was only 38 at the time.

As for her mother the Congresswoman, Representative Clark would have a lasting impact on History by introducing a young PT boat skipper from her home state of Massachusetts to the people of America. 

That young man would eventually become the President of the United States.

Former Representative Clarke died in 1989 when she was 87 years old....

[Jean Willes played both roles.]