30 Examples Of TV Show Writers' Remarkable Attention To Detail That Left Viewers Amazed

The smallest details can determine a show's success.

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• March 13, 2024

When you pay attention to the small things in making something like a book, painting, or movie, you have a better chance of making it big and loved by people all around the world. Whether it's a story about a magical land or a future with high-tech gadgets, making it feel real and detailed is super important.

Sometimes, it's the little things that can make a show stand out. This is what the r/TVDetails subreddit is all about.

It's a place on the internet where fans of TV shows come together to talk about the cool little things they notice in their favorite shows that most people might miss. We've looked through a bunch of these details to show you how smart and creative the people who make these shows are.

Get ready to see these TV shows in a new light. Take someone like J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote "The Lord of the Rings." He wasn't just a writer; he created whole new languages, histories, and cultures for his stories. That kind of deep detail is what makes his world so believable and immersive. That's the kind of detail that the folks over at r/TVDetails are celebrating in TV shows today.

It shows that paying attention to the little things can make a big difference.

Some writers go above and beyond

1. "In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dr. Mae Jemison Plays The First Astronaut To Appear In The Show. She Is Also The First Black Woman To Go To Space"

2. "Chip & Dale Were Actually Dressed Like Indiana Jones And Magnum P.i"

3. "Arthur And Buster Are Such Good Friends That They Each Have Slippers Of The Other!"

4. "In The 1990’s Version Of Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Her Biology Teacher Was Mr. Poole. His Full Name Is Eugene Poole, But He Goes By Gene. That Means Her Biology Teacher Was Gene Poole"

5. "In The 1st Episode Of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Will Asks Geoffrey Not To Use The Master Title. Geoffrey Says It's Necessary For A Butler"

6. "In Got, Daenerys Gets More Braids In Her Hair As She Wins More Victories - Following The Dothraki Tradition And Proving Her Valour As A Khaleesi"

7. "[frasier] Chair Goes In, Chair Goes Out. 11 Years Later. Same Actor, Same Shirt"

8. "In The Simpsons, Season 25, Episode 6, Maggie Is Seen Playing With 'Play-Annoyed Grunt'. Annoyed Grunt Is The How Homer's Catch-Phrase, D'oh, Is Represented In The Show's Scripts"

9. "In The Handmaid's Tale, The Stop Signs Have A Hand Signal Instead Of The Word "Stop" Because The Women Are Not Permitted To Read"

10. "[batman]'s Famous Dutch Tilt Angle Was Only Ever Used In Villains' Lairs, As A Visual Cue That They Were "Crooked"

11. "In S7e10 Of Futurama, The Professor Returns To His Childhood Home Where He Has "Transformers" Bedsheets"

12. "In S9:e4 Of The Office “Work Bus” Kevin Can Suddenly Do The Math To Figure Out The Time To The Pie Shop Based On Distance And Speed"

13. "In Friends S08e17 The One With The Tea Leaves, Ross' T-Shirt Has An Image On It Which Means "Friends" In Sign Language"

14. "In The Stranger Things Episode ‘Chapter Three: The Pollywog’ (S2e3), If You Look Closely At Mr. Clarke’s Town Model, You Can See The Betelgeuse Tombstone From Beetlejuice (1988)"

15. "In The Scrubs Episode "His Story Iv", The Janitor Makes This Joke, Over Four Years Before Bin Laden Was Discovered In Pakistan"

16. "In Pinky And The Brain S3e13, Brain Exerted Mind Control Over The Audience!"

17. "In The Big Bang Theory Finale Penny Is Wearing The Same Shirt She Wore In The Pilot Episode"

18. "In The Spongebob Squarepants Halloween Special, Sandy Dresses Up As A Pet Goldfish In A Bowl And Squidward “Doesn’t Get It” Because He’s Unaware Of What Life Is Like Beyond The Sea"

19. "In The Last Season Of Modern Family, Claire Asks Gloria If She's Hiding A Pregnancy Behind The Laundry Basket"

20. "Daily Reminder That When The Makers Of Amazing World Of Gumball Found Out A Chinese Company Started Making A Rip Off Version, They Just Made An Entire Episode Roasting Them Called “The Copy Cats”

21. "In The Family Guy Intro, The Sheet Music On Lois' Piano Is Accurate"

22. "Powerpuff Girls S2e9 “Imaginary Fiend” Blossom Crashes Into A Pile Of Coats And Comes Out Dressed As Cartman From South Park"

23. "In Black Mirror’s “Hang The Dj”, Amy Realizes She’s In A Simulation When She Notices She Can Only Skip The Rock 4 Times. She Does This At The 44th Second Of The 44th Minute. It’s Also The 4th Episode Of The 4th Season"

24. "Hbo's Lovecraft Country Recreated This Famous Photograph Of African Americans Lined Up Outside A Relief Agency After The Louisville Flood Of 1937"

25. "In Killing Eve (2018- ), During Opening Credits, Sandra Oh's Name Is Often Accompanied By Lines Including The Word "Oh"

26. "Not Sure How Many People Watch Either Show But One Of The Stores The “Good Girls” Go To Is Cloud 9, The Same Chain Store From “Superstore”

27. "Lost, Season 2, Episode 4, Hurley Is Drinking Milk From A Carton He Found In The Hatch, With A Missing Child Photo Of Walt, Michael’s Son, Who Was Abducted In The Last Episode Of Season 1"

28. "In Community (S3e7), Troy Says Blanket Forts “Aren't Just For When Uncle's Die”

29. Bob’s Burgers We Know The Intro Credits Show A New Pun For The Retail Space And Exterminator Van. But Did You See Jimmy Pesto (Bobs Nemesis) Appearing In The Reflection On The Exterminator Vans Driver Window?"

30. "In The Adventure Time Episode “What Was Missing?” (S03e10), Jake Breaks His Violin In Half So For The Rest Of The Series His Violin Is Duct Taped Together"

The small stuff matters a lot more than we think—it brings the magic to what we watch. Imagine if there was a group of super fans who could spot all the hidden gems in TV shows, kind of like TV detectives.

That's exactly what the r/TVDetails subreddit is like. They find all these cool little things most of us wouldn't notice even if they were super obvious.

So, remember, when you're watching your favorite show, it's those little bits and pieces that make it so awesome. Turns out, the secret to making something really popular is all in the details that we usually overlook.

Damjan