TVXOHOF - HELLO, DOLLY! (THE MAY QUEEN OF 2026)

Here it, the last day of May and it just occurred to me that I never posted the 2026 May Queen of The Television Crossover Hall of Fame!

I need some new interns to keep me on my toes.  My two cats just aren't cutting it!

Well, "Better Late Than Never."  Interestingly enough, that's the title of a Country-Western song, a genre of music which plays a major role in the life of this month's honoree.  Only thing is, Tanya Tucker sings that song, while our inductee into the Hall is....

DOLLY PARTON

From Wikipedia:
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. After achieving success as a songwriter for other artists, Parton's debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, was released in 1967, commencing a career spanning 60 years and 50 studio albums. Referred to as the "Queen of Country", Parton is one of the most-honored female country performers in history and has received various accolades, including eleven Grammy Awards and three Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards including a humanitarian honorary Oscar win in 2025, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.

Here is a list of shows in which Ms. Parton was involved as a member of the League of Themselves.  And as you'll see, she covered the gamut of genres....

THE 49TH ANNUAL MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE (1975)
O'Bservation: She was on the Tom Turkey float.

THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES (1976)

CAPTAIN KANGAROO (1976)
O'Bservation: The Captain would appear in an episode of her variety series the following year.

DOLLY (1976-1977)
O'Bservation: This was her own variety series.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1989)
O'Bservation: She only hosted this one time and only had two demands - she wouldn't use "cuss words," and she didn't want fun poked at Jesus.

DESIGNING WOMEN
THE FIRST DAY OF THE LAST DECADE OF THE ENTIRE TWENTIETH CENTURY, PARTS 1&2 (1990) 

BABES
HELLO, DOLLY (1991)

BIG DREAMS, BROKEN HEARTS: THE DOTTIE WEST STORY (TV Movie 1995)
O'Bservation: She was one of several Country stars who appeared as "talking heads" to add background and/or memories.

JACKIE'S BACK! (TV Movie 1999)

BETTE
HALLOWEEN (2000)

HANNAH MONTANA
1] GOOD GOLLY, MISS DOLLY (2006)
2] I WILL ALWAYS LOATHE YOU (2007)
3] KISS IT ALL GOODBYE (2010)

THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE (2007)

THE YEAR DOLLY PARTON WAS MY MOM (2011 TV Movie)

A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS STORY (2013 TV Movie)
From the IMDb: A young Appalachian mountain girl pursues her dream of becoming a country star against the wishes of her mother. Her journey to the stage at Dollywood with a singing competition hosted by Dolly Parton reunites her with her musician father and uncovers the musical legacy of African-Americans in the world of country music.

AMERICAN PICKERS
MAD AS A PICKER (2014)
O'Bservation: The main reason I included this is because 'American Pickers' has a televersion which played a key role in an episode of 'NCIS'.

SPROUT HOUSE
A DAY WITH DOLLY (2017)

CALL ME KAT (2023)
Where the Soul Never Dies
Written by Wayne Raney
Performed by Dolly Parton
[Acapella rendition at the beginning of the memorial segment]
I Will Always Love You
Written by Dolly Parton
Performed by Dolly Parton
[Acapella at the end of the memorial segment]
Where the Soul Never Dies
Written by Wayne Raney
Performed by Leslie Jordan and Dolly Parton
[Ending montage]
O'Bservation: Dolly appeared at the end of the episode to pay tribute to her friend Leslie Jordan, who had passed away two months earlier. 

ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD

THE ORVILLE

MIDNIGHT BLUE (2022)

O'Bservation: This has to be an alternate Earth because it is set during the same basic timeline as 'Star Trek', which takes precedence.

THE TOONIVERSE

ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS 

URBAN CHIPMUNK (1983)

THE SIMPSONS
SUNDAY, CRUDDY SUNDAY (1999)

A Case of Serendipiteevee?  As I write this, it was the same day when I realized I never posted the induction.  It may have been a sign....  It's May 30th.  And on May 30th, 1966, Dolly Parton wed Carl Dean.  Sixty years ago today. 

Sadly, he passed away last year, so while she is the honoree for May, I'm dedicating this to his memory.

Welcome to the Hall, Ms. Parton!

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....)

TVXOHOF, MEMORIAL TRIBUTE - DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE

On this day, fifty years ago, Agatha Christie passed away.

From Wikipedia:
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), was an English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers, particularly in the mystery genre.

A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime"—a nickname now trademarked by her estate—or the "Queen of Mystery". She wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery “The Mousetrap”, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.

In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. She is the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

Christie's first published book, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”, was released in 1920 and introduced the detective Hercule Poirot, who appeared in 33 of her novels and more than 50 short stories.

Over the years, Christie grew tired of Poirot, much as Doyle did with Sherlock Holmes.  By the end of the 1930s, Christie wrote in her diary that she was finding Poirot "insufferable", and by the 1960s she felt he was "an egocentric creep".

Thompson believes Christie's occasional antipathy to her creation is overstated, and points out that "in later life she sought to protect him against misrepresentation as powerfully as if he were her own flesh and blood". Unlike Doyle, she resisted the temptation to kill her detective off while he was still popular. She married off Poirot's "Watson", Captain Arthur Hastings, in an attempt to trim her cast commitments. 

Miss Jane Marple was introduced in a series of short stories that began publication in December 1927 and were subsequently collected under the title “The Thirteen Problems.”   Marple was a genteel, elderly spinster who solved crimes using analogies to English village life.  

Christie said, "Miss Marple was not in any way a picture of my grandmother; she was far more fussy and spinsterish than my grandmother ever was", but her autobiography establishes a firm connection between the fictional character and Christie's step-grandmother Margaret Miller ("Auntie-Grannie") and her "Ealing cronies".  Both Marple and Miller "always expected the worst of everyone and everything, and were, with almost frightening accuracy, usually proved right". 

Marple appeared in 12 novels and 20 stories.

Christie had a heart attack and a serious fall in 1974, after which she was unable to write.  

Christie never wrote a novel or short story featuring both Poirot and Miss Marple.  In a recording discovered and released in 2008, Christie revealed the reason for this: "Hercule Poirot, a complete egoist, would not like being taught his business or having suggestions made to him by an elderly spinster lady. Hercule Poirot – a professional sleuth – would not be at home at all in Miss Marple's world."

O’Bservation:
Toobworld Central does accept the photo of David Suchet and Joan Hickson as Poirot and Miss Marple to be part of the main Toobworld, just an adventure never seen by the audience in the Trueniverse.

In addition to Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Christie also created amateur detectives Thomas (Tommy) Beresford and his wife, Prudence "Tuppence" Beresford (née Cowley), who appear in four novels and one collection of short stories published between 1922 and 1974. Unlike her other sleuths, the Beresfords were only in their early twenties when introduced in “The Secret Adversary,” and were allowed to age alongside their creator.  She treated their stories with a lighter touch, giving them a "dash and verve" which was not universally admired by critics. Their last adventure, “Postern of Fate, was Christie's last novel. 

The television adaptation “Agatha Christie's Poirot” (1989–2013), with David Suchet in the title role, ran for 70 episodes over 13 series. It received nine BAFTA award nominations and won four BAFTA awards in 1990–1992. The television series “Miss Marple” (1984–1992), with Joan Hickson as "the BBC's peerless Miss Marple", adapted all 12 Marple novels. The French television series “Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie” (2009–2012, 2013–2020), adapted 36 of Christie's stories.

There have been at least fourteen incarnations of Hercule Poirot in the Great Mosaic of the Television Universe, including in the Tooniverse, Skitlandia, a Cineverse Borderland, and of course in the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time, with David Suchet being accepted as the primary Poirot due to the number of episodes to his credit.

As for Miss Marple, she can be found in at least eight Toobworlds, including the Tooniverse and Skitlandia.  For Earth Prime-Time, Joan Hickson is recognized as the premiere Jane Marple.

Other Christie staples, like Tommy and Tuppence Beresford plus “Bundle” Brent, can be found in several alternate Toobworlds as well.

And so, on the anniversary of her passing, Toobworld Central recognizes Dame Agatha’s contributions to the expansion of the TV Universe as a Creator.