Shared universe#Expanded universes

Fiction in some media, such as most television programs and many comic book titles, is understood by viewers or readers to require the contribution of multiple authors and does not by itself create a shared universe and is considered a collaborative art form. Incidental appearances, such as that of d'Artagnan in Cyrano de Bergerac, are considered literary cameo appearances. More substantial interaction between characters from different sources is often marketed as a crossover. While crossovers occur in a shared universe, not all crossovers are intended to merge their settings' back-stories and are instead used for marketing, parody, or to explore "what-if" scenarios, often being one-offs.{{cite book |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |date=Mar 1994 |title=Super Heroes: A Modern Mythology |author=Reynolds, Richard |isbn=978-0-87805-694-1}}{{cite book |editor-first1=Anne |editor-last1=Magnussen |editor-first2=Hans-Christian |editor-last2=Christiansen |title=Comics & Culture: analytical and theoretical approaches to comics |publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press |date=August 1, 2000 |isbn=978-87-7289-580-2}}

It can become difficult for writers contributing to a shared universe to maintain consistency and avoid contradicting details in earlier works, especially when a shared universe grows to be very large. The version deemed "official" by the author or company controlling the setting is known as canon. Not all shared universes have a controlling entity capable of or interested in determining canonicity, and not all fans agree with these determinations when they occur.{{cite book |title=Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers |author=Pustz, Matthew |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |year=1999}} A fanon may instead find some degree of consensus within the setting's fandom.{{cite journal |title=All Shapes of Hunger: Teenagers and Fanfiction |journal=Voya |author=Moore, Rebecca C. |date=Apr 2005}}

Some writers, in an effort to ensure that a canon can be established and to keep details of the setting believable, employ tools to correct contradictions and errors that result from multiple contributors working over a long period of time. One such tool is retconning, short for "retroactive continuity", which resolves errors in continuity that came about through previously-written conflicting material.{{cite journal |title=Retcon Tricks |journal=Star Trek Monthly Magazine |author=Jones, Nick |date=Feb 2002 |pages=18–21}}

Readers may also object when a story or series is integrated into a shared universe, feeling it "requir[es] one hero's fans to buy other heroes' titles".{{cite journal |title="Blown To Atoms or Reshaped At Will": Recent Books About Comics |author=Burt, Stephen |journal=College Literature |date=Winter 2005 |volume=32 |page=166 |doi=10.1353/lit.2005.0004|s2cid=143968817 }}

Comics historian Don Markstein first defined the term in a 1970 article in CAPA-alpha. He laid out the following criteria:[https://archive.today/20190531164542/http://toonopedia.com/universe.htm THE MERCHANT OF VENICE meets THE SHIEK OF ARABI], by Don Markstein (as "Om Markstein Sklom Stu"), in CAPA-alpha #71, September 1970; archived at Don Markstein's Toonopedia

1. If characters A and B have met, then they are in the same universe; if characters B and C have met, then, transitively, A and C are in the same universe.
2. Characters cannot be connected by real people — otherwise, it could be argued that Superman and the Fantastic Four were in the same universe, as Superman met John F. Kennedy, Kennedy met Neil Armstrong, and Armstrong met the Fantastic Four.
3. Characters cannot be connected by characters "that do not originate with the publisher" — otherwise it could be argued that Superman and the Fantastic Four were in the same universe, as both met Hercules.
4. Specific fictionalized versions of real people — for instance, the version of Jerry Lewis from DC Comics' The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, who was distinct from the real Jerry Lewis in that he had a housekeeper with magical powers — can be used as connections; this also applies to specific versions of public-domain fictional characters, such as Marvel Comics' version of Hercules or DC Comics' version of Robin Hood.
5. Characters are only considered to have met each other if they appeared together on-panel in a story.

{{Main|List of fictional universes in literature}}

The expansion of existing material into a shared universe is not restricted to settings licensed from movies and television. For example, Larry Niven opened his Known Space setting to other writers initially because he considered his lack of military experience prevented him from adequately describing the wars between mankind and the Kzinti.{{cite web |author=Scribner, Ted|title=Novel Collaborations |url=http://www.larryniven.org/collaborations.shtml |access-date=2007-01-13 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070110055400/http://www.larryniven.org/collaborations.shtml |archive-date = 2007-01-10|display-authors=etal}} The degree to which he has made the setting available for other writers became a topic of controversy, when Elf Sternberg created an erotic short story set in Known Space following an author's note from Niven indicating that "[i]f you want more Known Space stories, you'll have to write them yourself".{{cite book |title=The Ringworld Engineers |url=https://archive.org/details/ringworldenginee00nive |url-access=registration |author=Niven, Larry |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston |year=1980|isbn=9780030213762 }} Niven has since clarified that his setting is still to be used only "under restricted circumstances and with permission",{{cite web |title=Ladies and Gentlemen, Dr. Larry Niven |publisher=Slashdot |date=2003-03-10 |access-date=2007-01-13 |url=http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/03/10/167206&mode=thread&tid=134&tid=192 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213110227/http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03%2F03%2F10%2F167206&mode=thread&tid=134&tid=192 |archive-date=February 13, 2010 |df=mdy-all }} which Niven granted to the several authors of the Man-Kzin Wars series. By contrast, author Eric Flint edited and published collaborations with fan fiction writers directly, expanding his 1632 series.{{cite web |title=1632: About this Site |author=Eves, David |date=Sep 2005 |url=http://1632.org/About.html |access-date=2007-06-14 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928054954/http://1632.org/About.html |url-status=dead }}

A setting may also be expanded in a similar manner after the death of its creator, although this posthumous expansion does not meet some strict definitions of a shared universe. One such example is August Derleth's development of the Cthulhu Mythos from the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, an approach whose result is considered by some to be "completely dissimilar" to Lovecraft's own works.{{cite web |last=Tierney |first=Richard L. |title=The Derleth Mythos |publisher=Nightscapes |date=2004-09-09 |url=http://www.epberglund.com/RGttCM/nightscapes/NS04/hplnf3.htm |access-date=2007-01-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209052219/http://www.epberglund.com/RGttCM/nightscapes/NS04/hplnf3.htm |archive-date=February 9, 2007 |df=mdy-all }} Less controversial posthumous expansions include Ruth Plumly Thompson's and later authors' sequels to L. Frank Baum's Oz stories and the further development of Isaac Asimov's Foundation universe by Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, and David Brin.{{cite web |title=Following Asimov's Foundation |publisher=Cyberhaven |year=1999 |url=http://www.cyberhaven.com/books/sciencefiction/bear.html |access-date=2007-06-14 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070811055828/http://cyberhaven.com/books/sciencefiction/bear.html |archive-date = 2007-08-11}}

Many other published works of this nature take the form of a series of short-story anthologies with occasional standalone novels. Examples include Robert Lynn Asprin's Thieves' World,{{cite web |title=A Conversation with Lynn Abbey |author=Silver, Steven H. |publisher=SF Site |url=http://www.sfsite.com/11a/la139.htm |date=Oct 2002 |access-date=2007-06-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426102845/http://www.sfsite.com/11a/la139.htm |archive-date=April 26, 2007 |df=mdy-all }} C. J. Cherryh's Merovingen Nights{{cite web |last=Cherryh |first=C.J. |title=C.J.Cherryh's Book Order Page |url=http://www.cherryh.com/www/order.htm |access-date=2007-01-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203145643/http://www.cherryh.com/www/order.htm |archive-date=February 3, 2007 |df=mdy-all }} and Janet Morris' Heroes in Hell.{{cite book|author=Orson Scott Card|title=How to write science fiction & fantasy|url=https://archive.org/details/How_to_Write_Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy_by_Orson_Scott_Card|publisher=Writer's Digest Books|year=1990|page=[https://archive.org/details/How_to_Write_Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy_by_Orson_Scott_Card/page/n129 126]|isbn=9780898794168}}

{{Main|List of fictional universes in animation and comics}}

Within comics, the term shared universe has been used to reflect the overall milieu created by the comic book publisher in which characters, events, and premises from one product line appear in other product lines in a media franchise.

By 1961, Marvel Comics writer and editor Stan Lee, working with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, merged the bulk of the publisher's comics characters into the Marvel Universe. Marvel sets its stories in an increasing number of alternate realities, each with an assigned number in a greater "multiverse".{{cite book |title=Marvel Encyclopedia Volume 6: Fantastic Four |publisher=Marvel Comics |date=2004-11-24 |isbn=978-0-7851-1480-2 |first=Kit |last=Kiefer}} DC Comics and Marvel have also periodically co-published series in which their respective characters meet and interact. These intercompany crossovers have typically been written as self-limiting events that avoid implying that the DC Universe and Marvel Universe co-exist. Exceptions include the twenty-four comics released under the metafictional imprint Amalgam Comics in 1996, depicting a shared universe populated by hybridizations of the two companies' characters. Marvel has since referred to this as part of its setting's greater multiverse by labeling it Earth-692.

Although DC and Marvel's shared universe approaches to comics have set them apart from competitors in the industry,{{cite web|last=Fowler |first=Brant W. |title=Myth Conceptions: 'Summer Blockbusters' |publisher=Silver Bullet Comics |date=2006-06-05 |url=http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/news/story.php?a=1719 |access-date=2007-01-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026024638/http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/news/story.php?a=1719 |archive-date=October 26, 2006 }} other companies have attempted similar models. Valiant Comics and Crossgen both produced titles primarily set from their inception in a single, publisher-wide shared universe, known respectively as Unity{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Andy |title=The Valiant Comics F.A.Q. |publisher=Sequart |url=http://www.sequart.com/articles/index.php?article=1294 |date=2006-07-10 |access-date=2007-01-12 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061023211507/http://www.sequart.com/articles/index.php?article=1294 |archive-date = 2006-10-23}} and the Sigilverse.{{cite web|last=Lander |first=Randy |title=Negation War #1 |publisher=The 4th Rail |url=http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/snapjudgments/032904/negationwar1.shtml |access-date=2007-01-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061120030556/http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/snapjudgments/032904/negationwar1.shtml |archive-date=November 20, 2006 }}

{{Main|List of fictional shared universes in film and television}}

Universes in films (or television) mostly consist of a franchise featuring an umbrella of multiple franchises (film or television) set within the same continuity, each franchise within telling its own stand-alone story focusing on a different character (or group of characters), as well as featuring its own cast, directors, and writers, while also being a part of a coherent, non-contradictory continuity shared with the other works. Fictional universes with major presence in films are referred to as cinematic universes, while fictional universes with major presence in television are referred to as television universes. Universes with major presence in both films and television are also generally called cinematic universes. Some film and television universes are accompanied by video games, and print works such as novels or comics, telling additional canonical stories set within the same continuity.

Following the films Son of Frankenstein (1939) and Dracula's Daughter (1935), Universal began experimenting with transfictional storytelling with their horror films series throughout the early to mid 1940s.{{cite book|title=Horror Franchise Cinema|editor-last1=McKenna|editor-first1=Mark|editor-last2=Proctor|editor-first2=William|chapter=Building Imaginary Horror Worlds: Transfictional storytelling and the Universal Monster franchise cycle|last=Proctor|first=William|isbn=978-0367183271|publisher=Routledge|year=2021|page=44-45}} This form was conceptualized by Richard Saint-Gelais who described it as when "two (or more) texts exhibit a transfictional relationship where they share elements, such as characters, imaginary locations, and fictional worlds."{{cite book|title=Horror Franchise Cinema|editor-last1=McKenna|editor-first1=Mark|editor-last2=Proctor|editor-first2=William|chapter=Building Imaginary Horror Worlds: Transfictional storytelling and the Universal Monster franchise cycle|last=Proctor|first=William|isbn=978-0367183271|publisher=Routledge|year=2021|page=44-45}}{{cite book|title=The Routledge Companion of Narrative Theory|editor-last1=Herman|editor-first1=David|editor-last2=Jahn|editor-first2=Manfred|editor-last3=Ryan|editor-first3=Marie-Laure|pages=612–613|publisher=Routledge|chapter=Transfictionality|year=2005}}

William Proctor in Horror Franchise Cinema (2021) wrote that Universal began transfictional storytelling by applying it to the film series, but these experiments were "not always conducted as carefully or as thoroughly as audiences, especially fans, would expect in contemporary terms".{{cite book|title=Horror Franchise Cinema|editor-last1=McKenna|editor-first1=Mark|editor-last2=Proctor|editor-first2=William|chapter=Building Imaginary Horror Worlds: Transfictional storytelling and the Universal Monster franchise cycle|last=Proctor|first=William|isbn=978-0367183271|publisher=Routledge|year=2021|pages=40–41}} This is seen in Universal's Frankenstein films, the Dracula films which are sequentially fragmented as Son of Dracula (1943) does not reference narratives or characters from either Dracula (1931) or Dracula's Daughter.{{cite book|title=Horror Franchise Cinema|editor-last1=McKenna|editor-first1=Mark|editor-last2=Proctor|editor-first2=William|chapter=Building Imaginary Horror Worlds: Transfictional storytelling and the Universal Monster franchise cycle|last=Proctor|first=William|isbn=978-0367183271|publisher=Routledge|year=2021|pages=40–41}} Following the release of The Wolf Man (1941) and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Universal released Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1942) which operated as a sequel to both films. Proctor suggested that the Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1942), the first crossover in film history, and the ensemble films House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945) established the first "cinematic universe".{{cite book|title=Horror Franchise Cinema|editor-last1=McKenna|editor-first1=Mark|editor-last2=Proctor|editor-first2=William|chapter=Building Imaginary Horror Worlds: Transfictional storytelling and the Universal Monster franchise cycle|last=Proctor|first=William|isbn=978-0367183271|publisher=Routledge|year=2021|pages=42}}

Some universes in film have originated as film adaptations of novels, such as the James Bond film series based on the spy novels by Ian Fleming. The films adapt some elements from the novels; however, they are not direct adaptations, nor were they adapted in the same order as the books were released. The first film in the series is Dr. No (1962), followed by 24 sequels, with the most recent being No Time to Die (2021). Due to the series spanning more than 50 years, James Bond has been portrayed by six actors, and other recurring characters have also been portrayed by multiple actors. After all of Fleming's Bond novels were adapted, the series shifted towards original scripts. However, all films are set within a single, coherent fictional continuity, even if the writers, directors and cast change between films. Aspects of the fictional universe are retained between films.{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-worst-best/|title=Every James Bond Movie Ever, Ranked Worst To Best|website=Screen Rant|date=April 16, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717200714/http://screenrant.com/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-worst-best/|archive-date=July 17, 2017|df=mdy-all}}

The Planet of the Apes film series also originated as a film adaptation of the novel of the same name, taking many creative liberties. The original film titled Planet of the Apes (1968) focused on present-day astronaut George Taylor landing on a mysterious planet ruled by apes, which is revealed to be a future planet Earth at the end of the film. The sequel Beneath focused on Brent, an astronaut sent on a rescue mission to save Taylor. The third film Escape introduced time travel and shifted the focus towards the apes Zira and Cornelius, who appeared as supporting characters in the previous films, as they travel to the past in Taylor's spaceship. The fourth and fifth films, Conquest and Battle, focus on Zira and Cornelius' son Caesar leading the uprising against the humans and to the future depicted in the original film. A television series and an animated series are also considered part of the story.{{cite web|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/planet-of-the-apes-a-timeline-and-an-explanation-1603218068|title=Planet of the Apes: A Timeline and an Explanation|first=Annalee|last=Newitz|date=July 10, 2014 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713112149/http://io9.gizmodo.com/planet-of-the-apes-a-timeline-and-an-explanation-1603218068|archive-date=July 13, 2017|df=mdy-all}} The origin of the Planet of the Apes in the original timeline before the time travel occurred was explained in a prequel-reboot film series with the ape Cesar becoming the main protagonist again, with the story focused on his life from childhood to an old ape, and how the conflict between the apes and the humans started.{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2016/12/9/13899502/planet-of-the-apes-series-war-dawn-rise-reboot-franchise-right|title=The Planet of the Apes series is quietly showing the world how to reboot a franchise right|publisher=The Verge|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610123359/https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2016/12/9/13899502/planet-of-the-apes-series-war-dawn-rise-reboot-franchise-right|archive-date=June 10, 2017|df=mdy-all|date=December 9, 2016}}

The Star Wars film series was created by George Lucas, produced by his self-funded production company Lucasfilm. It originated with the film Star Wars (1977), followed by two sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983); together, those three films are known as the original trilogy and focuses on Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia. The prequel trilogy composed of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) expanded the series into a Saga, and focused on Luke Skywalker's father Anakin Skywalker, new cast members portrayed younger versions of characters from the original trilogy, while other actors returned to their original trilogy roles.

On television, the lore was expanded through animation, the animated film titled Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) served as the pilot of an animated series of the same name (2008–2014, 2020). Lucas was deeply creatively involved in the previously mentioned works, but he ceased creative involvement with the Star Wars franchise in 2014. Lucasfilm announced that from April 2014, only such previously mentioned works would be considered canonical, along with all of the fictional works released after such date. The animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018), was the first work released after. A sequel trilogy formed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) featured many returning cast members along with newcomers. The films' main saga is conformed of the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies. A concurrent spin-off film series, known as the anthology films, expands the stories of plot points and characters from the main series.

Additionally the Star Wars series expanded into video games, comics, novels, short stories, animated series, and RPG adventures, telling original stories based on the franchise, classifying it as an imaginary entertainment environment,Mackay, Daniel. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45575501 The Fantasy Role-Playing Game: A New Performing Art] (Jefferson, NC: McFarland. 2001) pp. 29–30. where the films share the same continuity as all the other media formats, regardless of the different media formats. Lucasfilm's early teams under Carol Wakarska (later Titleman), Lucy Wilson, Allan Kausch, Sue Rostoni, and later, Leland Chee and Pablo Hidalgo, coordinated a cohesive story-telling and ensured consistency and synergy by avoiding plot holes between all the film and non-film works. The Star Wars Legends brand is now used to brand all the re-prints of these Expanded Universe works (television films, animated series, video-games, comics, and novels) of the franchise which were produced and/or ceased production before April 2014. Lucas praised these expansions of his work in the introduction to the reprinted Splinter of the Mind's Eye, and included a few elements within his works, such as characters and places. Storytellers after Lucas have also incorporated Legends elements in their stories.{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-story-group-shared-universe/|title=How Star Wars Mastered the Shared Universe|website=Screen Rant|date=May 4, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517220938/http://screenrant.com/star-wars-story-group-shared-universe/|archive-date=May 17, 2017|df=mdy-all}}

As for comic book-based films, there are two cinematic universes based on Marvel Comics characters, both set within a different continuity. The X-Men film series, which originated in 2000, was the longest-running superhero film franchise to be set within the same continuity. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has the most films, as well as multiple TV shows and a separate run of tie-in comics that co-exist and share the same as well as parallel continuities (as part of a multiverse), making the MCU an imaginary entertainment environment. The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is a shared universe that encompasses different film franchises based on DC Comics characters, all of them sharing a continuity.

In horror, Forbes and The Hollywood Reporter described The Conjuring as the first successful cinematic universe after Marvel's universe, and {{asof|2022|lc=y}} the second most-successful after it.{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2016/08/04/why-the-dc-comics-franchise-is-hurting-warner-bros/ |title=The DC Comics Movies Are Hurting Warner Bros. |last=Mendelson |first=Scott |website=Forbes |date=August 4, 2016 |access-date=April 29, 2017}}{{Cite magazine |last=Davids |first=Brian |date=2022-02-26 |title=Taissa Farmiga on 'The Gilded Age' and 'The Nun' Sequel Talks |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/gilded-age-taissa-farmiga-1235099898/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

Writer/director Kevin Smith created a fictional universe used in several of his films, as well as comics and a television series: the View Askewniverse,{{cite web | title=The View Askewniverse | url=http://www.viewaskew.com | website=The View Askewniverse | access-date=December 29, 2017 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216205425/http://www.viewaskew.com/ | archive-date=December 16, 2017 | df=mdy-all }} which is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob (played by Smith) appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Recurring characters, settings, and motifs of the View Askewniverse first appeared in Smith's debut film, Clerks, in 1994.

A cinematic universe consisting of films whose titles are the names of songs by Simon and Garfunkel was proposed and publicly discussed by movie creators in 2017.{{cite news | last=Holloway | first=Daniel | date=May 26, 2017 | title=Edgar Wright, Dwayne Johnson, Rian Johnson, Marc Webb, Lin-Manuel Miranda Plot Simon & Garfunkel Movie Universe | work=Variety | url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/edgar-wright-simon-garfunkel-1202446412/ | access-date=December 19, 2017 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051923/http://variety.com/2017/film/news/edgar-wright-simon-garfunkel-1202446412/ | archive-date=December 22, 2017 | df=mdy-all }} Filmmaker Edgar Wright wrote that the Simon and Garfunkel cinematic universe could begin with his movie Baby Driver and Marc Webb's The Only Living Boy in New York, and Wright suggested creation of a film named So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright.{{cite news | last=Butler | first=Will | date=May 27, 2017 | title=Edgar Wright, Dwayne Johnson and Star Wars' Rian Johnson plan Simon and Garfunkel movie universe | work=NME | url=https://www.nme.com/news/edgar-wright-dwayne-simon-garfunkel-movie-universe-2079826 | access-date=December 19, 2017 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052626/http://www.nme.com/news/edgar-wright-dwayne-simon-garfunkel-movie-universe-2079826 | archive-date=December 22, 2017 | df=mdy-all }} Subsequently, other writers, directors, and actors expressed their interest in making films within the universe, such as Rian Johnson: Keep the Customer Satisfied; Lin-Manuel Miranda: Cecilia; Marc Webb and Dwayne Johnson: I Am a Rock.{{cite web | last=Bui | first=Hoai-Tran | date=May 29, 2017| title=Edgar Wright Recruits Everyone for a Totally Real, Not a Joke Simon and Garfunkel Song Title Universe | work=Slashfilm | url=https://www.slashfilm.com/simon-and-garfunkel-movie-universe/ | access-date=December 19, 2017}}

This refers to universes that are based on television shows without any films. Television series may lead to a spin-off series set in the same universe, often focusing on a single character from the original. The American sitcom Cheers led to two spin-off series, Frasier and The Tortellis.

An example of shared universes among television shows is the Tommy Westphall Universe Hypothesis, which suggests that hundreds of American television series take place in the same universe. It builds from the assumption that when an actor playing a character from one series guest-stars in a second series, in character, both of those series must take place in the same universe. The theory takes its name from a character in the final episode of St. Elsewhere, where the common interpretation of the events of that finale is that the entire St. Elsewhere universe – including all connected series – exist only within Westphall's imagination.{{cite thesis|last1=Gravely|first1=Gary|title=A Multiverse of Narratives: Possible Worlds Theory and Authorship From the Lone Artist to Corporate Authors|date=August 2015|institution=Middle Tennessee State University|location=Murfreesboro, TN|pages=166–167|degree=Ph.D.|id=No. 3719757{{ProQuest|1718228166}}}}

The spin-off media from Doctor Who, known as the "Whoniverse", has relatively little consistency given its division into audio plays produced by Big Finish and the BBC, the New Adventures universe novel, or a universe based on comics published in Doctor Who Magazine and other publications.{{cite web |title=Gary Russell two |work=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2004/01/01/13770.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721053617/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2004/01/01/13770.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-21 |date=2004-01-01 |access-date=2007-01-14}}

Television network The CW broadcasts the Arrowverse, a shared universe of television shows based on characters from DC Comics.{{cite web|title=Is Black Lightning Part Of The Arrow-verse? Here's What The CW President Said|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1660609/is-black-lightning-part-of-the-arrow-verse-heres-what-the-cw-president-said|website=CINEMABLEND|access-date=24 March 2018|date=18 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225005207/https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1660609/is-black-lightning-part-of-the-arrow-verse-heres-what-the-cw-president-said|archive-date=December 25, 2017|df=mdy-all}} The CW also houses The Vampire Diaries Universe, a shared universe of various interconnected television series; The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Legacies.{{Cite web | first1=Lesley |last1=Goldberg |first2=Philiana |last2=Ng |date=2013-01-11 |title='Vampire Diaries' Spinoff 'The Originals' in the Works at CW |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/vampire-diaries-spinoff-works-at-411487/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last1=Schneider |first1=Michael |date=2009-10-21 |title=CW orders more 'Vampire Diaries' |url=https://variety.com/2009/tv/news/cw-orders-more-vampire-diaries-1118010217/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine |first1=Samantha |last1=Highfill |title=The CW picks up 'Legacies,' the Hope-centric 'Originals' spin-off |date=May 11, 2018 |url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/11/cw-orders-originals-spinoff-legacies/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en}}{{Cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |date=2018-03-06 |title='TVD/The Originals' Universe Spinoff: Matt Davis & Danielle Rose Russell Lead Cast of Hope-Centric Series In Works At the CW |url=https://deadline.com/2018/03/the-vampire-diaries-the-originals-universe-spinoff-matt-davis-danielle-rose-russell-cast-hope-centric-series-the-cw-aria-shahghasemi-quincy-fouse-jenny-boyd-and-kaylee-bryant-1202312569/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has had expanded into multiple interconnected television universes through shows produced by Marvel Television, such as Marvel's ABC television series, Marvel's Netflix television series, Marvel's young adult television series, and the planned Adventure into Fear franchise.{{Cite web |last1=Patten |first1=Dominic |date=2019-08-12 |title=Marvel TV Boss Jeph Loeb On Secret ABC Series, Disney+, 'Legion' End, More Crossovers, 'Ghost Rider' & Hulu Plans |url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/marvel-jeph-loeb-interview-disney-legion-netflix-runaways-ghost-rider-howard-the-duck-hulu-1202666578/ |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |date=2017-07-27 |title=Hulu's 'Runaways' "Lives in the Same World" as Other Marvel Fare |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hulus-runaways-lives-same-world-as-marvel-fare-1024910/ |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Daredevil (TV series) |url=https://ew.com/creative-work/marvels-daredevil/ |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=EW.com |language=en}} After Marvel Television was folded into Marvel Studios in December 2019, streaming television shows set in the MCU were developed for Disney+, beginning with WandaVision (2021).{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=2019-12-10 |title=Marvel TV Division Folded Into Studio Unit, Layoffs Expected |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/marvel-tv-division-folded-studio-unit-layoffs-expected-1261586/ |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

The concept of "universes" has also occasionally been discussed in the context of reality television franchises (which, though documenting real-life individuals and situations, typically involve a significant amount of producer guidance). TLC reality series 90 Day Fiancé has had a large number of spinoffs, which have aired both on TLC and on sibling streaming service Discovery+; these have occasionally been referred to, by both parent company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and others, as a "universe".{{cite web|url=https://www.whattowatch.com/features/the-90-day-fiance-universe-explained|title=The 90 Day Fiancé universe explained|first=Stephanie|last=Williams|work=What to Watch|date=June 19, 2022|access-date=August 5, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/90-day-fiance-how-to-watch-franchise-guide.html|title=So You're Ready to Explore the World of 90 Day Fiancé ...|first=Ashley|last=Ray-Harris|work=Vulture|date=December 17, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2022}}{{cite press release|url=https://www.tlc.com/inside-tlc/90-day-universe-comes-to-discovery-plus-with-exclusive-new-series|title=90 Day Universe Comes to discovery+ with Exclusive New Series|author=TLC|date=January 2021|access-date=August 5, 2022}} In a 2022 investor presentation, WBD executives referenced the "90 Day Fiancé Universe" as being a core franchise for the company, on par with Game of Thrones and the DC Comics superheroes.{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/hbo-max-discovery-plus-genredom-male-skew-merger-1849375117|title="Genredoms," "male skew", and all the other dumb stuff from today's HBO Max/Discovery+ merger|first=William|last=Hughes|work=The A.V. Club|date=August 5, 2022|access-date=August 5, 2022}}

{{Main|List of fictional universes in animation and comics}}

The Mickey Mouse universe dates back to the 1930s when the animated cartoon was expanded into a newspaper strip. Although the characters occasionally portray other roles and with other names, the writers address this discrepancy by thinking of the characters as being "employed" by Disney as actors. Walt Disney, when asked whether or not Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse were married, replied that the mice were indeed married in their "private life", but that they sometimes appeared as boyfriend and girlfriend for "screen purposes".{{cite book |last = Holliss |first = Richard |author2=Brian Sibley |title = Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: His Life and Times |url = https://archive.org/details/waltdisneysmicke00holl |url-access = registration |year = 1986 |publisher = Harper & Row |location = New York |isbn = 0-06-015619-8 |page = [https://archive.org/details/waltdisneysmicke00holl/page/33 33] }} The Mickey Mouse universe also includes the Donald Duck universe as a subset.

The Pixar universe is an elaborate fan theory suggesting that all Pixar animated movies take place in the same universe. At the 2015 D23 Expo, during the "Pixar Secrets Revealed" panel, director Mark Andrews rejected the theory, with Inside Out co-director Ronnie del Carmen adding "Do you know what kinds of meetings we'd have to have to make sure all our movies line up?!"{{cite news|title=10 Things We Learned from the 'Pixar Secrets Revealed' Panel|url=http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/2015/08/16/10-things-we-learned-from-the-pixar-secrets-revealed-panel/|access-date=August 17, 2015|newspaper=Oh My Disney|date=August 16, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817120038/http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/2015/08/16/10-things-we-learned-from-the-pixar-secrets-revealed-panel/|archive-date=August 17, 2015|df=mdy-all}}

The DC Animated Universe (DCAU) is a television universe that encompasses different animated series based on characters from DC Comics but its associated media includes feature and short films, comic books and video games as well.

Shared timeslines originate in video games and the internet. The influence of the Internet on collaborative and interactive fiction has also resulted in a large number of amateur shared universe settings. Amateur authors have created shared universes by contributing to mailing lists, story archives and Usenet. One of the earliest of these settings, SFStory, saw its spin-off setting Superguy cited as illustrative of the potential of the Internet.{{cite book |author1=Engst, Adam C. |author2=William Dickson |name-list-style=amp |title=Internet Explorer Kit |publisher=Hayden Books |date=1994-01-15 |isbn=978-1-56830-089-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/internetexplorer00engs }} Another example is the furry-themed Tales from the Blind Pig created at the Transformation Story Archive with some limited publication.{{cite journal |title=Index |journal=Anthro |url=http://www.anthrozine.com/site/everything.html |access-date=2006-12-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426163814/http://www.anthrozine.com/site/everything.html |archive-date=April 26, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite journal |title=Stories |journal=TSAT: Transformation Stories, Art, Talk |issue=21 |url=http://tsat.transform.to/i.21/index.21.html |date=Apr–May 2002 |access-date=2006-12-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908060758/http://tsat.transform.to/i.21/index.21.html |archive-date=September 8, 2006 |df=mdy-all }} Other early examples include the Dargon Project and Devilbunnies.{{cite magazine |title=alt.pave.the.earth |author=Miller, Steve |magazine=Wired |volume=2 |issue=7 |date=Jul 1994 |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.07/alt.pave.html |access-date=2007-05-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929134303/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.07/alt.pave.html |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}

The computer game series Command and Conquer (since 1995) and Red Alert (since 1996) originally were set in the same universe, connected by character Kane, who had a cameo appearance in Red Alert. Though Command and Conquer does not refer to the alternate timeline of Red Alert, in which Hitler was removed before he came to power, what caused an Allied - Soviet world war instead. Furthermore, if the Allied campaign were to be completed, the Allies would emerge victorious and the timeline would lead into the events of Red Alert 2, though the latter completely ignores anything that could connect it to the Tiberium timeline.{{cite web | url=http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=376&st=20&p=6169&#entry6169 | title=C&C Story|date=October 17, 2006|access-date=August 23, 2007|author=Adam Isgreen|publisher=Petroglyph Games|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207075858/http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=376&st=20&p=6169&#entry6169|archive-date=February 7, 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1455&st=0&p=20748&#entry20748 |title=C&C Timeline (ii) |date=December 18, 2006 |access-date=August 23, 2007 |author=Adam Isgreen |publisher=Petroglyph Games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220639/http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1455&st=0&p=20748&#entry20748 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}

The 2000 musical Seussical presented several works of Dr. Seuss as taking place in the same fictional world.

Hasbro toy products including G.I. Joe and Transformers are considered by their manufacturer to exist fictionally within the Hasbro Universe. Related shared universes include the Hasbro Comic Book Universe by IDW Publishing and the Energon Universe by Skybound Entertainment.

In the music industry, all kinds of works by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, such as her songs, albums, music videos, films, tours, promotional activities, as well as the narratives surrounding her, have been collectively referred to as a musical or cinematic universe by several journalists and media outlets.{{Cite web |last1=Feller |first1=Madison |last2=Bailey |first2=Alyssa |date=2021-11-13 |title=Taylor Swift Left So Many Easter Eggs in the 'All Too Well' Short Film |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a38238785/all-too-well-short-film-easeter-eggs-taylor-swift/ |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=ELLE |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Taylor Swift Hid a Bunch of Easter Eggs in the All Too Well Short Film |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/taylor-swift-hid-a-bunch-of-easter-eggs-in-the-all-too-well-short-film |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=Glamour |date=November 13, 2021 |language=en-US}}{{cite magazine |last=Suskind |first=Alex |date=May 9, 2019 |title=New Reputation: Taylor Swift shares intel on TS7, fan theories, and her next era |url=https://ew.com/music/2019/05/09/taylor-swift-cover-story/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812135902/https://ew.com/music/2019/05/09/taylor-swift-cover-story/ |archive-date=August 12, 2019 |access-date=May 13, 2022}}

• Expanded universe
• Fictional crossover
• Intercompany crossover
• Fictional universe
• List of science fiction universes
• {{annotated link|Literary cycle}}
• Media franchise
• Setting (narrative)
• Series fiction
• Spin-off and sister show

{{Reflist|30em}}

• James Lowder. "Shared Worlds". The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Edited by Gary Westfahl. Advisory Board Richard Bleiler, John Clute, Fiona Kelleghan, David Langford, Andy Sawyer, and Darrell Schweitzer. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005. {{ISBN|0-313-32950-8}}/{{ISBN|978-0-313-32950-0}}.{{page needed|date=January 2018}}

{{Fiction writing}}

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{{Fan fiction}}

Category:Continuity (fiction)

Category:Narratology

Category:Setting