Yeah, it's interesting that reviews of the show's history rarely make a big deal out of the fact that c. 1990 the cast permanently doubled in size.

Another thing to blame on Family Guy (if you're a New Englander - if you're a New Jerseyite I guess it can be the one thing to their credit).

In real life Jim would likely have gotten a job at a different company in the same city (which seems to be where he has lived all his life, although that wasn't made fully clear until later seasons), not the same company in a different city.

Oh, what a shame. But I guess that was the pre-Google/Wikipedia age for you. Nowadays one would do the two minutes of research to find three real Ayatollahs, but back then it was too much trouble.

It was actually former president George H. W. Bush.

A great subtle detail was the picture of Charles II on Wikipedia. Wikipedia articles are indeed frequently padded out with pictures of people mentioned only in passing in the text. (This alleged fact about the Merrie Monarch really is mentioned in the real Wikipedia ambergris article, but alas, without a picture.)

I know this sounds like a bad acid trip, but I seem to remember an episode where they ended up in Guantanamo Bay with other fictional characters including Elmo. Also, Bush was referred to as "Commander Cuckoo Bananas" once.

The Wonder Years alternated Winnie episodes with girl of the week episodes, and I always thought the girl of the week ones were better.

Yeah, the "This doll is valuable and rare" part kind of got forgotten on the Belcher end in favor of "Tina loves this doll," so it wasn't brought up when Tina no longer loved it.

Scrooge McDuck.

"Bonehead" must mean "their head is pure bone with no brains," right? Not "they resemble indigenous Africans who run bones through their noses." I am too lazy to look it up, but it sounds phony to me.

The few Americans (if in fact there are some) don't seem to be getting any inordinate share of publicity.

Fair point, but don't forget Miami was a member for thirteen years. They did not just come and go in a flash.

Wouldn't this "Eastern football conference" just have been the same as the football Big East as it was founded in 1991, only with Penn State instead of Miami? That would be a wash athletically (maybe better in terms of academics/prestige in the pre-revelations days).

In the long, long run, would one more football school (albeit a powerhouse) have made much difference? Penn State would likely have eventually been wooed away by someone with more money, just as BC and Syracuse and Pitt were.

Like a lot of other odd or decidedly non-threatening names, Pelicans has pre-existing associations with the city the team represents.

Oh. Who's being naive, Juarhela?

I think someone once noted that there is a standard "TV living room layout" that can be seen on a wide variety of otherwise different shows, with the central couch being a key element of it.

Yeah, it was never meant to be for "I don't think they're right for each other" situations, but for disclosure of severe impediments (such as one or both's being actually already married, as Deborah notes - cf. Jane Eyre). It was part of the Church of England (a.k.a. Protestant Episcopal in U.S.) wedding service,…

The best-known (or once best-known, even in the post-Arrested-Development world the show seems to be forgotten) is Valerie/Valerie's Family/The Hogan Family. You can read the whole grim story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…