The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase unoriginal, poor television writing and references and parodies many television series. When Troy McClure mentions that Fox can only fill up three slots for the next season, the three series are "Melrose Place", "The X-Files" and "The Simpsons" itself. In the museum of television, Troy walks by posters of spin-offs, such as "The Ropers" (spun off from "Three's Company"), "Laverne & Shirley" (spun off from "Happy Days"), "Rhoda", a show that Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge, once starred in, (spun off from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") and "Fish" (spun off from "Barney Miller"), to demonstrate the power of
1977 World Series having been denied access to the Yankees' clubhouse during the series, asserting that her 14th Amendment right was violated. Ludtke won her case. The 1977 television movie "Murder at the World Series" centered around a fictionalized version of this year's Fall Classic, in which the Houston Astros were playing the Oakland Athletics. At the time, it had been three years since the A's last appeared in a World Series, and would be eleven years until their next appearance; the Astros did not make the playoffs until 1980, win their first pennant until , or their first championship until . 1977