17 Costume Details We Never Noticed From TV Shows

Kasia Mikolajczak
hand with remote pointed at the TV
Unsplash | Erik Mclean

I don't know about you, but I used to be a huge TV buff. And I've had my share of favorite TV shows. If you're a perceptive type of person, I bet you must've noticed a few interesting details.

Isn't it amazing how costume designers create the mood and set up the scenes? I absolutely love that. So I thought it would be fun to share some secrets from the sets of some of our favorite shows and the details you may or may not know about. Let's check it out.

'Diff'rent Strokes'

split screen of Gary Coleman in Diff'rent Strokes and Buck Rogers
reddit | u/BigBearChaseMe

"In Diff'rent Strokes Season 2, Episode 24 Gary Coleman wears his costume from Buck Rogers Season 1 - Episode 'Cosmic Whiz Kid' where he played Hieronymous Fox. No mention of his outfit is made in the Diff'rent Strokes episode."

Wow, did you catch that?

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'

scene from Brooklyn Nine-Nine
reddit | u/copper_child

"In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 1, Episode 6 'Halloween,' Rosa Diaz is wearing a bride of Frankenstein costume where the nails on her neck are cut off shotgun slugs, seeing as everyone had to make a costume on the spot with the things they had at the precinct."

I love that.

'Once Upon A Time'

split screen of Maleficent in Once Upon Time and the movie Maleficent
reddit | Reddit | u/jbafofi4

"After the film, Maleficent (2014) came out, Maleficent's subsequent costume in Once Upon A Time was changed to reflect the movie version."

I guess it wasn't such a good idea as the ratings significantly dropped after that.

'How I Met Your Mother'

scene from How I Met Your Mother
reddit | u/jaivster

"In How I Met Your Mother S9E5, in the 2006 flashback, Naomi (The Pumpkin) can briefly be spotted behind Ted, meaning if he wore his 'Hanging Chad' costume, he would've found her four years earlier than depicted."

Oh, my that's a good catch there, huh?

'Sesame Street'

Kermit playing the banjo
reddit | Reddit | u/wimpykidfan37

"Kermit the Frog, as well as his Muppet costars on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, is left-handed because the puppeteers are right-handed, so they perform the puppet's head with their right hands and the puppet's left hand with their left hands, requiring someone else to do the right hand."

Wow, I had no idea about that.

'The Regular Show'

split screen of The Regular Show and Cowboy Bebop
reddit | u/LampytheLampLamp

"In the episode 'Terror Tales from the Park III' from The Regular Show, the character Techmo is seen at a Halloween party wearing a costume based on Spike from Cowboy Bebop. This is because they share the same voice actor, Steve Blum."

Makes total sense to me now.

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'

scenes from Brooklyn 9-9
reddit | u/facuuans

"At the end of Season 2, Episode 04 Amy Santiago is wearing the janitor costume she will wear to win the following Halloween heist."

Did anybody catch that? I think that's a pretty cool detail here. I love how they try to drop some similarities into the seasons.

'Young Justice'

characters from Young Justice TV show
reddit | Reddit

"Everybody on the Young Justice team has a stealth mode on their costume, which turns their costumes black. Except for Robin. Being the son of Batman, it's implied his costume is already colored for stealth."

You don't say.

'Game Of Thrones'

split scren of Tyrion and his father Tywin in Game of Thrones
reddit | u/crogesma

"In GOTs costume tells a story. Tyrion always dresses like his father Tywin."

Aha! I admit I didn't catch that. It's really clever how they came up with that little detail here, huh? I really need to pay more attention, ha, ha.

'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia'

scenes from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
reddit | u/bakedputts

"In the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode 'The Gang gets Trapped' it appears that the gang purchased an Indiana Jones costume before breaking into the house but couldn't decide who should wear it. They instead spilt it up; Charlie got the jacket, Mac the hat, and Frank the whip."

Aha!

'Riverdale'

split screen of Fred from Riverdale and Dylan McKay from Beverly Hills 90210
YouTube | SoAri content

"In the Riverdale flashback episode, Fred's outfit during detention is almost an exact match of Dylan McKay's iconic look in 90210. Luke Perry plays both adult Fred and Dylan."

Ah, and now I have to watch this show, ha, ha.

'Stranger Things'

scene from Stranger Things
reddit | Reddit | u/nertr0

"The Halloween costumes of the boys in Stranger Things S2 actually match their backgrounds... Mikes is by far the most detailed one, while Will's looks [the] cheapest. The color of the latter is not right and the fabric is clearly low quality. There are also almost no details on it. Although Mike gets very close, not one of the boys' costumes is really exactly like the original which is pretty realistic."

Oh, how cool is that? Did you notice that when you were watching it? I still have to catch up on watching this show. I know, I'm late on that.

'That '70s Show' And 'Stranger Things'

split screen of That 70's Show and Stranger Things
reddit | u/samyak3397

Speaking of Stranger Things, there's another cool detail somebody pointed out. And it's the fact that the characters from Stranger Things seem to pay homage to That '70s Show by the clothes there are wearing. Was this a coincidence? I don't think so.

'That '70s Show'

split screen of last episode of That '70s Show and first one
YouTube | That 70s show

"In That '70s Show's finale, Kitty wears the same outfit at her NYE party that she wore at her party in the first episode."

Aww, I love how they do that. That's so sweet and I'm glad people noticed that.

'Doctor Who'

scene from Doctor Who TV show
reddit | Reddit

"When the doctor regenerates in 'Twice Upon A Time,' there is a shot of a ring falling off her finger. This is actually Peter Capaldi's wedding ring, which he asked the costume department to stick a jewel to so he could keep it on while filming."

Ah, I still haven't watched that.

'Game Of Thrones'

split screens of Daenerys hair styles from Game of Thrones
reddit | Reddit

"In GOT, Daenerys gets more braids in her hair as she wins more victories — following the Dothraki tradition and proving her valor as a Khaleesi."

Oh my goodness, why didn't I ever notice that? That's so cool. Am I right?

'Community'

scenes from Community
reddit | u/Ok_Refrigerator7378

"In Community S1 E17 (Physical Education) Troy explains to Abed that he should be more like Calvin (of the Calvin and Hobbes comic) to impress a girl. In S4 Ep2 (Paranormal Parentage) Abed is dressed up as Calvin."

Oh, that's so fun.

So, did you catch all those fun details, or did you totally miss them?

Seth Myers saying "I can't tell you how much I love that."
Giphy | Late Night with Seth Meyers

I have to admit I haven't watched most of these shows. But it's cool to see how costume designers can affect not just the past season of a TV show but how they can tie it all together later, no? And clever fans can spot those little details.