Nearer My God to Thee

Munch's prediction that "soon there's gonna be like 500 channels, besides the sports channel & weather channel there will be the ballet channel, the dog channel..." turns out to be pretty accurate. In 1994, cable and satellite TV was reaching the peak of its popularity. In 1968, only 6.4% of Americans had cable television, and that increased to 7.5% in 1978, 52.8% in 1988 & 62.4% in 1994 (when this episode takes place). The number of channels varies by provider, but numbers in the hundreds, with Verizon cable having the most (425 channels) as of 2024. In addition, with the widespread advent of high-speed broadband internet, there are now also over 200 different streaming channels available through the internet with a number of cable TV/internet providers including some of these streaming services with their premium service packages. His predictions about high definition television, virtual reality and the decline of books and newspapers are also spot on. While people still frequently read the news and novels, most prefer to read digital versions of them as opposed to physical copies like newspapers and books.

Munch and Lewis seek another partner to buy a bar as an investment. However, the Baltimore Police Department prohibited officers from drinking while on duty or having any involvement with a business that served alcoholic drinks, let alone outright own a bar. In fact, officers were prohibited from even obtaining a residence in the same building that also housed an establishment that served alcoholic drinks.