No one could ever accuse the wacky 1960s sitcom Green Acres of being conventional. It loved to break the fourth wall and add meta touches winking at the audience. A running gag made characters in the show aware of the credits at the beginning of certain episodes. The pilot episode was even staged like a mock news program about main character Oliver Wendell Douglas’ life.

In "Parity Begins at Home," Oliver wants to plant wheat on all 160 acres of his newly acquired farm. Unfortunately, the local government committee informs him that he's more than welcome to do so but he can only sell wheat from eight acres — not the full 160.

Furious, Oliver recalls his time as a lawyer and gathers the residents of Hooterville for a protest meeting in Sam Drucker's store. The small crowd includes characters like Newt Kiley and Grandpappy Miller from Petticoat Junction, which took place in the same shared fictional world.

Oliver tries to rally his fellow farmers to his cause but all they want to do is go home and watch Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (which, like Green Acres, aired on CBS at the time).

In the end, the farmers sign a petition and send it to Washington, D.C. The show slips in one last Gomer Pyle reference when it cuts to two men in Washington looking at the petition from Hooterville, a town they think sounds made up. One of them quips, "Newt Kiley? Sounds like a character on Gomer Pyle."

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