‘Emerald City’ throws a respectful nod to Pink Floyd & ‘Dark Side of the Rainbow…

Throughout “Emerald City,” director Tarsem Singh leaves numerous Easter eggs hidden in plain sight as an homage to all things “Wizard of Oz.” And while producer Shaun Cassidy laments over not being able to thread in that “Oh wee Oh, wee Oh” tune from the musical film — MGM owns those rights, and holds on tight — there’s another hugely popular “Oz” reference Cassidy and fellow producer David Schulner were able to snag for the NBC series…

RELATED: You’ll never guess who the Tin Man is on ‘Emerald City’

For decades people have been obsessing over what is collectively known as “The Dark Side of the Rainbow.” In Friday night’s episode, “Everybody Lies,” Dorothy (Adria Arjona) walks into the the wizard’s castle, and hears Pink Floyd’s music playing. But this isn’t just a wink to the knowledgeable fan, or a nod to the dubious environment — it also demonstrates the great and powerful ruler’s link to the mortal realm.

“There are many nods to other pop culture Oz-ian things in the show outside the 1939 movie musical,” Cassidy says. ” We couldn’t get ‘Oh Wee Oh Wee Oh,’ but we paid an insane amount of money for Pink Floyd. And I just think that’s awesome.”

Cassidy refers, of course, to the pop culture party game and viral phenomenon that mashes up Floyd’s 1973 album and “The Wizard of Oz” musical film.

Vincent D’Onforio, the all-powerful wizard of the NBC series, explains: “There’s this whole cult that [believe] if you play ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ from the first note, from the beginning of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with the sound off, it fits perfectly: The album and the movie.”

Even though every band member of Pink Floyd have gone on the record to say there’s zero real connection between their album and the musical film, that it’s purely coincidental, many fans still believe this synchronicity is too good to be true.

“It makes no sense whatsoever,” D’Onofrio admits, “And it’s not true.” But when we asked if he’s personally tested it out, he gave a definite yes. “Not the whole movie — but on YouTube you can see people who did, and it’s like hmmmmm.”

The mashup became so popular that Turner Entertainment Co. actually claimed rights to it in 1986, and the Turner Classic Movie channel now airs “The Dark Side of the Rainbow” occasionally.

So what is it that audiences see when it’s all perfectly synched up?  Early on, the lyric “balanced on the way” plays against Dorothy’s balancing act on the fence, “Brain Damage” begins to play as the Scarecrow sings “If I Only Had a Brain,” and there’s even the sound of a heartbeat at at the end of the album matching up to the moment Dorothy leans her head against the Tin Man’s chest.

RELATED: Everything you need to know about ‘Emerald City’s’ sexy Scarecrow

Opposers of this conspiracy theory chalk it up to apophenia — a tendency of the brain to actively seek out a connection among disorder, while simultaneously ignoring all the information that detracts from the pattern they want to see. Whichever theory viewers choose to believe, it’s fun to see these Easter eggs woven into “Emerald City” — and we’ll be keeping an eye out for more to come!

“Emerald City” airs on Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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