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The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is a great example of this 'alternate Earth'. It is completely different in some ways, but completely the same in others.
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Fantastic reference there. This also happens to a lesser extent in other shows. For example in the TV show
The Walking Dead, people have no idea of what a 'zombie' is. In this alternative universe Romero's zombie films don't exist and neither does Left 4 Dead (so one of the main gamer character mentions Portal instead of L4D). If a world is missing one thing, how would that change the world? In the world of
Naruto, characters have fridges and TVs but they do not have guns or fast transport. How does this change things?
A good habit to pick up is to look over your overall story plot for at least 5 minutes a week. I did this recently with one of my stories and it's amazing how much it helps with regards to tightening up the story and fleshing out characters. If you can, try to go beyond what you have. If your character has some kind of transformation (either mental or physical), why does it happen? how is it possible? how does this affect the character in the future? is there a limit to the transformation?
Brainstorming with friends can help, especially those who are also writing stories. You can bounce off ideas, make jokes and point out stereotypes (and know how to use them effectively!)