What are the longest-running TV series, by state (predominant location of the series)? Let’s stick with fiction series (so no 60 Minutes or SNL) that take place largely in a single specified location (so The Simpsons is out)
To get things started:
California - Knots Landing (14 years)
Colorado - South Park (14 years)
Hawaii - Hawaii Five-O (12 years)
Illinois - ER (15 years)
Kansas - Gunsmoke (20 years)
Massachusetts - Cheers (11 years)
Nevada - Bonanza (14 years)
New York - Law & Order (20 years)
Texas - Dallas (13 years)
Washington - Frasier (11 years)
Wisconsin - Happy Days (11 years)
Feel free to add on (or correct any mistakes I’ve made)
CSI: Miami is at nine seasons. As for Vermont, Newhart was on for eight, for Georgia, Matlock was on for nine and for Maine, Murder She Wrote was on for twelve.
I don’t think MSE counts, because while Jessica did come from Maine, I’d estimate less than 10% of the episodes actually took place there–she was always visiting family or friends or on a book tour or on vacation or something. It’d be “interesting” to chart all the different locations she went (it certainly counts as probably one of the most traveled series) but I’d argue that Maine was her homebase, but not the show’s.
