Watching reruns of “Crossing Jordan” ther was an episode where Woody heads back to Kewaunee, Wi (he does not pronounce it the way a person from Wisconsin would). Anyhow, since I am from Wisconsin I make note when characters are from there.
Note I am NOT counting shows set in Wisconsin (Happy Days, that 70’s show, etc)
So in addition to Woody I know of:
Caroline (of Caroline in the City) is from Peshtigo
Roz from Frasier is from Bloomer
Phillip Coulson for Agents of SHIELD is from Manitowoc
Of course there is a wikipedia list, but it is pretty small
Peggy Bundy in Married … with Children has a whole slew of relatives back in Wanker County, WI, though her mom (judging from phone bills) apparently lives in Milwaukee:
Seven - Peggy’s nephew, who lived with the Bundys for a short time after his parents abandoned him, leaving him in their care. During his stay, she treated him much better than her own husband and children, making Al, Kelly, and Bud jealous.
Peggy’s Mother (Unseen) - often the victim of Al’s abrasive insults
I’m a little surprised that someone would write characters as being from Wisconsin (let alone a whole show). I mean, there are better states to signify “generic midwest” or “bucolic small town life”. And if you were going for “The Great Frozen North”, Minnesota’s much better…
I guess, as a Wisconsin native myself, I don’t have a handle on how the rest of America sees the state… any clues, media mavens?
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ETA: Unless… no one in television is actually putting much thought into anything, and they just need a generic state… “Hey, JB, ya want this character to come from Vermont, or Oregon, or Wisconsin?” “Whatever, pick one.”
President Andrew Shepard in The American President:
President Andrew Shepherd: Is the view pretty good from the cheap seats? A.J.: What? President Andrew Shepherd: Because it occurs to me that it twenty five years, why have I never seen YOUR name on a ballot? Why A.J.? Why are you always one step behind ME? A.J.: Because if I wasn’t, you’d be the most popular history teacher at the University of Wisconsin! President Andrew Shepherd: F*** you!
I’m guessing there are not many more characters from Wisconsin than any other Midwest state, but as I mentioned I take notice when they are.
Mrs Garrett from The Facts of Life is from Wisconsin, but I’m guessing it was because Charlotte Rae, the actress who played her, is from Milwaukee.
In a thread about Wizgonsin, it’s pronounced Mi’waukee.
I still remember our four year old asking “When are we going to a real city again?” “Chicago? Sure, we could go to the Field Museum…” "No, I wanta go to Mi’waukee!"
I turned to my wife in horror, “We’ve given our daughter an accent…”
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Oh, Rob Lowe’s character in Parks&Rec… at least, he would visit his mother in Wisconsin.
Cheese, beer, Packer fans. I’ve driven through Wisconsin before; lovely state, and Madison is a gem. Also spent a very pleasant day in Milwaukee, so my idea of the state is fairly positive. But if you ask people around here about Wisconsin, that’s the response you’ll get.
Hey, at least your reputation is innocuous. Have a character from Cleveland, and you can count on jokes about the Cuyahoga catching fire, and “The Mistake on the Lake”, and possibly something about the Browns sucking for twenty years.
To cheese and beer, I’d add cows. Lots and lots and lots of cows. Driving through Wisconsin is like sharing a tent with a guy who downs a six-pack of brown ale every night before turning in.
I’ve always wondered about this place. It looks to me like a compound where a cult gathers once a week to pay tribute to a mythical hero and his aurochs:
I lived in Milwaukee for a year and a half. Wisconsin Dells is better. It has dinosaurs:
One weekend, I spent a month in Sawyer. Never ate so much fish in my life!
I have family in the Sauk Prairie region of Wisconsin. When I was visiting, they kept introducing me as being from “Oregon the state.” I asked about this they mentioned that nearby was a town named Oregon.
As it happens, not too far from where I live in Oregon is the town of Milwaukie (that’s how it’s spelled there).
