Earliest/latest sitcom set in each US state

Cafe Society
181

And, in Virginia, American Dad!

182

So that only leaves

  • Delaware
  • Iowa
  • Louisiana
  • Montana
  • New Mexico
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Wyoming

I did a quick check on Wikipedia for TV shows in specific states, but not much help there. States are apparently also subject to stereotyping. Wyoming only has Westerns, and Delaware a lot of action/thriller shows. Louisiana has lots of crime and reality shows.

I did find a few, going by the description on Wikipedia:

183

We have two comments that mention Designing Women. We also have Designing Women from Georgia, which is later than the one on the chart.

184

I’ve never watched it, but I think “Atlanta” is listed as a comedy. To be clear, it seems to be set in Georgia.

185

I watch Atlanta and I’m not sure how much it qualifies as a “situation comedy.” I was also thinking about the show Baskets and I don’t know that it’s a sitcom either (it’s set in California, but ended in 2019). They both have the same feel.

Joe Pera Talks With You is also kind of in the same vein, which I mentioned before for Michigan. All 3 are comedy shows with a recurring cast, but are they sitcoms?

I guess we need to determine what constitutes a sitcom! Although everyone has been pretty much in agreement so far. Is it the level of depth? The broadness of appeal? The way the show is shot? The type of stories presented? Standalone episodes?

186

There have been two TV versions of Blondie (1957 and 1968) that lasted 26 and 13 episodes, respectively. (A 14th episode of the latter was filmed but never aired.)

In 1946, creator Chic Young was cited in The Joplin Globe as saying the Bumsteads live in the suburbs of Joplin, MO.

187

Wikipedia can call it a ham sandwich. Northern Exposure was not a situation comedy. Or even really a comedy. It used the hour long drama format. It was a quirky mostly lighthearted drama which was funny at times. But mostly aimed for quirky and amusing.

Franks Place was a sitcom that used the 30 minute 1 camera sitcom format. It never deviated from that format although at times it took a look a serious issues. All in the Family took on serious issues too but nobody is saying it wasn’t a sitcom.

Franks Place was fantastic and should have been given a longer run.

188

Dunno. Made me laugh.

189

That’s a rather tenuous connection—in the 91 years the comic (and its spin-off movies, TV shows, etc.) has been in existence, has the only record of the setting really been a one-off comment made to a minor regional newspaper? I’d feel a lot better about adding either of the two TV shows to the list if there was some explicit on-screen reference to the setting.

190

Can you find any published reference to it being a sitcom? Some Google searches turn up writers calling it a “dramedy” or “comedy–drama” but I didn’t find any calling it a sitcom. By contrast, I did find Joe Pera Talks With You being referred to as a sitcom.

191

Here’s an updated table. I’ve left off Frank’s Place and Blondie for now pending resolution of the questions above. A few other shows, such as Northern Exposure and The Dukes of Hazzard, I think we can discount on the grounds that they’re not sitcoms, but rather comedy–drama or action–comedy series. Let me know if I’ve forgotten to add any shows, or if anyone can supply years for the nominations that lack them.

State Earliest sitcom Starting year Latest sitcom Ending year
Alabama Hart of Dixie 2011 Hart of Dixie 2015
Alaska The Great North 2021 The Great North ongoing
Arizona Alice 1976 The Last Man on Earth [first season only] 2015
Arkansas Evening Shade 1990 Evening Shade 1994
California The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show 1950 Fuller House 2020
Colorado Mork & Mindy 1978 South Park ongoing
Connecticut I Love Lucy [last season only] 1956 B Positive ongoing
Delaware
Florida I Dream of Jeannie 1965 Fresh off the Boat 2020
Georgia Carter Country 1977 Designing Women 1993
Hawaii The Little People 1972 Big Wave Dave’s 1993
Idaho The Grinder 2015 The Grinder 2016
Illinois The Chicago Teddy Bears 1971 The Conners ongoing
Indiana One Day at a Time 1975 The Middle 2018
Iowa Nancy 1970 Drexell’s Class 1992
Kansas The Phil Silvers Show 1955 The Phil Silvers Show 1959
Kentucky Call Me Kat 2021 Call Me Kat ongoing
Louisiana
Maine The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 1968 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 1970
Maryland Hot l Baltimore 1975 Cuts 2006
Massachusetts Cheers 1982 Wings 1997
Michigan Home Improvement 1991 Bob Hearts Abishola ongoing
Minnesota The Mary Tyler Moore Show 1970 The Louie Show 1996
Mississippi Tammy 1965 Tammy 1966
Missouri AfterMASH 1983 The John Larroquette Show 1996
Montana
Nebraska Bless This Mess 2019 Bless This Mess 2020
Nevada Blansky’s Beauties 1977 LA to Vegas 2018
New Hampshire Willy 1954 Ichabod and Me 1962
New Jersey Charles in Charge 1984 Bob’s Burgers ongoing
New Mexico Guestward Ho 1960 Guestward Ho 1961
New York Mary Kay and Johnny 1947 Ghosts ongoing
North Carolina The Andy Griffith Show 1960 Bless the Harts 2021
North Dakota
Ohio Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman 1976 United States of Al ongoing
Oklahoma The Torkelsons 1991 Center of the Universe 2005
Oregon Delta House 1979 Everything Sucks 2018
Pennsylvania The Tony Randall Show 1976 The Goldbergs ongoing
Rhode Island Doctor, Doctor 1989 Family Guy ongoing
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee Filthy Rich 1982 Still the King 2017
Texas The Rounders 1966 Young Sheldon ongoing
Utah
Vermont Newhart 1982 Newhart 1990
Virginia The Millers 2013 American Dad ongoing
Washington Here Come the Brides 1968 Tacoma FD ongoing
West Virginia The Real McCoys 1957 The Real McCoys 1963
Wisconsin Happy Days 1974 That '70s Show 2006
Wyoming
192

You’ve got American Dad! beating The Millers in one direction, but not the other.

193

Northern Exposure (my favorite TV show of all time) was definitely not a sitcom. Comedic elements alone don’t make a show one.

194

I found it hard to believe that there are no ongoing sitcoms set in California (given where almost all of them are produced).

Found Grown-ish, which is ongoing (renewed for 2022-23)

195

There’s an animated comedy called “Whatever Happened to…Robot Jones?” that takes place in Delaware. It aired on Cartoon Network from 2000 to 2003.

196

Wikipedia says the short-lived 2009 ABC sitcom Hank was about a family that had moved to River Bend, Virginia.

197

Green Acres and Petticoat Junction have a better claim of being set in Missouri or Arkansas (via The Beverly Hillbillies) and their creator very specifically never located them in any particular place.

198

The same is true of The Beverly Hillbillies, also from the same creator. But I assume Chic Young knew what he was talking about, if we can believe the cite in TJG.

199

The Last Frontier (1996) was a short-lived sitcom (it was cancelled after six episodes) set in Alaska.

200

Best of the West (1981-1982) was set in the Montana Territory, if that counts.