# TV Show Characters from Arkansas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650 "2019-12-10T15:48:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/1 "2019-12-10T15:48:25Z")
Does anyone know of any fictional characters on a television series that are from Arkansas? I could only think of two of the top of my head: Lt. Dangle from _Reno 911_ and Mr. Garrison from _South Park_. A quick Google search gave me Caeser Martinez from _The Walking Dead_, a show I have never watched. Let us exclude shows set in Arkansas such as _Evening Shade_ because that’s just too easy. The extended family from _The Beverly Hillbillies_ was from either southern Missouri or northern Arkansas but I don’t think it was ever said exactly which one it was. If anyone has any information that would pin this down, that would be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/2 "2019-12-10T16:06:16Z")
Caesar Martinez of “The Walking Dead” ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/3 "2019-12-10T16:48:24Z")
There were at least two one-appearance characters in M_A_S\*H who were from Arkansas. I don’t know if that’s the sort of thing that you’re interested in, or if you only want to know about featured series characters. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/4 "2019-12-10T16:58:46Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > There were at least two one-appearance characters in M_A_S\*H who were from Arkansas. I don’t know if that’s the sort of thing that you’re interested in, or if you only want to know about featured series characters. Since there seems to be so few, let’s open it up to one-appearance characters as well. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/5 "2019-12-10T17:25:17Z")
WKRP Cincinnati Herb Tarlek. played by Frank Bonner Bonner was from Little Rock. He made a point to slip in coffee cups and other Ark branded items into his character’s props. Pretty sure the character is from Arkansas too. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/6 "2019-12-10T17:33:15Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > There were at least two one-appearance characters in M_A_S\*H who were from Arkansas. I don’t know if that’s the sort of thing that you’re interested in, or if you only want to know about featured series characters. > [@Ynnad](#): > > Since there seems to be so few, let’s open it up to one-appearance characters as well. [Here’s one.](https://mash.fandom.com/wiki/Captain_Roy_DuPree) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/7 "2019-12-10T17:33:27Z")
What about Jed, Granny, Jethro and Ellie Mae? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/8 "2019-12-10T17:42:13Z")
:::sigh:::; Mini-series count? 'Lonesome Dove ’ has many Arkansas references. July Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/9 "2019-12-10T17:49:57Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > What about Jed, Granny, Jethro and Ellie Mae? Beverly Hillbillies were mentioned in the OP. Did they ever get any more specific than that the Clampetts were from the Ozarks? That’s a large chunk of southern Missouri as well as Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/10 "2019-12-10T17:52:29Z")
Mr. Garrison on _South Park_ grew up in Arkansas. Chuckles from _G. I. Joe Adventures_ grew up in Little Rock. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/11 "2019-12-10T18:22:26Z")
The whole cast of the short-lived “Evening Shade”, set in Evening Shade, Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/12 "2019-12-10T18:24:08Z")
Most of the Lil’ Abner gang were from Arkansas. They’ve been on TV in a few specials and MFTV movies I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/13 "2019-12-10T18:53:50Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > The whole cast of the short-lived “Evening Shade”, set in Evening Shade, Arkansas. Before anyone wastes a lot of time listing all of those characters, note that in the OP I said “Let us exclude shows set in Arkansas such as _Evening Shade_ because that’s just too easy.” But if you want to list them anyway, that’s fine with me. This is all just for fun. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/14 "2019-12-10T18:57:11Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > Before anyone wastes a lot of time listing all of those characters, note that in the OP I said “Let us exclude shows set in Arkansas such as _Evening Shade_ because that’s just too easy.” But if you want to list them anyway, that’s fine with me. This is all just for fun. Whoops! Sorry, I missed that. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/15 "2019-12-10T19:09:17Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Whoops! Sorry, I missed that. Don’t feel bad. **Telemark** missed Caeser Martinez being mentioned in the OP. And **Annie-Xmas** missed the uncertainty about Jed, Granny, Jethro, and Ellie Mae mentioned in the OP. Nobody is upset (I hope); this is just a fun thread. Apparently nobody ever reads the OP anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/16 "2019-12-10T19:26:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > WKRP Cincinnati Herb Tarlek. played by Frank Bonner > > Bonner was from Little Rock. He made a point to slip in coffee cups and other Ark branded items into his character’s props. > > Pretty sure the character is from Arkansas too. Wikipedia had a surprisingly comprehensive article about the character Herb Tarlek but no mention of Arkansas. [IMDB.com](http://IMDB.com) didn’t help. Where else should I look? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/17 "2019-12-10T19:41:12Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Beverly Hillbillies were mentioned in the OP. Did they ever get any more specific than that the Clampetts were from the Ozarks? That’s a large chunk of southern Missouri as well as Arkansas. I thought the Clampetts were from Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/18 "2019-12-10T19:47:22Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought the Clampetts were from Tennessee. Granny was originally from Tennessee but moved to the Ozarks at some point in her life. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/19 "2019-12-10T19:57:13Z")
This fictionalized Arkansan of some minor repute appeared in a TV movie: [The Special Relationship (film) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Special_Relationship_(film)) Not a TV show, but one of the characters (Abigail Breslin) in \*Zombieland \*was called Little Rock, after her hometown. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650/20 "2019-12-10T20:25:02Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > Don’t feel bad. **Telemark** missed Caeser Martinez being mentioned in the OP. > {snip} > Apparently nobody ever reads the OP anyway. Just your OPs. :smack:😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-show-characters-from-arkansas/844650.md?page=2)