# TV Shows with a strong "regional" sense **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428 "2012-02-10T16:52:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/21 "2012-02-10T18:22:51Z")
Through post #20 here’s an unedited summary of shows mentioned (some more than once): ==================== The Sopranos (New Jersey) Justified (Kentucky) Dexter in Miami Chicago Code Detroit 1-8-7 Blue Bloods – NYC Friends – NYC Seinfeld – NYC 30Rock – NYC Rhoda – NYC Will and Grace – NYC Spin City – NYC Mad Men – NYC Southland – LA The Middle – Indiana Hot in Cleveland The Drew Carey Show – Cleveland Law & Order (the original) – NYC Hawaii 5-0 – Hawaii Magnum, P.I. – Hawaii parks and rec – pawnee Happy Endings – chicago Whitney – chicago the Office – Scranton, Pa. The Wire – Baltimore Seinfeld – NYC How I met Your Mother – NYC Breaking Bad – Desert Southwest (Albuquerque) The Killing – Seattle Bones – DC My Name is Earl – wherever King of the Hill – North Texas Burn Notice – “Miami” The Waltons – ? Little House On The Prairie – ? Andy Griffith Show – ? Northern Exposure – Alaska Homicide: Life on the Streets – Baltimore Life on Mars – ? Breaking Bad – New Mexico Portlandia – Oregon ================== If I have incorrectly or incompletely misplaced a show’s setting, please correct me. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/22 "2012-02-10T18:49:10Z")
I can’t picture the Simpson’s being set anywhere other then the State that Springfield is in. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/23 "2012-02-10T18:51:46Z")
I hesitate to mention any recent show set in San Francisco, b/c they are comically _not_ filmed there. _Charmed_, _Monk_ and from what I’ve seen _Alcatraz_ don’t lift a finger to have a strong regional sense. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/24 "2012-02-10T19:09:26Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > I hesitate to mention any recent show set in San Francisco, b/c they are comically _not_ filmed there. _Charmed_, _Monk_ and from what I’ve seen _Alcatraz_ don’t lift a finger to have a strong regional sense. Excellent point! From what I’ve read, very little of _Justified_’s footage is filmed on location in Kentucky or surrounding states, but rather in California. The glaring shots of hills with no trees are just some of the problems with place authenticity, and it’s more in the dialects and mannerisms that give the show whatever “regionalism” it can claim. Perhaps another thread dealing with this aspect of non-NYC and non-LA “locations” might be fun to explore. Meanwhile, let’s allow the phony actual locations to slide in favor of the supposed ones. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/25 "2012-02-10T19:25:27Z")
Just for fun, you might try “Auf Wierdersehen Pet” An early eighties drama/com set on a building site in Dusseldorf and featuring a bunch of migrant UK workers. It has the benefit of a young Timothy Spall (and in one episode, Ray Winstone) and a fine collection of regional accents. Brummie, Geordie, scouse, cockney and west country brogue. As the geordie lads would say…“Its git canny like!” (trans. "it is a program of fine quality) ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/26 "2012-02-10T19:37:55Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > _King of the Hill_ is very North Texas. And generally Texas enough to make a lot of sense in Houston… ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/27 "2012-02-10T19:46:10Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > And generally Texas enough to make a lot of sense in Houston… KOTH. That’s a show that could not be set anywhere else and make sense. And though I think Mike Judge is from the Dallas area, there’s enough Austiny and Houstony things in to keep it very general Texas. I have a friend that taught English in Japan for several years and he would watch KOTH when he was feeling homesick. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/28 "2012-02-10T19:51:50Z")
I grew up in a speciic neighborhood in New York City, but rarely felt as if most TV shows set in New York really captured my neighborhood or accurately portrayed the kind of people I gew up around. _ **The Honeymooners** _ certainly captured Bensonhurt, Brooklyn, in the Fifties. _ **All in the Family** _ OCCASIONALLY rang true… I definitely knew a lot of real people in Astoria who talked like Archie. But there was way too much the show DIDN’T get right about Astoria (Archie never seemed to run into any GREEKS, for one thing!). ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/29 "2012-02-10T19:56:17Z")
“Home Improvement” was set in (Tim Allen’s home region of) metro Detroit. But all of the Detroit references made on the show always seemed forced, like Tim was just basically doing shout-outs to the people back home. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/30 "2012-02-10T19:58:24Z")
Nobody has mentioned \*CSI \*and Las Vegas yet? They make the city a central character. ---
**Author:** ![poker\_in\_the\_rear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dc4da7/32.png) [@poker\_in\_the\_rear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poker_in_the_rear)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/31 "2012-02-10T20:02:57Z")
Twin Peaks ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/32 "2012-02-10T20:05:38Z")
\*Petticoat Junction \*and _Green Acres_ both got the ambience of Hooterville just right.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/33 "2012-02-10T20:13:47Z")
Corner Gas used Saskatchewan to the extent that the locale was seemingly almost a character on the show. Streets of San Francisco showed SF to good advantage. M_A_S\*H really evoked the mountains around southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/34 "2012-02-10T20:22:18Z")
> [@poker\_in\_the\_rear](#): > > Twin Peaks Absolutely! Got to be there. > [@Purd\_Werfect](#): > > M_A_S\*H really evoked the mountains around southern California. This one wins the thread! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/35 "2012-02-10T20:28:40Z")
**Dragnet** (the 50s and 60s versions) – Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/36 "2012-02-10T20:30:58Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > _ **All in the Family** _ OCCASIONALLY rang true… I definitely knew a lot of real people in Astoria who talked like Archie. But there was way too much the show DIDN’T get right about Astoria (Archie never seemed to run into any GREEKS, for one thing!). Well, Archie wasn’t exactly a frat brother, doncha know. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/37 "2012-02-10T20:31:52Z")
I’ve never known any show to ever get DC right. It’s always just a quick establishing shot of monuments or exteriors of buildings, then you’re magically whisked away to L.A., or Vancouver, or anywhere else but DC. Understandable, due to the difficulty of filming anything in DC, but it’s always completely obvious that they’re definitely NOT shooting here. They even fuck up the surrounding area. It’s always apparent that the producers/writers are just looking at a map and randomly picking names of cities/towns. I especially enjoy how they seem to think that anywhere inside the Beltway, or even out to Annapolis (_X-Files_, I’m looking at you), is just a 20 minute drive. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/38 "2012-02-10T20:33:18Z")
_Always Sunny in Philadelphia_, despite being mostly filmed in L.A., is still pretty good about keeping a strong “Philly” presence in the show. The Gang is always talking about Phillies, the Eagles, using local slang, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/39 "2012-02-10T20:36:52Z")
**Dallas** ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/40 "2012-02-10T20:39:32Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > chicago is a new “cool” city for sitcoms now. both Happy Endings and Whitney drop chi-town references. I’ve since stopped watching _Whitney_, but it took me about 6 episodes to realize that it was supposed to be set in Chicago. Other than the occasional Blackhawks jersey, there’s nothing Chicago about it at all. Haven’t seen \*Happy Endings \*so I can’t comment. Currently, _Mike & Molly_ is the most authentic Chicago-based show for my money. The creator (Mark Roberts) and one of the exec producers (Mark Gross) are both ex-Chicagoans, and there are a lot of little touches – Old Style beer, mentions of less-famous city landmarks and neighborhoods, convincing establishing shots – that give it a decidedly Chicago feel. In the defunct hospital drama department, I thought _ER_ did a halfway decent job of capturing the city, especially in the earlier seasons; \*Chicago Hope \*less so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428.md?page=3)