# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/41 "2012-02-10T21:03:23Z")
I received for Christmas the entire series run of _Friday Night Lights_, which is supposed to be a pretty good representation of West Texas culture. I don’t know yet because I’m currently working through _Six Feet Under_, which is LA through-and-through. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/42 "2012-02-10T21:06:35Z")
> [@Purd\_Werfect](#): > > Corner Gas used Saskatchewan to the extent that the locale was seemingly almost a character on the show. _shakes fist_ You beat me to it! It was like looking in a mirror. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/43 "2012-02-10T22:41:56Z")
Mystery Science Theater 3000 always kept pretty close to its low budget, small market Twin Cities origins. Even the movie seemed very simple in its production values. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/44 "2012-02-11T20:33:51Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > 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. Life on Mars is set in Manchester (England). There was a US remake, but it tanked. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/45 "2012-02-11T20:56:29Z")
_That 70s Show_ seems pretty Wisconsin to me. Lots of Packers fans, the Canadian border, the iconic “Hello Wisconsin” at the end of the song… _The Andy Griffith Show_–rural North Carolina _Happy Days_ and\* Laverne & Shirley\*–Milwaukee ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/46 "2012-02-11T21:03:54Z")
Missed edit window. _Cheers_–Boston _Mork & Mindy_–Denver _Roseanne_–Michigan _The Bob Newhart Show_-Chicago _Saturday Night Live_–NYC ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/47 "2012-02-11T21:14:04Z")
Coming at it another way, **The Mentalist** does a halfway decent job at portraying different locations the show takes place in. They aren’t always very accurate, but it gives a good sense that they need to actually work over a large area (and to help dispel the idea that California = LA). **Nash Bridges** was a show that used its San Francisco location well. Instead of belaboring the point in the show, they simply shot it there, and the accuracy gave it authenticity. It’s not just location shooting that made this work; by comparison the short-lived emergency/rescue show from a few years back (whose name escapes me) that spent a lot on location shots still failed to establish a sense of place. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/48 "2012-02-11T21:14:57Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Missed edit window. > > _Cheers_–Boston > > _Mork & Mindy_–Denver > > _Roseanne_–Michigan > > _The Bob Newhart Show_-Chicago > > _Saturday Night Live_–NYC These shows could be set anywhere IMHO and not lose anything. Except for maybe Roseanne, which really had to be set in the rust belt somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/49 "2012-02-11T21:19:47Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Missed edit window. > > _Cheers_–Boston > > _Mork & Mindy_–Denver > > _Roseanne_–Michigan > > _The Bob Newhart Show_-Chicago > > _Saturday Night Live_–NYC But those first four took place mostly in indoor settings, without much reference to the cities in which they took place. WKRP was supposed to be in Cincinnati, but you never saw the city or the characters’ interactions with it. Same for Frasier in Seattle. ETA: Or what **Ike Witt** said. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/50 "2012-02-11T21:20:08Z")
I’m willing to argue that King of the Hill is set solidly in Central Texas, within an hour of Austin. Somewhere just north of it. The landmarks put it there. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/51 "2012-02-11T21:27:33Z")
> [@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!). And his house number (704 Hauser St) wasn’t hyphenated, as are all house numbers in Queens. My contributions: _NYPD Blue_ and _Rescue Me_. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/52 "2012-02-11T21:27:40Z")
Okay, people, we’re going to have one largish poll from all this. I want some guidance on at least these issues: 1. Should there be some preliminary polls heading toward an ultimate one? 2. Should there be a multiple choice structure? 3. If so, what’s a reasonable number of “honor system” choices? 4. Just exactly do we want to be polling? 4a-- Which show(s) capitalizes best on “sense of place”? 4b-- Which show(s) depends most on its regional aspect? 4c-- Which show(s) would suffer most from being set in a different locale? Input needed! ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/53 "2012-02-11T21:33:16Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > But those first four took place mostly in indoor settings, without much reference to the cities in which they took place. WKRP was supposed to be in Cincinnati, but you never saw the city or the characters’ interactions with it. Same for Frasier in Seattle. > > ETA: Or what **Ike Witt** said. In _Cheers_, Sam and Coach both have ties to the Red Sox organization–Sam is a washed up pitcher trying to cash in on his sports fame to make the bar profitable. He wasn’t that great a player, so the only place he could do that would be Boston. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/54 "2012-02-11T21:46:48Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Missed edit window. > > _Cheers_–Boston > > _Mork & Mindy_–Denver > > _Roseanne_–Michigan > > _The Bob Newhart Show_-Chicago > > _Saturday Night Live_–NYC Roseanne is set in Lanford, IL. There’s really no regional sense in the show aside from them being Bears and Bulls fans. It’s just supposed to be generic Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/55 "2012-02-11T21:58:40Z")
_Friday Night Lights_ was set in Midland/Odessa Texas. _The Waltons_ was set in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia _The Andy Griffith Show_ was set in North Carolina, specifically, Mount Airy, NC ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/56 "2012-02-11T22:02:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > But those first four took place mostly in indoor settings, without much reference to the cities in which they took place. WKRP was supposed to be in Cincinnati, but you never saw the city or the characters’ interactions with it. Same for Frasier in Seattle. > > ETA: Or what **Ike Witt** said. I disagree about _Cheers_ and _SNL_. _Cheers_ was obviously Boston, with Sam being an ex-Red Sox player, constant references to Boston sports (Celtics, Bruins, and of course the Sox) and so much of the humor in SNL is NYC-specific: A comedy skit show based in, say, Atlanta would have never come up with a sketch like “Coffee Talk” or the NPR skits. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/57 "2012-02-11T22:05:43Z")
Seinfeld sucks as a NYC show. Some of the exteriors, like Jerry’s apartment, were shot in LA and look it. The street sets look nothing like Manhattan–they look like sets. The parking space where George and Mike what’s his name are competing, for example, for looks nothing like a Manhattan street. And don’t get me started on the interiors. Jerry’s apartment is far too spacious for a struggling comedian. He’d need three roommates for a place that big. (Unless he’s a multimillionaire comic like Seinfeld, which Seinfeld isn’t). ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/58 "2012-02-11T22:18:00Z")
No mention yet of Miami Vice? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/59 "2012-02-11T22:36:21Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I disagree about _Cheers_ and _SNL_. _Cheers_ was obviously Boston, with Sam being an ex-Red Sox player, constant references to Boston sports (Celtics, Bruins, and of course the Sox) But Cheers could easily be set in Chicago or New York or Toronto or Cleveland or any number of cities if you just change the ball club Sam played for. It was important that Sam was a former up ballplayer, not that he was a former Red Sox. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428/60 "2012-02-11T22:45:00Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > _My Name is Earl_ never revealed its actual location, but it was very good at establishing a sense of place. I think it fits the OP’s “strong regional sense.” They did reveal the location, Camden County. They never named a city, but I just figured they were in some sort of unincorporated area or something. Anyway, they’re near enough to Natesville that Patty the daytime hooker can go over there for her Gambling Incognito meetings. > [@Oakminster](#): > > _Roseanne_–Michigan Roseanne was set in Lanford, Illinois. David and Mark’s mother moved to Michigan at one point, which was basically just a plot point for David moving in with the Connors, but that’s the only time Michigan figured into the show at all that I can recall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-a-strong-regional-sense/612428.md?page=4)