# What shows take place in Anystate, USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243 "2006-11-13T15:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Dumbest\_Guy\_in\_the\_Room](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@The\_Dumbest\_Guy\_in\_the\_Room](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dumbest_Guy_in_the_Room)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/1 "2006-11-13T15:21:28Z")
_The Simpsons, Desperate Housewives_ and _Malcom in the Middle_ all take place in the US, but deliberately fudge the actual location. Are there any more that do this. Do any shows take place in Anycounty, UK? I can’t think of any. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/2 "2006-11-13T16:06:04Z")
Since when is Desperate Housewives “Anystate USA”… I haven’t really watched it since season 1 but I thought they established pretty well that it took place in a suburb of Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/3 "2006-11-13T16:06:47Z")
_My Name is Earl_ is set in Camden County, USA. _Green Acres_ and _Petticoat Junction_ were set in Hooterville—no state was ever named. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/4 "2006-11-13T16:11:53Z")
[QUOTE=h.sapiens] _My Name is Earl_ is set in Camden County, USA. _Green Acres_ and _Petticoat Junction_ were set in Hooterville—no state was ever named. [/QUOTE] Green Acres wasn’t in Upstate NY? I had the impression they were still a long drive from NYC. I have barely seen the show in the last 25 years, but I thought that when they moved from Manhattan, they still had visits by car from old friends and relatives. Am I dead wrong or just using clues to locate them when it was never actually said? Jim {BTW: Earl appears to be somewhere in Maryland is the most common guess} ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/5 "2006-11-13T16:22:38Z")
Green Acres was somewhere in the Midwest (alot of phone calls needed to be routed through Chicago). Malcom in the Middle seemed to take place in southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/6 "2006-11-13T16:33:12Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Green Acres wasn’t in Upstate NY? [/QUOTE] Nah. Green Acres was part of CBS’s trinity of bumpkin shows, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Juction being the other two. The Beverly Hillbillies would occasionally go back home (wherever home was) and then they’s make crossover visits to the other two shows. So presumably, both Petticoat Junction and Hooterville were somewhere near the Clampetts’ home. We know the Clampetts were from South of the Mason-Dixon from the way Granny used to get riled up about the Civil War. I always figured Tennessee, since they often mentioned a place called “Bugtussle” which I presumed to be based on an actual community in Tennessee called [Bugscuffle](http://www.roadsidethoughts.com/13/c13_5084200.htm). Then I found out there is a [Bugtussle, Oklahoma](http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=15620) and a [Bugtussle, Kentucky](http://www.hometownlocator.com/City/Bugtussle-Kentucky.cfm) and a [Bug Tussle, Texas](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/BB/hnb97.html). So who knows? You figure the writers wanted to be vague, since the more people who thought the show was set near them, the more people would identify with the show. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/7 "2006-11-13T16:35:46Z")
_Scrubs_ has never said exactly where it’s set. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/8 "2006-11-13T16:39:31Z")
\*\*Hill Street Blues \*\* never stated a location, though I remember people saying it was probably mostly based on St. Loius. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/9 "2006-11-13T16:41:10Z")
_Malcolm in the Middle_, for the first couple of seasons I watched it at least, never said where the main family lived. However, the oldest son was in places like Georgia, Alaska, and Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/10 "2006-11-13T18:39:54Z")
Did the Brady Bunch ever state they were in LA? I think it was implied but never stated. Also the Dukes of Hazard, not sure if they ever made it clear what state they were in, even though Wikipedia says Georgia. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/11 "2006-11-13T19:46:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Hill Street Blues never stated a location, though I remember people saying it was probably mostly based on St. Loius. But most of the street names were from Chicago, Daniel Travanti once said he figured the show was set in New York, and it was actually filmed in Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/12 "2006-11-13T19:47:05Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] \*\*Hill Street Blues \*\* never stated a location, though I remember people saying it was probably mostly based on St. Loius. [/QUOTE] I was gonna mention HSB, but want to point out that it’s actually in Chicago. I don’t think they ever showed land marks but the cop cars in the opening credits are obviously Chicago cop cars of the era. It has a strong Chicago vibe to it, but I was only an excange student there, so someone native - feel free to correct me. Near West Side? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/13 "2006-11-13T19:47:52Z")
> [@](#): > > The Beverly Hillbillies would occasionally go back home (wherever home was) and then they’s make crossover visits to the other two shows. So presumably, both Petticoat Junction and Hooterville were somewhere near the Clampetts’ home. The Clampetts were definitely from Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/14 "2006-11-13T23:46:49Z")
Lost? ---
**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:** [November 13, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/15 "2006-11-13T23:52:54Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Also the Dukes of Hazard, not sure if they ever made it clear what state they were in, even though Wikipedia says Georgia. [/QUOTE] I don’t think they ever came out and said they’re from Georgia but the first season had Georgia state highway signs around the town square. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/16 "2006-11-14T00:09:07Z")
[QUOTE=Push You Down] Since when is Desperate Housewives “Anystate USA”… I haven’t really watched it since season 1 but I thought they established pretty well that it took place in a suburb of Los Angeles. [/QUOTE] No. The license plates say “Eagle State” (state nickname or name of fictional state) - but based on contextual clues it would almost have to be LA. Many have speculated that the show takes place in Connecticut but this doesn’t make any sense at all to me. First of all, characters make references to “back east”, which to me rules out anything east of the rockies - and secondly, the most recent episode took place sometime between xmas and Thanksgiving yet there was no snow and Susan was out jogging in a tank top. On second thought, I’ve also never seen a palm tree on or around Wisteria Lane - I think the show takes place in a completely fictional (almost utopian) location. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/17 "2006-11-14T00:17:21Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] The Clampetts were definitely from Tennessee. [/QUOTE] Were they? I don’t think that was ever explicitly stated. They always just talked about their home back in “the hills.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@The\_Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Octagon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/18 "2006-11-14T01:17:49Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] Lost? [/QUOTE] They may not have mentioned where the island is located, but they never say whether it was or was not in US territory. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/19 "2006-11-14T02:43:01Z")
They mentioned Tennessee a few times on the Beverly Hillbillies. One time was when Jethro was wearing an old uniform from his great granddad (or some old relative) and it was a Tenn. Volunteer uniform. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243/20 "2006-11-14T02:49:46Z")
_The Adventures of Pete and Pete_ takes place in “The Sideburn State,” according to the license plates on the cars. For the most part, it feels like it should be in the mid-west somewhere, but it’s on the coast. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-shows-take-place-in-anystate-usa/380243.md?page=2)