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CLASSIC TV/U.S. GEOGRAPHY

"One Tree Hill" is the new show filmed in the Port City, and set in the fictional town of Tree Hill, North Carolina.

> > > As we know, the majority of shows since the invention of
>
> > TV
> > > have used New York or Los Angeles as a backdrop.
> >
> > I dont know where they were supposed to be based as a show
>
> > (never actually watched it) but Dawson's Creek was filmed
> in
> > and around the reallife town of Wilmington, North
> Carolina.
> > I lived there from 1999-2000 and occasionally saw a film
> > crew around town.
> >
> I beleive there is another teen-aged angst WB program
> currently being produced in Wilmington..can't remember which
> one. Matlock, the old NBC show with ANdy Griffin, which was
> supposed to take place in Atlanta, was produced in
> Wilmington. They shot lots of outside scenes for Matlock in
> Wilmington which were not too realistic. Downtown
> Wilmington is not a whole lot like downtown Atlanta...
>
 
> > - Wasn't Hazzard county in Georgia?
>
> According to the IMDb, Warner Bros. actually shot the first
> five episodes of *The Dukes of Hazzard* in Georgia before
> the company moved production to its studio in Burbank,
> California. With that said, I think Hazzard County may have
> been inspired by a real county somewhere in Georgia.
>

I don't believe they ever mentioned the state, but I'd always assumed it was Georgia since the show aired during Jimmy Carter's presidency. However, in one episode, they had a scene in downtown Hazzard, and in the background was a guide sign for an Alabama state route.
 
> Although,
> they're kinda crossed up. Raytown is in KS, while Raymore
> (also Mancow's hometown) is in MO. Easily confused.
>

Well put, for you are confused.

There is no Raytown or Raymore in KS. Both are in MO. Raytown is ~10 mi. SE of downtown KC, and Raymore is ~15 mi. due south of Raytown.
 
"Buffalo Bill", starring Dabney Coleman, was naturally set in Buffalo NY.
 
Re: The New Dick Van Dyke Show/Malcom in the Middle

> Not sure about Malcom in the Middle, but That 70s Show was
> set in Wisconsin.
>
The fictional Point Place, to be specific

And BTW, on The Fugitive, Richard Kimble was originally to be on the run from Wisconsin authorities, but it was moved at the last minute when the producers found out Wisconsin doesn't have the death penalty. Instead, it was Indiana (although an early photo from the series shows Kimble in front of a Greyhound bus with a "MADISON" destination sign.)
 
> > > - Wasn't Hazzard county in Georgia?
> >
> > According to the IMDb, Warner Bros. actually shot the
> first
> > five episodes of *The Dukes of Hazzard* in Georgia before
> > the company moved production to its studio in Burbank,
> > California. With that said, I think Hazzard County may
> have
> > been inspired by a real county somewhere in Georgia.
> >
>
> I don't believe they ever mentioned the state, but I'd
> always assumed it was Georgia since the show aired during
> Jimmy Carter's presidency. However, in one episode, they
> had a scene in downtown Hazzard, and in the background was a
> guide sign for an Alabama state route.
>

That's odd. Even if it were in the first 5 eps, that would make little sense, since they were shot in and around Covington, which is east of Atlanta ("In The Heat of the Night" was also made there during it's TV run)

Whether it was an earlier or later episode, it's most likely the result of someone in the props department who couldn't keep their states straight.
 
Re: The Fugitive/Madison

> And BTW, on The Fugitive, Richard Kimble was originally to
> be on the run from Wisconsin authorities, but it was moved
> at the last minute when the producers found out Wisconsin
> doesn't have the death penalty. Instead, it was Indiana
> (although an early photo from the series shows Kimble in
> front of a Greyhound bus with a "MADISON" destination sign.)

There is a Madison, Indiana. It's on the Ohio River about halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati. So that picture really isn't incorrect after all, although I'm sure the bus in the photo was destined for Madison, WI.
 
>
> Massachusetts: The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal,
> Crossing Jordan, Spenser For Hire, Boston Public, Cheers,
> Wings (Boston or near the city)
>
>
I absolutely hate to go the reality tv route (although, at the time, the reality tv glut was nothing like it is now) but MTV's The Real World originated from an old Boston firehouse during one of it's earlier seasons.

I only mention The Real World because the people actually roam around and get filmed in actual places and you can see actual area footage unlike, say, CBS's Big Brother which is in California (a house on CBS's lot I think) but they never leave the house.
 
I watched the show a lot as a child and remember seeing Georgia State Highway shields in several of the "downtown Hazard" shots. I can also remember spotting the real things along I-95 on a trip to Florida in 1987, not long after the "Dukes" left the air, and commenting about seeing similar signs on the show.

> > > > - Wasn't Hazzard county in Georgia?
> > >
> > > According to the IMDb, Warner Bros. actually shot the
> > first
> > > five episodes of *The Dukes of Hazzard* in Georgia
> before
> > > the company moved production to its studio in Burbank,
> > > California. With that said, I think Hazzard County may
> > have
> > > been inspired by a real county somewhere in Georgia.
> > >
> >
> > I don't believe they ever mentioned the state, but I'd
> > always assumed it was Georgia since the show aired during
> > Jimmy Carter's presidency. However, in one episode, they
> > had a scene in downtown Hazzard, and in the background was
> a
> > guide sign for an Alabama state route.
> >
>
> That's odd. Even if it were in the first 5 eps, that would
> make little sense, since they were shot in and around
> Covington, which is east of Atlanta ("In The Heat of the
> Night" was also made there during it's TV run)
>
> Whether it was an earlier or later episode, it's most likely
> the result of someone in the props department who couldn't
> keep their states straight.
>
 
> > I don't believe they ever mentioned the state, but I'd
> > always assumed it was Georgia since the show aired during
> > Jimmy Carter's presidency. However, in one episode, they
> > had a scene in downtown Hazzard, and in the background was
> a
> > guide sign for an Alabama state route.
> >
>
> That's odd. Even if it were in the first 5 eps, that would
> make little sense, since they were shot in and around
> Covington, which is east of Atlanta ("In The Heat of the
> Night" was also made there during it's TV run)
>
> Whether it was an earlier or later episode, it's most likely
> the result of someone in the props department who couldn't
> keep their states straight.
>

I don't remember whether it was earlier or later, but I also don't remember seeing a number on the sign, just the state outline, so I'm thinking it might have been a goof in the props dept.
 
Add "Wise Guy" - Steelgrave Arc to the New Jersey list. Set mostly in Atlantic City.

Other arcs were set in other locations, including Washington DC, Washington state, Tennessee.
 
> Here's another soap that wasn't mentioned: "Search For
> Tomorrow," which was set in the ficticious town of
> Henderson, Ohio[possibly near Cincinnati, home of P&G, which
> produced the series].
>
I never knew the state where Henderson was located. Thanks
for filling me in on that.
Did anyone mention another soap with a real-city setting:
Capitol? Washington, D.C., of course.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bpatrick on 06/13/05 12:03 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> I watched the show a lot as a child and remember seeing
> Georgia State Highway shields in several of the "downtown
> Hazard" shots. I can also remember spotting the real things
> along I-95 on a trip to Florida in 1987, not long after the
> "Dukes" left the air, and commenting about seeing similar
> signs on the show.
>
> > > > > - Wasn't Hazzard county in Georgia?
> > > >
> > > > According to the IMDb, Warner Bros. actually shot the
> > > first
> > > > five episodes of *The Dukes of Hazzard* in Georgia
> > before
> > > > the company moved production to its studio in Burbank,
>
> > > > California. With that said, I think Hazzard County
> may
> > > have
> > > > been inspired by a real county somewhere in Georgia.
> > > >
> > >
> > > I don't believe they ever mentioned the state, but I'd
> > > always assumed it was Georgia since the show aired
> during
> > > Jimmy Carter's presidency. However, in one episode,
> they
> > > had a scene in downtown Hazzard, and in the background
> was
> > a
> > > guide sign for an Alabama state route.
> > >
> >
> > That's odd. Even if it were in the first 5 eps, that
> would
> > make little sense, since they were shot in and around
> > Covington, which is east of Atlanta ("In The Heat of the
> > Night" was also made there during it's TV run)
> >
> > Whether it was an earlier or later episode, it's most
> likely
> > the result of someone in the props department who couldn't
>
> > keep their states straight.
> >
>
In Alabama and Georgia, state highway signs consist of the
highway number inside a map outline of the state. But you
guys are right, somebody needed to check a map of the U.S.
to see what the two state maps look like.

While The Dukes Of Hazzard did supposedly take place in Georgia,
I'll reiterate what I said on another post: there is no Hazzard
County, Georgia. There is a town, Hazard (one "z"), in Kentucky.

Besides Matlock, Designing Women, and In The Heat Of The Night,
one show that definitely DID take place in Georgia was Carter Country.
Fictional Clinton Corners was just a few miles from Plains.
 
Has anyone mentioned Robert Wagner's short-lived 1980s
series, Lime Street? His character lived in the northern
Virginia horse country (around McLean, I think). That show
met a sad, premature end when Samantha Smith, the same little
girl who wrote Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov urging peace and
got an invitation to visit the USSR, and who played Wagner's
daughter, died in a plane crash shortly after filming began.







> As we know, the majority of shows since the invention of TV
> have used New York or Los Angeles as a backdrop. But there
> have been a number of series in which the story line takes
> place in a city outside of New York or L.A. (or its suburbs
> such as Beverly Hills or New Rochelle) or in a distinct city
> or state. By memory, I have come up with a list of TV shows
> that have taken place outside of those two areas. Perhaps
> you can contribute some more. I'm not sure the location of
> some TV westerns such as The Rifleman, The Monroes or Wagon
> Train. I thought the Dukes of Hazzard's backdrop was
> Alabama, but the information I found said the stories took
> place in southern United States.
>
> Anyway, here's what I came up with:
>
>
> Alaska: Northern Exposure, The Alaskans
>
> Arizona: Alice (Phoenix), Medium
>
> California (aside from Los Angeles)
> San Francisco: McMillan and Wife, Ironside, Streets of San
> Francisco, Monk, Full House
> Sacramento: Eight Is Enough
> San Diego: Simon and Simon
>
> Colorado: Mork and Mindy (Boulder)
>
> Connecticut: The Gilmore Girls
>
> Florida
> Miami: CSI: Miami, Miami Vice, The Golden Girls
> Everglades: Gentle Ben
>
> Georgia: Matlock, Designing Women (both Atlanta)
>
> Hawaii: Hawaiian Eye, Hawaii Five-O, Magnum PI
>
> Illinois: The Bob Newhart Show, Crime Story, Chicago Story,
> The Untouchables, Perfect Strangers, Chicago Hope, ER, First
> Edition, Married With Children (all in Chicago or the
> suburbs)
>
> Indiana: One Day At A Time, Men Behaving Badly
> (Indianapolis), The Fugitive (Dr. Richard Kimble was from a
> fictional town called Stafford)
>
> Iowa: Apple's Way (from the fictional Appleton, IA)
>
> Maine: Murder She Wrote
>
> Maryland: Homocide: Life On The Streets (Baltimore)
>
> Massachusetts: The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal,
> Crossing Jordan, Spenser For Hire, Boston Public, Cheers,
> Wings (Boston or near the city)
>
> Michigan: Home Improvement (in or near Detroit)
>
> Minnesota: Mary Tyler Moore (Minneapolis), Coach (if he
> coached for Minnesota State, then he was in Mankato), Little
> House On The Prairie
>
> Mississippi: In The Heat Of The Night (fictional Sparta)
>
> Missouri: The Robert Guillame Show (St. Louis)
>
> Nevada: Bonanza (I think the Ponderosa was located here)
>
> New Jersey: Toma
>
> North Carolina: The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry RFD
>
> Ohio: The Drew Carey Show (Cleveland), Family Ties, WKRP in
> Cincinnati
>
> Pennsylvania: Mr. Belvidere (Pittsburgh), The Tony Randall
> Show, Philly (both in Philadelphia)
>
> Rhode Island: Providence
>
> Texas: Dallas, Matt Houston, Walker Texas Ranger
>
> Vermont: Newhart
>
> Virginia: The Virginian
>
> Washington: Frasier (Seattle)
>
> Wisconsin: Laverne and Shirley, Happy Days (Milwaukee)
>
 
> While The Dukes Of Hazzard did supposedly take place in
> Georgia,
> I'll reiterate what I said on another post: there is no
> Hazzard
> County, Georgia. There is a town, Hazard (one "z"), in
> Kentucky.

We understand that; it's quite common to use fictitious place names.

I also used to work with someone who once worked in Hazard KY. He refers to that stint as "my first foreign assignment".
 
> > Virginia: The Virginian
>
> The Virginian was set in Wyoming. The James Drury character
> (who never had a name on the show) was originally from
> Virginia.

To be specific, he was actually from Fairfax County, VA before moving to Wyoming, as it was mentioned, I think, in the first episode. (I saw it in syndication because I was too young to have seen it first-run, even though I was alive when the show premiered in 1962.)
 
> As we know, the majority of shows since the invention of TV
> have used New York or Los Angeles as a backdrop. But there
> have been a number of series in which the story line takes
> place in a city outside of New York or L.A. (or its suburbs
> such as Beverly Hills or New Rochelle) or in a distinct city
> or state.

For Nevada, add the original CSI (set in Las Vegas) which has been on the air since fall 2000; not to mention NBC's current "Las Vegas" with James Caan, and the previous ABC vehicle "Vega$" with Robert Urich from, IIRC, the early '80s.
 
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