Shows were the location was never revealed

[mleach]

Donna Reed was set in Hilldale, and it seemed to be a smallish town but big enough for one hospital.

As was the old Jay North sitcom Dennis The Menace since there was at least one or perhaps two episodes where Mr.Wilson ( Joe Kearns ) and Dennis had themselves apearing on Reed's show. Now as far as location went, there were two episodes of Dennis The Meance well....

One episode had Dennis stopping by a local TV station whose calls had start with a "W" while another one had snow falling in Hilldale. That kinda rules out California..well at least with the station with a "W" anyway.

 

[bpatrick]

I remember the graphic that used to open "Felony Squad":
The place--a city
The time--now
The story of--"The Felony Squad"

 

[azumanga]

"110° longitude and 10° latitude"

Wouldn't that have put Gilligan's Island somewhere about an hour's drive north of Quito, Ecuador?

As for latitude -- is it north or south?

 

[cowboybud]

King of the Hill (no exact location in Texas, except 3 hours from Houston)

Isn't it Arlen, Texas?

Yes, but where it exactly is was never implied. Though considering that it's 3 hours from Houston, it's practically anywhere as far north as Dallas and Tyler, southwest as San Antonio, south as Corpus Christi and west as Austin. Going east and northeast is out, as 3 hours from Houston goes into Louisiana.

A map was once shown that placed Arlen roughly between Waco and Austin.

Beavis and Butt-head lived in "Highland"...I don't remember if they specified it being in Texas or not.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

The Brady Bunch
The Wonder Years
The Simpsons
King of the Hill (no exact location in Texas, except 3 hours from Houston)

Remember that Brady Bunch episode in which they specifically mentioned that a letter to them was addressed as "city"? They definitely went out of their way on that show to try to make themselves "anywhere, USA."

And Wonder Years featured schools named for presidents, or at least presidential candidates, like Robert Kennedy Junior High, another feature that helps a show's setting to be "anywhere, USA."

Freaks and Geeks, believed to be set in the Detroit suburb of "Chippewa," but never made clear. Also featured a "presidential" high school, McKinley High School.

Giligan's Island, never really made clear where the island was, only that it was about 350 miles from Hawaii.

If anyone remembers, there was a lot of N.Y. Jets paraphernalia visible in the brothers' room in "The Wonder Years". One of them even wore a Jets jacket in some episodes. During the mid-late 1960s, being a Jets fan wasn't something that somebody became unless one lived in the N.Y. area. I'd say that the show took place in a suburb in the N.Y. metropolitan area.

But it never snowed or got cold

 

[Corky Marlowe]

"Scrubs", according to the producers, is set in a large California city called "Sandifrangeles".

 

[jwk1979]

Hooterville (Petticoat Junction, Green Acres) is never stated what state it is in. On "Green Acre", it is only refered to as the Kangaroo State and when any citizen of Hooterville goes to the state capital, it is refered to on signs as "State Capital". And on "Petticoat Junction", scenes with the Cannonball are shot in Portland, Oregon.

On "The Beverly Hillbillies", it was never really stated what state the hills are in. Several Missouri towns are mentioned as being near Bugtussell (Joplin, Springfield), as well as several Arkansas towns (Eureka Springs, Hot Springs) and several Tennessee towns as well (Columbia, Ripley, Nashville). Yet when Mr. Brewster mentions that he lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the pilot, the Clampetts had never heard of Tulsa, which I find hard to believe forr anyone living in either Northern Arkansas or Southern Missouri.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

A map was once shown that placed Arlen roughly between Waco and Austin.

I don't know the limits of Cowboys Nation, but Arlen is very much in it.

 

[Markxxx]

In the Beverly Hillbillies, Granny is said to come from "Across the river" which we can assume is the Mississippi.

Granny was also born in Davie County, which was the home to Daniel Boone, who Granny admires.

Jethro makes remarks about wanting to be a streetcar conductor like back home, near Joplin. And Granny makes references about friends who work in a mill in Springfield, all in Missouri. And Mr Brewster lives in nearby Tulsa, so this seems to put the Clampetts in SW Missouri or NW Arkansas.

In Mama's Family, the town is Raytown and everything is "Ray." St Ray Hospital, McRay's Hamburgers, etc etc. In the NBC years when Mama learns to drive, Aunt Fran's car has Missouri license plates and there is a Raytown Missouri, but that seems to be much larger than the fictional Raytown.

 

[Markxxx]

But it never snowed or got cold

That never stopped them on Bewitched

 

[cd637299]

Hooterville (Petticoat Junction, Green Acres) is never stated what state it is in. On "Green Acre", it is only refered to as the Kangaroo State and when any citizen of Hooterville goes to the state capital, it is refered to on signs as "State Capital". And on "Petticoat Junction", scenes with the Cannonball are shot in Portland, Oregon.

On "The Beverly Hillbillies", it was never really stated what state the hills are in. Several Missouri towns are mentioned as being near Bugtussell (Joplin, Springfield), as well as several Arkansas towns (Eureka Springs, Hot Springs) and several Tennessee towns as well (Columbia, Ripley, Nashville). Yet when Mr. Brewster mentions that he lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the pilot, the Clampetts had never heard of Tulsa, which I find hard to believe forr anyone living in either Northern Arkansas or Southern Missouri.

In the case of Hooterville on "Acres," during the series run, the closest clue was that it was told that Chicago is 300 miles away. Also in the reunion movie "Return to Green Acres" in 1991, Sam Drucker, who of course is also the postmaster of Hooterville, among other hats he wore, said that the ZIP code is "40[xxx]-and-a-half", which would put it in Kentucky. Artistic license there.

cd

 

[nomadcowatbk]

A map was once shown that placed Arlen roughly between Waco and Austin.

I don't know the limits of Cowboys Nation, but Arlen is very much in it.

Basically Texas except Houston

 

[firepoint525]

The Brady Bunch
The Wonder Years
The Simpsons
King of the Hill (no exact location in Texas, except 3 hours from Houston)

Remember that Brady Bunch episode in which they specifically mentioned that a letter to them was addressed as "city"? They definitely went out of their way on that show to try to make themselves "anywhere, USA."
And Wonder Years featured schools named for presidents, or at least presidential candidates, like Robert Kennedy Junior High, another feature that helps a show's setting to be "anywhere, USA."
Freaks and Geeks, believed to be set in the Detroit suburb of "Chippewa," but never made clear. Also featured a "presidential" high school, McKinley High School.
Giligan's Island, never really made clear where the island was, only that it was about 350 miles from Hawaii.

If anyone remembers, there was a lot of N.Y. Jets paraphernalia visible in the brothers' room in "The Wonder Years". One of them even wore a Jets jacket in some episodes. During the mid-late 1960s, being a Jets fan wasn't something that somebody became unless one lived in the N.Y. area. I'd say that the show took place in a suburb in the N.Y. metropolitan area.

But it never snowed or got cold

The lack of snow or cold weather, or even darkness, was often an issue with Freaks and Geeks. In the Halloween episode, they trick-or-treated in broad daylight!

 

[firepoint525]

I'm kinda surprised that no one has mentioned The Dukes of Haz(z)ard. I believe that there are references to both Kentucky and Georgia in Dukes, but it was never made clear, only that they lived in an area in which there were few paved roads. And they often made references to "Capitol City," but not to which state capitol that was!

 

[ixnay]

I'm kinda surprised that no one has mentioned The Dukes of Haz(z)ard. I believe that there are references to both Kentucky and Georgia in Dukes, but it was never made clear, only that they lived in an area in which there were few paved roads. And they often made references to "Capitol City," but not to which state capitol that was!

The Simpsons has made endless references to "Capitol/Capital City" too (remember the ep in which Homer becomes a hit as the Isotopes' mascot, then is hired away by Capital City's MLB team and bombs there?).

ixnay

 

[jwk1979]

In the Beverly Hillbillies,Granny was also born in Davie County, which was the home to Daniel Boone, who Granny admires.

And Mr Brewster lives in nearby Tulsa, so this seems to put the Clampetts in SW Missouri or NW Arkansas.

Granny often stated she was from Nepolean, TN and that here family ran the Botkins out of that town. There is no Davie County in TN. She often made references to being from different parts of Tennessee, And the Clampetts were lifelong friends of Lester Flatt (from Smithville, TN) and Earl Scruggs (from North Carolina) and many other Country Music stars (Nashville).

Yes,. Mr. Brewster lives in Tulsa but none of the Clampetts (including Aunt Pearl) seem to have even heard of Tulsa, which would be hard to believe that ANYONE from SW Missouri or NW Arkansas WOULD HAVE NEVER HEARD OF TULSA, as close as Tulsa is to the Ozarks.

 

[bpatrick]

"Guiding Light" left some confusion about whether its town,
Springfield, was in Illinois or somewhere else. On the one hand,
the town was once identified as being about 90 miles from Oakdale,
the town on "As The World Turns" (which was identified as being
in Illinois), and I recall that on the last episode a car with Illinois
license plates was shown leaving the town's park. On the other
hand, Springfield was never identified as a capital city, which, of
course, it is in Illinois.

I've always had the sense that Springfield on "The Simpsons" is
actually in Kentucky, due to its proximity to Shelbyville. In real
life Springfield and Shelbyville, KY, are not too far apart.

 

[Markxxx]

Granny often stated she was from Nepolean, TN and that here family ran the Botkins out of that town. There is no Davie County in TN. She often made references to being from different parts of Tennessee, And the Clampetts were lifelong friends of Lester Flatt (from Smithville, TN) and Earl Scruggs (from North Carolina) and many other Country Music stars (Nashville).

Yes,. Mr. Brewster lives in Tulsa but none of the Clampetts (including Aunt Pearl) seem to have even heard of Tulsa, which would be hard to believe that ANYONE from SW Missouri or NW Arkansas WOULD HAVE NEVER HEARD OF TULSA, as close as Tulsa is to the Ozarks.
[/quote]

You're correct about Davie, that was my error, but Granny states she was born in the same of Daniel Boone. This would put her around Johnson City, TN. She states that when Mike Minor moved from Petticoat Junction to the Beverly Hillbilles playing an out of work actor who lives in Miss Jane's building and pretends to be a few people to impress Miss Jane, and Ellie Mae and of course Granny

Both Jed and Cousin Pearl are aware of Tulsa. I just saw the episode and when Pearl suggests Beverly Hills, Jed wonders about Tulsa because Mr Brewster lives there. Pearl and Jed are aware of it.

Pearl seems to go in and out of what she knows. Sometimes she seems to know a lot about the outside world and at other times she is cluessless, according to the plot needs

 

[firepoint525]

I believe that the producers of many of these shows were intentionally vague about the locations of their shows, in order to avoid "identifying" anyone, either living or deceased. Think about the disclaimers that air at the end of many shows.

 

[mjlarochelle]

Not to mention Family Guy's location of Quahog, Rhode Island is fictional, although in this case Rhode Island's size narrows the location down pretty far.

The 1979-1985 version of The Littlest Hobo never revealed any particular location where the show took place.

The 80s version of Degrassi never referred to its setting specifically as being in Toronto, although one episode took place in Port Hope, a town about 60 miles to the east, and another episode had some characters traveling to Hamilton for a concert. The show never tried to hide that it was set in Canada though, as Canadian money was clearly visible in several episodes and Canadian chains such as Petro-Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart appeared at one time or another. One of the few subtle references to the show being in Toronto was a shot that included a Toronto Sun newspaper box, I believe in the final season.

Aside from those, the few modern shows out of Canada tend to be very upfront (sometimes too upfront) about their location.