Where Do These Shows Take Place? Can You Name The City?
- by Lucas Wesley
- – on
- in Movies and TV
The best shows on television are far more than mere distractions with which to waste our time; they make viewers feel like we’re transported to an entirely different world that can easily be more fun than our own. Even the significant number of popular American series taking place in actual cities existing in the real world generally feel absolutely nothing like the real deal. Naturally, this is almost always a good thing, as the desire to escape from boring, everyday life is the whole point of good entertainment.
That said, the specifics of where we go when avoiding the hustle and bustle of actual existence is surprisingly unimportant so long as what happens there catches our attention. For as little attention as some viewers may pay to a given series’ setting, good TV shows nonetheless tend to choose these locations carefully and not without significant purpose. Shows set in New York obviously include a different local color than those taking place in Mississippi. More than that, when creative writers invent wholly new locations for their characters to live in, the options are virtually limitless for how eccentric townsfolk can start to become.
Chances are just about anybody can tell you where their favorite TV show takes place. Some may have even visited the real life counterparts to locations the characters they most relate to call home. Only those with a truly diverse knowledge of the small screen will be able to pass this test, though, by telling us what city these TV shows take place in.
In which city do The Simpsons and their wacky neighbors reside?
Always playing games on their audience, The Simpsons writers have intentionally declined to tell viewers what state the titular yellow family calls home. However, they’ve also been kind enough to write full length show tunes in honor of the specific city in which Homer’s family and friends reside and undergo their bizarrely hilarious antics. Said to be three times the size of Texas and bordering states all over the map, the Simpsons home town can’t really exist, but that hasn’t stopped every fan from wishing it did.
What Kingdom is detailed through the bulk of the action on Game of Thrones?
Launching a million memes, Game of Thrones began with the cry that winter was coming, yet the political turmoil soon coming to that land has little to do with the actual weather. The looming threat of an ice age does play a major role, but long before that becomes an issue, the various happenings in the Houses of Stark, Lannister, and of course the surviving members of the deposed Targaryen’s. With deep lore combining high fantasy with deep drama, Game of Thrones is one of the most popular shows on TV, yet few would dare venture to it’s fictional world.
What city houses the nerds on The Big Bang Theory?
Four random bookworms could play Dungeons & Dragons all weekend long just about anywhere in the country. However, the odds that one of them would start dating a drop dead gorgeous gal living across the hall from them probably goes up considerably in California, where wannabe models grow on palm trees. That The Big Bang Theory’s “geeks” are all practically male models themselves is also a product of the Sunshine State’s environment, although they probably just moved there to work at the California Institute of Technology.
Complete The Show Title: It’s Always Sunny In _________
In many respects, the writers/creators/stars of Always Sunny set out to create a show about the worst people in America, intentionally choosing their titular location to achieve that goal. And that was before Danny DeVito joined the cast as Frank Reynolds, upping the hilarious awfulness to a significant degree. With our without Frank’s bankroll, the gang has long lived up to their promise to be the worst people on TV by running the worst bar in pop culture, Paddy’s Pub. Of course, sometimes there’s nothing funnier than failure, screaming, and downright abhorrent behavior, nor is there anything more American.
What city is protected by the world's fastest superhero, The Flash?
Faster than a speeding bullet being just one of Superman’s many tag lines, on paper, it looks like Barry Allen, aka The Flash, may pale in comparison. However, this is before fans realize just how outrageously fast The Flash actually is, as the speedy red hero can actually move so quickly as to bend the fabric of time. That’s a rare skill of his, of course, as he’s more often to utilize his quickness to rush towards danger and prevent things from getting worse, which is of course an admirable way to protect his city in and of itself.
What branch of Dunder-Mifflin is profiled on The Office?
Despite being based on an earlier British series, The Office set out to document life in “an American workplace,” and throughout nine seasons, they did a spectacular job of doing just that. Of course, most workplaces, American or otherwise, have significantly better management than Dunder-Mifflin’s Regional Manager Michael Scott, and that’s exactly what made this office’s every day life so utterly hilarious. Throw in well-written emotional side characters like Jim and Pam, and life in this little paper company really doesn’t seem that bad, other co-workers like Dwight or Angela notwithstanding.
What city is protected by Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Into every generation, a Slayer is born. Her duty is to protect the world-at-large from vampires, demons, and other dangerous creatures that go bump in the night, all the while juggling an active social life. Well, that last bit isn’t exactly part of her divine responsibility, but to Buffy, it’s probably the most important. That’s a good thing for the many fans of her series, who know the experiences Buffy shares with her buddies Xander and Willow are just as fascinating as the evil they face from the Hellmouth, the dark force that makes their California town so dangerous it needed a Slayer.
Fittingly, what city does Angel flee to for his own titular spin-off?
In love with Buffy Summers but unable to consummate these feelings at the risk of losing his soul, the 241-year-old vampire named Angel had to flee from TV’s Slayer and earn his own spin-off. To get away from Buffy, Angel also had to leave her town of Sunnydale, ironically heading to the very city she was kicked out of when her series began. Not that this has anything to do with Angel’s choice, as he was more concerned with the amount of people there in Buffy’s absence, many of whom needed to be saved, both from demons and themselves.
What Midwestern city is home to countless Stranger Things?
It says a lot about the local police force on Stranger Things that a group of children seem wholly responsible for figuring out what happened when a friend of theirs disappears. It’s understandable that the kid’s mom is kind of a wreck in his absence, but some other adults should probably be watching his friends. However, the small Indiana town where young Will Byers vanishes has a whole lot of weirdness to deal with independent to that particular tragedy, so the adults are likely busy trying to make sense of it all.
What town’s local government is documented on Parks & Recreation?
Leslie Knope is the sort of politician who won’t stop her rise until she becomes President of the United States…or gets her optimism torn out of her by a boss like Ron Swanson. On the other hand, a woman like Leslie would never let that happen, instead spending seven seasons on Parks & Recreation getting that paragon of manliness to gradually soften down his stance on humanity (although maybe not the perils of government). Leslie’s probably a little too busy for the Presidential goal, too, busy trying her best to help the small Indiana town she governs to catch up with the modern century.
What city’s community college is seen on Community?
Community colleges in general didn’t have the best reputation as institutes of higher learning prior to NBC making a sitcom about the subject. Six seasons later (still waiting on the movie), most real community colleges can at least say they run a heck of a lot smoother than the one lead by Dean Craig Pelton and attended by disgraced lawyer Jeff Winger. Despite Pelton’s incompetence, Winger has little trouble navigating through the school’s halls as he meets several close friends in his study group, all representing different parts of the local Colorado community.
What town is lucky there’s a Family Guy?
Given the style of humor it popularized, there’s a real chance Family Guy has had a five-second clip or two take place in virtually every location real and fictional that exists on Earth. However, from the very beginning, the actual Griffin family has lived in the same Rhode Island town (except for that one time Peter tried annexing his house from the US to form a sovereign nation). Named after a strange talking clam and famous for it’s Pawtucket Brewery, the Griffin’s residence is as eccentric as they are, making it easy for Peter to remember all sorts of weird, disconnected jokes about his surroundings.
Where do Rick and his gang initially fight for their lives on The Walking Dead?
Ultimately, the characters on The Walking Dead will need to deal with the fact that zombies have infested the entire world. For the time being, however, the show has largely focused on the actions of Rick Grimes, his family, and companions as they traverse their hometown in Georgia. The southern flavor of the series definitely paints Rick and company’s actions, as there are obviously some places in this world where people are better prepared to pick up a gun than others. Lucky for Rick, he’s from one of them.
In what NYC borough is Jerry’s apartment on Seinfeld?
New York City is such an integral part of the action on Seinfeld that it felt like too easy of a question to leave it at just the city. Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer rarely go a full episode without referencing or walking by some New York landmark, and Seinfeld’s humor has in many respects become synonymous with the Big Apple. However, even some Seinfeld super fans may have never noticed exactly where Jerry lived. In all fairness, it’s hard to spot any major landmarks from inside his tiny apartment.
In what town does Walter White start Breaking Bad?
The underlying point of Breaking Bad is to examine how far into the dark side a man will go if he truly believes there is nothing left for him to lose. Walter White begins this journey on his 50th birthday, when he learns he has terminal lung cancer that will soon take his life. Throwing caution to the wind, Walt soon becomes the best damn meth dealer in the Southern United States. Perhaps the bountiful deserts provided by the Arizona setting influenced the decision, basically inviting Walt, his young accomplice Jesse, and their RV to cook.
Where does Jess move to reshape her life on New Girl?
Breaking up is hard to do, and Jessica Day was hardly alone in deciding to make some drastic life changes after discovering her ex was cheating on her. Still, most newly single gals wouldn’t immediately move into a giant loft with three or four eccentric male roommates. Of course, Jess would claim this is because few women possess her tenacity, and that may well be true. Her exceptional sense of humor is also a rare quality amongst both men and women, yet her ridiculous roommates may have her matched in that regard.
What major California city is home to Modern Family?
Let’s face it—a small town with a population under three digits isn’t likely to be on the forefront of social progress. That’s not to say Ohio isn’t for lovers or anything scandalous like that; it’s simply our way of pointing out the extended Dunphy-Pritchett-Delgado-Tucker dynasty could only exist in one of the biggest and most diverse cities in the world. Looking at the main characters last names alone, it’s clear people with many diverse backgrounds formed this union, and that’s not even mentioning the wacky divergent personalities these names represent.
In what city do Selina Meyer and her staff work on Veep?
Hopefully, everyone taking this quiz will have the baseline understanding of American politics required to make this question a particularly easy one. If not, the hint Veep is short for Vice President, the occupation held by Selina Meyer as the show began, might be less helpful than expected. Of course, you shouldn’t know the answer to this one because of the plot alone, as lucky fans are surely aware VP Meyer is one of the funniest women on TV, making a hilarious show of politics well before the real life version started getting even more ridiculous than fiction.
What city’s police department fights the drug trade on The Wire?
When you walk through the garden, you gotta watch your back. Just ask the police officers of The Wire—or any of the drug dealers, hoppers, and gangsters they spend much of the series trying to bring to justice. Jimmy McNulty, Bunk Moreland, and their compatriots only make up a small portion of what the seminal HBO series was all about, however, with the town itself becoming an integral piece of the show in side plots about politics and print media. One thing that remains true throughout it all is that a man’s gotta have a code, wherever he lives.
What city houses the prison seen on Orange Is The New Black?
Another series where New York City plays an integral role, what sets Orange Is The New Black apart from Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother, or Mad Men is that it doesn’t actually take place in the Big Apple. Though Piper Chapman lives in NYC as the show begins, she’s instantly transported to a minimum-security prison upstate in relation to her ex-girlfriend’s criminal empire. Piper and her fellow convicts rarely get to see beyond the cement walls and barred windows where they serve their time, yet the prison’s name should make this one an easy question for fans.
What town bonds over high school football on Friday Night Lights?
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” is the kind of barely meaningful pabulum that would inspire just about any high school football team to try their damnedest to make their coach proud. When that coach happens to be a man like Eric Taylor, the desire to succeed is vastly intensified, as his love for the game inspires the Panthers on the field and in their every day lives. Texas in particular is the perfect setting for a small town that cares exclusively about football, but the specifics FNL’s characters bring make the series much more than a Southern cliché.
What major American city hosts the titular amigos on Friends?
Nobody told them life was gonna be this way, but the companions who come together on Friends were able to laugh through the hardships regardless of how unexpected they were. It wasn’t that tough for Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross to move on after countless faux pas and heartbreaks considering their location, and we don’t mean the fact they lived near a peppy coffee joint called Central Perk. The friends were also lucky enough to reside in one of the biggest cities in the world, filled with monkeys, smelly cats, and further romances to forever keep them distracted.
What small town provides the setting for Freaks and Geeks?
Not shying away from a bad reputation, when Lindsay Weir is deeply affected by the death of her grandmother, she makes the decision to stop being such a geek and start hanging out with the freaks. Unfortunately, her little brother Sam has a long way to go in catching up to her, and that’s just one of the many comedic elements that make Freaks and Geeks an endearing cult classic to this day. Another less talked about facet of the show that made it feel true to life was the small town setting, filled with Michigan flavor.
In which city does “everybody know your name” on Cheers?
Let’s face it, bars are one of the few businesses that have a chance of thriving just about anywhere in the entire world. Charming bartenders like Sam Malone will always be able to find Cliff Claven’s and Norm Peterson’s to sell copious amounts of beer, and Frasier’s, Lilith’s, Diane’s and Rebecca’s will always be nearby laughing at them for it. If a town is lucky enough, they might even have an adorable Coach or Woody-type to impart folksy wisdom. There’s only one bar where it all comes together so perfectly it could last 11 seasons, though, and that’s Cheers.
Where does Frasier move to begin his titular series?
After Cheers closed down, Frasier Crane left Boston, in part because he felt the blues were calling with some tossed salad and scrambled eggs. To battle a feeling of loneliness brought on by age, Frasier returned to his hometown and reconnected with his fastidious brother and cantankerous father, becoming a respected radio host along the way. Frasier also somehow overcomes his bookish tendencies to date almost every eligible woman in the large Washington city he resides in, while his brother is more interested in their father’s nurse.
In which LA district does Vic Mackey of The Shield operate?
The police officers protecting major American cities like Los Angeles need to be the hardest working men and women in their field to keep millions of citizens safe. To achieve this goal, the LAPD also divides the city into dozens of districts, making it easier for smaller squads to maintain law and order over their territory. Unfortunately, this breakdown also makes it easier for the individual cops to get corrupt, like Detective Vic Mackey and his Strike Force do as they “keep the peace” in their own way.
What Florida city is prey to the vigilante killer seen on Dexter?
Most television viewers are aware the American justice system is far from perfect, with countless legal dramas constantly reminding us of this fact. It’s hard for an audience to accept it when the bad guy gets away, and we can only imagine how it would feel to be in the show’s universe, knowing full well justice was not served. This is the dilemma Dexter Morgan faced on his titular show, and he decided to take matters into his own hand by killing criminals who slip through the cracks, a practice that quickly makes him a type of monster himself.
Where does Frankie Heck raise her children on The Middle?
One of TV’s quieter and quirkier nine season sitcoms, The Middle is so named because Heck family live “in the middle of nowhere.” Or maybe it’s a reference to “Middle America,” a concept Frankie’s brood and especially her daughter Sue strongly represent. Or is it “middle of the road,” a nod to her husband Mike’s complacency with their boringly normal lives? We’re not sure where the name comes from, but we do know The Middle doesn’t get enough love for hilariously bringing a small, close-knit Indiana town to life.
What New York borough does Ted Mosby tell his kids about in How I Met Your Mother?
In some respects a more recent version of Seinfeld, the city of New York plays such an integral role in the stories told by Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother that this question needed to get a little more specific than merely what town the characters live in. Once again, we’re looking to the five boroughs and asking where Ted and Marshall’s apartment can be found. This would also include the gang’s favorite hangout, MacLaren’s Pub, although not the Dowisetrepla (downwind from the sewage treatment plant) neighborhood, which is thankfully fictional.
Where does Michael Bluth get stuck in Arrested Development?
Near the edge of the O.C. (don’t call it that) is a large seaside town that unknowingly served the foundation for a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It was Arrested Development, and for three densely layered seasons, it was the funniest show on network TV. While the bulk of the series takes place in smaller communities like Sudden Valley or Balboa Towers, the Bluth’s rarely leave the city that houses them, in part because their stair car can’t get that far without hop-ons.
What NYC borough does Don Draper spend most of his time in Mad Men?
Back to New York City for another series that uses the City That Never Sleeps in a way that defines the characters actions, Mad Men’s Don Draper would have a significantly different life if he lived anywhere other than the capital of the world. As the most imaginative advertising executive in the game, Draper needed to be at the heart of popular and mainstream culture, which is something only NYC can provide. Once again, though, we’re asking you to get specific and tell us the borough in which Sterling Cooper & Partners set up shop.
Where does Nancy start her drug empire on Weeds?
White houses barricaded by picket fences might look like little boxes filled with ticky tacky to the naked eye, but passersby never know what’s going on inside of them. In the case of Nancy Botwin, her middle class California life was actually a smokescreen, as she was also one of the most popular drug dealers in the area. Botwin never traded in the hard stuff, merely selling marijuana to anyone she deemed old enough, yet this would inevitably get her involved with some serious crimes as the series progressed out of her little white bread neighborhood.
In what small city do two Russian spies pose as The Americans?
While the Cold War has been completely over for nearly three decades now, many real Americans have trouble forgetting the country’s past tensions with Russians. The characters of FX’s The Americans series would especially be unable to forget this fact, as the Jennings family are secretly Russian spies living in the early 1980s as the “war” was dying down. Not even Elizabeth and Phillip’s own children know their true nature, firmly believing themselves to be a normal Virginia family who simply made regular trips to Washington, D.C. for fun.
What city’s criminal justice system is profiled on Law & Order?
No matter where in America we’re talking about, in the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two groups. Never before have the exploits of these two groups felt as succinctly explained on television as in Law & Order, the long-running procedural drama that has spawned countless spin-offs with hundreds of episodes. For the most part, the series took place in only one major American city, so perfectly capturing the local color that two of it’s most iconic characters were once named amongst the city’s living landmarks.
Where does Tony’s family live on The Sopranos?
Modern day life is tough for just about everybody, including mobsters like Tony Soprano, who suffers panic attacks atop his ever growing crime enterprise. To deal with this stress, Soprano hires psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi to help him navigate through his tumultuous life, inadvertently putting her at risk when he starts to reveal too much in select sessions. Unlike most mob based shows that take place in New York, The Sopranos crosses through the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey, choosing a more obscure location for Tony to commit his crimes.