Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is Top 10 Fictional TV Towns!
Close Calls
Hawkins - Stranger Things
Bluffington - Doug
River Run - Homefront
That 70s Show was more about house scenes that the town it was set in which is why it's not higher on the list. But there were some sites of some of the funniest moments: Fatso Burger, The Hub and of course, the water tower. It was Everytown, USA in the 1970s and fit the show well.
9. The Good Place - The Good Place
Perhaps this shouldn't be considered a "town" but the sheer inventiveness of it means it deserves a spot. Although the series evolved quite a bit, I think the physical look of "the good place" was accomplished best in the very first episode with its surrealism and candy-coated brightness.
8. Orson - The Middle
Orson isn't the most important part of The Middle. It's about the family first and foremost. But Orson is the perfect fictional town for the middle of America. Wacky neighbors, small town life at its finest and most frustrating and events that can bring a whole town together. I like to imagine there are little Orsons all over the country.
7. Gotham - Batman/Batman: The Animated Series/Gotham
Of course Gotham didn't start on TV, it started in the comics. But there are multiple Gothams that have made their way on TV and are notable for how unique they are in general and in comparison to each other. There's the pop-art colorful Gotham in the 60s Batman, the noir look of the animated series and the moody darkness of the drama Gotham. All are full of characters that match their setting.
An early great fictional town, I much prefer the Hooterville on Petticoat Junction than Green Acres, or at least I prefer the former show much more. With a wacky group of characters and not much else to see besides Sam Drucker's General Store, these series were the heights of the goofy rural-coms that dominated the 60s to the point that CBS made a purposeful purge to get more sophisticated as the clock turned to the 1970s.
5. Schitt's Creek - Schitt's Creek
I am not all the way through Schitt's Creek but two and a half seasons in, it's clear that this is a show where the town is one of the co-stars. From its ridiculous name to its few (but very well developed) businesses, it's a modern day look at rural life from an absurdity view. It also isn't clear if it is in the US or Canada although the creative team have hinted at Canada.
4. Dillon - Friday Night Lights
A lot of the towns on the list are wonderful but a little bit fanciful in one way or another. The most real town on this list is Dillon, Texas of Friday Night Lights. A town that has some divisions by race or economic class but a town that unites around one thing - high school football. The portrayal of the town, shot on location in Texas, adds a tremendous amount to the feeling of the show.
3. Stars Hollow - Gilmore Girls
One of the most iconic small towns in TV history, it was a thrill for me to do a tour of the Warner Bros. lot almost two years ago and stand in the gazebo and see the exterior of Lorelai's house. It's the perfect New England town in all seasons filled with quirky characters and shops and restaurants you would love to visit.
2. Mayberry - The Andy Griffith Show/Mayberry RFD
One of the first shows to truly define a fictional community both in terms of places and people, Mayberry was full of colorful characters and grounded by their steady mayor, Andy Taylor. It's the kind of town where an exciting day might involve going down to the filling station to get a pop and then singing with Andy and his guitar on the porch. It's rural life at its most idyllic.
I don't think there's any show in history that introduced more characters and history to a town than Pawnee, Indiana. From its crazy (and sometimes racist) history to its raucous town halls to its biggest cheerleader, Leslie Knope, the setting really made Parks and Recreation what it is. It's so fully fleshed out that it's hard to believe it's not a real place.
Tomorrow: A look at 1990s flop The Louie Show!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 TV Apartments!
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