Folks at Web Desing School Guide did a great list of 10 TV Shows That Were Defined By Their Cities, and I think they were short on that list. So I´m taking on to expand it with five more, even though there are a whole bunch more
As they put it, A good way to tell how big a role a given city plays in a TV show is to imagine the story taking place somewhere else.
Well, this list is all about those shows that if moved, would´ve lost their mojo.
1- Taxi and New York:
There is no city in the world where this could have taken place in. Oh Manhattan, you and your yellow taxis, you and Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufmann, Christopher Lloyd. Luckily for us, it took place in NY and we managed to see it 5 full seasons.
2- The Wire and Baltimore:
Not only David Simon was the showrunner for one of the best written series ever, he led a very close to hometown relationship between the stories and the city.
3- Sex and The City and New York:
It´s not Sex and any city… it´s sex and NY. Put those four ladies anywhere else in the planet, and it just wouldn´t cut it.
4- Mad Men and a vintage New York:
A city that moves so fast makes nostalgia a rare thing. Well, Mad Men has a sixties New York in a great fashion.
5- Veronica Mars and Neptune:
Ok, Neptune, California does not exist, but the city very much existed in the show, and was very well painted.
6- The Simpsons and Springfield:
The Simpsons is a family that we all sit and watch, but the show is not about them, it´s about the whole city. Springfield at its best
7- Seinfeld and New York:
The characters, the places, the style, the humour. It was all NY
8- Buffy The Vampire´s Slayer and Sunnydale:
Ok, there is no Hellmouth in NY, there´s no Hellmouth in Paris. There is one (there was one) in Sunnydale. So, the great Joss Whedon set the show there.
9- Justified and Harlan:
Just on the brink of renewal to be announced next tuesday, from the accents to the moonshiners, the show is defined by its Southern quirks, and it wouldn’t be the same anywhere else.
10- Boardwalk Empire and Atlantic City:
Another vintage city. Just try to make this show elsewhere… picture it in your mind… can´t happen
11- Friends and New York:
From Joey Tribbiani´s raving madness about the Yankees, to the Central Perk cafe; the show was New York. No wonder Joey in LA didn´t work
12- The Chicago Code and Chicago:
Ok, it´s in the name you can say. Sure, but itps more than that, it´s how the city becomes a character that fascinates us about this show. It also has Jennifer Beals BTW.
13- Entourage and Hollywood:
Move the gang elsewhere. Not possible, right? Right
14- Grey´s Anatomy and Seattle:
Maybe it´s sailed away from the city a little in this past couple of seasons, but the show started very much tied to Seattle, and I am a sucker for the early days of Grey, you know, when Lizzie and O´Malley were BFF´s
15- Burn Notice and Miami:
Michael Westen cannot leave Miami. And why would he? The show is awesome and Miami makes it even better
16- Dexter and Miami: Bonus Track
First of all, it´s Dexter, so it should be on every list of any best thing on TV.
Other than that, where else we could see those storylines and characters? Laguerta, Batista? Miami is Dexter
What did you think about these shows who owe their mojo to a city? Let me know in the comments section.
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It´s May Sweeps, and finales are just around the corner for many shows, and a lot of shows have already aired finales. Now it´s time to talk a little bit about Grey´s Anatomy Finale death.
