50 TV Shows Set in All 50 States

After her dreams of becoming a heart surgeon fall apart, the perfectly named Zoe Hart finds herself falling in love with the charm of sweet home Alabama — and all of its Southern hospitality.

Not only does it feature the state and all of its plaid-shirts glory, but it also takes the term "fish out of water" to a whole new level as a New York graduate struggles to adapt to the Alaskan lifestyle. 

Nothing makes the end of the world more stressful that trying to survive in the hot heat of Tucson, AZ.

Honorable mention: Medium

Burt Reynolds's character may be fictional, but Evening Shade, AR, certainly isn't. The show perfectly showcases the charm of the town by offering bits and pieces of famous locations in the area. 

When it comes to shows based in Cali, the original 90210 is a classic. As the title would suggest, this show is all about the lifestyles of the young kids in Beverly Hills as they attend high school and college and eventually enter adulthood. The infamous West Beverly Hills is actually an ode to the real-life Beverly Hills High School.

Honorable mentions: The OC, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Saved by the Bell

The characters in this community college are almost as laid back as real-life Colorado natives.

Honorable mentions: The Ranch, Make It or Break It, The Man in the High Castle, Everwood, Dynasty, and Mork & Mindy

This mother-daughter duo, notorious for drinking coffee and spitting out pop culture references, truly illustrates the state's nickname of "Land of Steady Habits."

Honorable mentions: Who's the Boss and The Baby-Sitters Club

The series really shows off the Northeast region as a child prodigy runs through the fictional town of Blue Cove, DE, to find the birth parents he never knew existed. 

Who says retirement can't be a nonstop party? This award-winning show really captures of the essence of Floridian lifestyle as these four older, boisterous single women share a home in Miami.

Honorable mentions: Jane the Virgin and Fresh Off the Boat

While the second half of the fifth season mainly takes place in Alexandria, VA, the rest of the show perfectly shows off the beautiful (at least, when it's not flooded with zombies and blood) countryside of Atlanta. 

Honorable mention: The Dukes of Hazzard

Not to be confused with the reboot, Hawaii Five-0, this series shows that even bad things happen in paradise as the state police work to solve crimes in Hawaii.

Honorable mentions: Baywatch and Magnum PI

Nothing shows off the beautiful landscape of Idaho quite like CBS's show about a US Secret Service agent in search of his fellow agents in the small town of Wayward Pines, ID.

Honorable mention: The Grinder

Before Patrick Dempsey stole our hearts as Dr. Dreamy in Grey's Anatomy, George Clooney helped revive them. While there are certainly quite a few shows to choose from, nothing quite shows the hustle and bustle of The Windy City quite like these emergency room doctors. 

Honorable mentions: Chicago Fire, Family Matters, Roseanne, and Mike & Molly

Not only does the show feature some of our favorite celebrities, but the writers stayed true to the setting by incorporating current events into their episodes, such as the real government shutdown in Pawnee.

Honorable mention: The Middle

After growing tired of the hectic lifestyle of LA, a man and his family move to his father's hometown of Appleton, IA, to start a new life. Because who doesn't want to raise their kids in one of the safest states in the country? 

Just as the title would suggest, the show really hones in on that small-town lifestyle as Clark Kent goes from boy to Superman. 

Honorable mention: Supernatural

Based on Elmore Leonard's short story "Fire in the Hole," the TV adaption brings the Wild West to life as a tough US Marshal enforces a strict code of justice in his small hometown of Harlan, KY.

Honorable mention: Legacy

New Orleans isn't the only great part of Louisiana. This dark fantasy really delves into all of the supernatural folklore that the state is famous for in a new and innovative way.

Honorable mention: The Originals

Storybrooke is almost as magical as Maine itself. Not only does the series show off all the heavy forests in the area (seriously, why are these characters always in the woods?), but the docks are also an ode to the state's famous seafood cuisine. 

Honorable mention: Murder She Wrote 

The show encompasses the saying, "big things come in small packages" as a young girl performs various miracles in one of the country's smallest states.

While the series was actually shot in North Carolina, it still features the state's landscape with various shots of Martha's Vineyard in the opening credits. 

Honorable mention: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

After moving to a fictional suburb of Detroit, Lindsay Weir and her younger brother Sam associate their new friends with two stereotypes: freaks and geeks. The neighborhood they live in manages to feel like Michigan, while also feeling like it could be any suburban neighborhood across the country.

Honorable mentions: Sister, Sister, Martin, and Home Improvement

While each season picks up in a new place, the first season of this anthology showcases the Land of 10,000 Lakes as a deputy and a police officer set out to solve a string of murders in Bemidji, MN.

Honorable mention: Little House on the Prairie

Not only does the show feature some great scenery from the region, but it also deals with some of the state's deeply rooted social and political issues. 

Washington University serves as the series' main setting as two researchers of human sexuality explore their research and their relationship.

Honorable mention: Switched at Birth

A 10-year-old named Jody O'Connell narrates the ongoings of the fictitious Buckskin, MT, during the 1880s in this classic Western series.

This show follows the life of a group of Pony Express riders based in Nebraska during the years leading up to the Civil War. Some of the riders are even inspired by legendary figures in Old West history. 

Some of your favorite comedians illustrate what really goes down behind the scenes in Reno on Comedy Central's take on law enforcement shows.

Honorable mentions: State Trooper, Las Vegas, and Bonanza

Following the same premise as the film of the same name, the show follows a brother and sister as they try to help their friend escape a crazy board game. 

Nothing says Jersey better than Tony Soprano himself. An Italian American mobster based in New Jersey tries to balance his criminal life and his family life in the classic HBO series.

Honorable mentions: House and Boardwalk Empire

This widely popular show tells the story of a high school chemistry teacher from Albuquerque, NM, who turns to a life of crime after he is diagnosed with cancer.

Honorable mention: Roswell

No one understands how hard it is to date in the big city better than Carrie Bradshaw and her three best girlfriends.

Honorable mentions: Gossip Girl, Mad Men, Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother, and Friends

The popular drama follows the lives of two half-brothers who compete for positions on their school's basketball team. Not only was it actually shot in North Carolina, but it often makes references to the state's big college basketball teams. 

After a huge discovery of oil, a young couple moves to fictitious Rock Springs, ND, to cash in. Not so far off, seeing that the state is well-known for its boom in natural resources. 

A group of students in the small town of Lima, OH, learn to overcome stereotypes when they all join the high school glee club.

Honorable mentions: Greek, Clarissa Explains It All, and 3rd Rock From the Sun

An Oklahoma City detective with a heavy drinking problem has supernatural encounters with an angel called Earl, who encourages her turn her life around for the better.

Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen play a number of outrageous characters that truly encompass the counterculture of the state.

Honorable mentions: Grimm and Bates Motel

Known for its single-camera setup, this NBC show follows a group of office employees in Scranton, PA, and the comical situations they get themselves into.

Honorable mentions: Pretty Little Liars and How to Get Away With Murder

A wealthy plastic surgeon leaves her glamorous life in Beverly Hills behind so she can be closer with her family in Providence, RI.

Honorable mention: Family Guy

Before she was Lois in Malcolm in the Middle, Jane Kaczmarek starred in this heartfelt show about two college sweethearts who tie the knot in their hometown.

Set in the 1870s, this HBO show features a group of people in living in Deadwood, SD, before and after the area's annexation.

Set in the heart of country music, the hit ABC show does a great job at portraying all the artists trying to make it big in Nashville.

Everything may be bigger in Texas, but this series really hones in on all the issues that come with being part of a small town.

Honorable mention: King of the Hill

Taking place in a state heavily populated by Latter-Day Saints, the show follows a fundamentalist Mormon family that practices polygamy.

Honorable mentions: Signed, Sealed, Delivered and Touched by an Angel

Vermont may not be heavily populated, but Bob Newhart's character certainly runs into a lot of eccentric residents at his local inn.

They say Virginia is for lovers and that is totally true for the Salvatore brothers, who fall in love with the same girl not once, but twice! There are also some great nods to surrounding states as the characters find themselves in some peculiar situations. 

Honorable mentions: Homeland and Quantico

A group of surgical residents learn to be doctors in this fictional hospital set in Seattle. Because nothing says cold and dreary like sick patients and studious students. 

Honorable mentions: Frasier and Twin Peaks

In this 1970s show, James Stewart plays a lawyer named Billy Jim Hawkins who attempts to investigate the cases he was involved in.

Nothing screams suburbia in the 1970s quite like this group of teenagers "hangin' out down the street."

Honorable mentions: Happy Days and Step by Step

After his wife's death, a Wyoming county sheriff returns to work to help solve the town's major crimes and campaign for reelection. Aside from showing off the state's beautiful prairies, it also showcases the various Native American reservations in the state. 

OK, we know this isn't a state, but we had to include the capital! A lot of shows attempt to reveal the ruthless life of politicians in DC, but none do it quite like the Netflix drama.

Honorable mentions: Scandal, The West Wing, X-Files, and Bones