(NEXSTAR) – We’re well aware that most of our favorite TV shows are shot on a studio lot in California. But we choose to suspend disbelief because, deep down, we want to believe the story is unfolding at a bar in Boston, a general hospital in New York, or even an uncharted Gilligan’s isle.
Depending on where you live, plenty of popular TV shows may be set in your state or hometown, too. Again, we know the action is likely not taking place in our backyards. But we usually appreciate any local references, exterior shots, or attempt to convince us that Lucy and Ricky are, in actuality, raising chickens at their home in Westport, Connecticut.
The following five shows were all set in the Constitution State, whether in real-life Connecticut cities or fictional little towns.
“Judging Amy” – Hartford
Not only was “Judging Amy” set in Connecticut, but main character Amy Gray (Amy Brenneman) worked for the Connecticut Superior Court. The legal/family drama, which ran on CBS from 1999 to 2005, followed Gray after her move from NYC to her hometown of Hartford. The show also starred Emmy-winner Tyne Daly as Gray’s mother, as well as a younger Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) in a recurring role.
“The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” – Westport
A follow-up to “I Love Lucy,” “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” continued where the former series left off: with Lucy and Ricky Ricardo (Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) now living in Connecticut after buying a home in Westport during the final season of “I Love Lucy.” The show, which ran between 1957 and 1960, wasn’t a weekly series but rather a collection of hour-long episodes, most of which concerned the Ricardos and the Mertzes getting up to their usual shenanigans, albeit this time with more frequent celebrity guest stars.
“Who’s the Boss?” – Fairfield
Airing between 1984 and 1992, “Who’s the Boss?” introduced viewers to Tony Micelli (Tony Danza), a former second-baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals who, naturally, follows up his baseball career with a job as a live-in housekeeper for Angela Bower (Judith Light) and her family in Fairfield, Connecticut. Like many of the other fictional characters mentioned above, Micelli ended up in Connecticut after moving from New York City — specifically Brooklyn.
“Soap” – Dunn’s River
A send-up of daytime soap operas and their scandalous (and often outlandish) plotlines, “Soap” revolved around a pair of families living in the fictional town of Dunn’s River, Connecticut. The show, which ran from 1977 to 1981, also produced a spin-off called “Benson” to focus on Robert Guillame’s character after he leaves Dunn’s River for a job at the governor’s mansion. Which governor’s mansion is never made clear, but viewers have doubts it was supposed to be Connecticut.
“Gilmore Girls” – Stars Hollow
“Gilmore Girls,” which aired between 2000 and 2007, centered on the lives of Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory Gilmore (Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel) in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, where Lorelai operated an inn. (Rory also began studying at Yale in the middle of the series.) Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of “Gilmore Girls,” said she actually came up with the idea and setting for the dramedy series after staying at an inn in Washington Depot, in Litchfield County — an area that remains a popular destination for fans of the show.
Honorable mentions: “Bewitched,” which was either set in Westport, or perhaps elsewhere in the Tri-State area (the show indicated different locations in different episodes, fans have noted); “My Wife and Kids,” set in Stamford; and “The Babysitters Club” TV adaptations, set in the fictional town of Stoneybrook (as in the books).