People tend to form their own opinions on what it means to ’love’ a city based on their own experiences there, but we can’t all afford the luxury of flying around the world. As such, many of us will choose to base our conclusions on what we see in the mainstream media - with television and film being a shining example of that.
Today, predominantly across the transatlantic, we’ll be taking a look at an array of cities that have benefitted from TV shows improving the overall image of their communities. That, in itself, is ironic, given the nature of some of the storylines involved in these shows.
Baltimore - The Wire
The harsh nature of The Wire highlights an issue that is still faced today in Maryland, in that Baltimore is a hub of culture that is being dragged down by violence and constant issues with the law & general poverty.
As opposed to people being thrown off, though, it seems to be inserted a gritty determination in the masses to seek out an answer to how Baltimore can recover in the long term. Plus, the show is too good to spend time thinking about the specifics of it all. Focus on what needs rectifying.
New York City - How I Met Your Mother
There are plenty of television shows throughout history that serve as great pioneers in the ‘look at how beautiful New York City is’ category. But for some reason, we wanted to pick out a bit of an underdog in this regard: How I Met Your Mother.
While the five main characters and Ted’s pursuit of love are obviously the main storylines across the entire series, we also think that the romance of the Big Apple is arguably just as influential. People love seeing that skyline, and they adore hearing about the history behind it all.
Wilmington - One Tree Hill
While the fictional town of Tree Hill may have taken the spotlight during the run of One Tree Hill, the truth of the matter is that it was predominantly filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Carolinas as a whole serve as a magnificent place to be, and as some of the best states in the entire United States. So, it should come as no surprise for people to learn that one of the main reasons why One Tree Hill was so utterly charming comes as a direct result of Wilmington’s greatness.
Birmingham - Peaky Blinders
It’s known as the second city in England, and rightly so. A lot of great things have come out of Birmingham over the years and that trend will almost certainly continue as the years and decades go on.
From a television standpoint, one of their finest moments came when Peaky Blinders first hit our television screens. Sure, it isn’t the most conventional of television shows, but it was different enough to warrant our attention from the moment it hit the air. If you go around Birmingham now, many of the same traits still exist.
Beverly Hills - 90210
Beautiful people doing beautiful things on a beautiful beach. What’s not to like? Beverly Hills is one of many cities across California that is viewed as a paradise, and it’s not exactly difficult to understand why.
The people there just seem to be so happy all of the time and while that could quite easily be a false dawn, there’s no denying the fact that 90210 made it seem cooler to live there than anyone could’ve possibly imagined. It was a very out there sort of show, but come on now, who doesn’t like that sort of weather?
Belfast - Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones was filmed around the globe with some of the best sights and sounds on television. It was disguised as being in a whole new world aside from our own when in reality, it was just down the road.
Belfast is a city that was at the heart of the filming for the show with many spectacular scenes featuring from within the shores of Northern Ireland. There are tours available for fans who are dedicated enough to check it out for themselves, which is almost certainly something we’d recommend.
Atlantic City - Boardwalk Empire
People tend to visit Atlantic City for any number of reasons, with gambling, drinking and partying with friends being located towards the top of the wish list. Whatever you may feel about it, though, it’s quite clear to see that Boardwalk Empire helped to class things up a bit – although that’s only one perspective that can be taken out of many, here.
The AC can be intimidating to some and Boardwalk Empire may enhance that fear, but it gives us an insight into what everyday life is really like, too.
Albuquerque - Breaking Bad
We’ve arrived at another show that probably shouldn’t be praised for promoting the sort of topics that it does, but at the same time deserves to be recognized as an incredibly intriguing show that gives us an idea of what the ABQ is like.
We always enjoy when cities that aren’t often selected for TV slots like this are given a chance to shine. It provides them with a bit more of an identity and allows fans to peel back the curtain and truly investigate the place that they made their own.
Austin - Friday Night Lights
Dillon, Texas is the perceived setting of Friday Night Lights but in reality, a lot of the scenes were filmed in both central and rural Austin.
The city of Austin is dramatically underrated within its own right, but in the show, it gives fans a perfect idea of what Middle America is like. From the culture to the way in which people interact with one another, FNL is a cult classic that will arguably be remembered as much for the town it’s based in as the characters who drive the story.
Bristol - Skins
Bristol, even to this day, is a student hub that also features a string of issues ranging from crime to drug problems – with the latter being particularly prevalent. The popular TV Show Skins investigates these themes really, really well, and also lets us know about the brighter side of the city to go alongside the harsher one.
Skins is an unforgiving watch most of the time but there are certain moments in which it’s difficult not to look out and appreciate the view (or, at the very least, what the view is attempting to accomplish).
