Television Geography: Difference between revisions

 

Not to be confused with [[Hollywood Atlas]].

 

== General ==

* ''[[Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (Film)|Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory]]'' (1971) presented the enigma of what was very obviously an American kid living in what was very obviously Germany, but both of his parents were very obviously not in the military and everyone in town was a native speaker of English. The 2005 film averted this by being set in the mind of [[Tim Burton]].

** Of course, the story was deliberately set in an ambiguous setting.

* The Dabney Coleman/Henry Thomas film ''~Cloak & Dagger~'' was filmed in San Antonio, Texas. In a climactic scene, Thomas's character, Davy, has to get from San Antonio's Riverwalk (downtown) to the airport (on the outskirts of the city) in less than fifteen minutes. If he'd left for the airport immediately, he still probably wouldn't have made it in time. Yet, Davy has time for a shootout with the [[Mooks]], followed by a car chase with the [[Mooks]], before showing up at the airport to confront the [[Big Bad]] with a few minutes to spare.

* Averted in ''The Collector'', which is set and filmed entirely within the confines of the city of Vancouver. And "'only'" Vancouver, none of the adjacent municipalities.

* Possible aversion: the Chicago-area McAllister house in the ''[[Home Alone]]'' movies is an actual suburban house in Winnetka (a Chicago suburb).

** As it was written by [[John Hughes]] it's half aversion, half this trope. They never mention which Chicago Suburb the McAllisters live in, but you can be certain that it's the same fictional town - Shermer - that Hughes set all his Chicago-based films in.

* The VH1 [[Made for TV Movie]] ''Hysteria: The [[Def Leppard]] Story'' tried to double Sheffield with Canada. So drummer Rick Allen's famous car crash, which happened on the A57 in the Derbyshire Peak District, looks like it happened on the Icefields parkway. The very North-American yellow centre lines on the road are also a bit of a giveaway.

* Not a big, famous town such as L.A. or Vancouver, but when the criminals who are the subject of ''In Cold Blood'' (1967) are seen approaching the Clutter's home, they are crossing the railroad tracks in Holcomb, Kansas. The Clutters did live across the tracks, but the car in the scene is going north. The Clutters lived '''south''' of the tracks.

* The guys' apartment in ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' is supposed to be in the South Lake apartments, where you can see a pristine view of the Downtown Pasadena skyline. Though the angle is correct, that view would be blocked out by much taller office buildings.

** Making matters worse, their address was stated in one episode as "2300 North Los Robles". Los Robles Avenue doesn't go that far north, and if it did, the apartment would actually be in neighboring Altadena.

** There's also a fantasy sequence in which Sheldon imagines himself as the Flash, running all the way to the Grand Canyon from his apartment to scream in frustration. When leaving Pasadena, he runs across the Colorado Street Bridge, which is on the ''western'' edge of town. The Grand Canyon is in Arizona, ''east'' of California. (To be fair, the Flash doesn't necessarily need to take the most direct route, and there aren't really any identifiable landmarks on Pasadena's eastern boundary.)

* ''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]'', set in Lynbrook, NY has an episode where Deborah wants to sell Girl Scout cookies in front of the busiest place in Lynbrook, a pizzeria, but is banned from doing so. However, the closest Pizzeria to Fowler Ave (which looks nothing like its TV counterpart) has a Coldstone and a movie theater within 500 feet of it, both of which are far busier than the pizzeria.

** Another episode referenced the San Bruno train station, which on screen was next to a hilly wooded area where they found a body. You probably couldn't really hide a body near the San Bruno train station, since there's a densely built neighborhood about 50 feet away from the train tracks... on flat ground... with no ''palm trees''.

* One episode of the US version of ''[[The Office]]'' had the cast visit Lake Scranton for a beach party. There is no beach or sandy shore at Lake Scranton, which is [http://www.carlabraham.com/Photo%20147.JPG on a hillside and surrounded by trees], a result of [[California Doubling]].

* ''[[Power Rangers]]'' has been filmed for the last several years in [[Useful Notes/New Zealand|New Zealand]], with geography that is obviously not North American. And the seasons reversed. Some [[Lampshade Hanging]] has been employed with minor characters being "sent to New Zealand" to get rid of them. Of course, through the show's entire history, [[Stock Footage]] obviously shot in Japan has been commonplace, leading to the overwhelming prevalence of Japanese cars (not [[Everybody Owns a Ford]] in this universe), Japanese signage, a usually large number of HOV and bicycle lanes, and extras who spontaneously become Asian.

** The 15th season went even further in their mistakes as the Rangers were constantly visiting other countries in their quest. They visit the Florida Everglades which, unlike the real place, has a very noticeable mountain range in the background.

* Not exactly geography, but in one episode of ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'', King Arthur enters Westminster Abbey...by a door that does not exist. The Chapel of Henry the VII is recognisable enough, but the rather significant King Edward's Chair is on the wrong side, against a wall that also does not exist (the chair, at least, did still contain the Stone of Scone at the time the episode would've been written, however).

* Averted in ''[[The Simpsons]]'', which takes great care to get geography down accurately when they visit a major city and to include proper landmarks; for instance, having been released from prison in Tokyo, they are seen to walk away from the Tokyo Police Headquarters (a very distinctive building).

** And Springfield is somehow in a state that borders on Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky, all at once.

*** All at one point too with a recent episode {{spoiler|where someone tries to murder Bart while standing in another state and steps to another state each time cops from said state show up.}}