The Greatest TV Shows Taking Place in Small Towns

Small-town settings provide television shows with a familiar landscape of houses, schools, eateries, and main streets that both viewers and characters become intimately acquainted with over time. Such series often rely on close-knit communities, local landmarks, and traditional town events to structure narratives which repeatedly visit recognizable locations each week.

Many productions create fictional towns based on real-life locations, populating them with familiar characters and continuous storylines that develop over multiple seasons. These series cover a range of genres, including drama, comedy, mystery, and others. Each series sets its narrative within a community where landmarks are well-known, and most residents recognize one another.

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–1991)

In the made-up logging town of Twin Peaks, Washington, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper takes charge of an inquiry into the mysterious death of Laura Palmer. The show’s settings are inspired by locations in the Pacific Northwest, featuring places like North Bend and Snoqualmie, with the Salish Lodge serving as a filming stand-in for the picturesque hotel seen on screen. The town layout revolves around a sheriff’s station, a diner, a mill, and a high school, making these communal areas crucial to the storyline.

The series titled “Twin Peaks”, produced by David Lynch and Mark Frost, originally aired on ABC. It artfully blended elements of procedural drama with continuing storylines rooted in the town’s history. Key characters include local law enforcement, mill owners, and students whose relationships intertwine around the case, enabling the narrative to frequently revisit familiar institutions within Twin Peaks.

‘Gilmore Girls’ (2000–2007)

Stars Hollow, a quaint Connecticut town, serves as the setting for Lorelai and Rory Gilmore’s lives. Central locations like the town square, an inn, and a constantly present diner are frequent stops in their daily routines. Although the show’s main street was filmed on the Warner Bros studio lot, this enabled them to create seasonal events, community gatherings, and recurring shops, thereby visually illustrating the progression of time.

The show, named by Amy Sherman Palladino, initially aired on The WB and later moved to The CW. This series features an ensemble cast consisting of a mayor, a dance instructor, local business owners, and a minstrel. Their respective roles provide the town with recurring gatherings that bring all residents together in the same community hall and gazebo.

‘Friday Night Lights’ (2006–2011)

In the imaginary town of Dillon, located in Texas, this series focuses on a high school football team that becomes the focal point of community meetings each week. The production team utilized genuine Texas locations for filming, including stadiums, which gives an authentic feel to practices, games, and common gathering spots within the town, which reappear throughout different seasons.

The series initially aired on NBC, while subsequent seasons were created in partnership with DirecTV. It follows the interconnected lives of families, coaches, and students associated with a particular team and school. The narrative primarily takes place within the school, field house, and local businesses, thereby confining most scenes to a single community.

‘Schitt’s Creek’ (2015–2020)

In this rephrased version, let’s present the information as follows: The story unfolds around the Rose family residing in a quaint Ontario town, centered around a motel, a café, and a row of small shops on its main street. For several exteriors, filming took place in Goodwood, Ontario. The actual motel near Mono served as the unique roadside location that plays a significant role in the initial episodes.

The comedy series was developed by Eugene Levy and Dan Levy and initially broadcast on CBC in Canada as well as Pop TV in the U.S. The limited geographical setting, primarily focusing on a small town, allows the storyline to revolve around places like the café, town hall, and motel office, frequently bringing the characters together within the same few buildings.

‘Broadchurch’ (2013–2017)

The small coastal community of Dorset serves as the backdrop for Detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller’s investigation. Filming was done in and around West Bay, thereby incorporating the dramatic Jurassic Coast cliffs and harbor into the town’s appearance. This location choice kept the narrative centered around the beach, the church, and a quaint main street.

The show was broadcasted on ITV and centered around a mystery that affected locals, business owners, and town officials alike. Every installment regularly visited the same police station, newsroom, and coastline, tying characters together with familiar routines within this tight-knit neighborhood.

‘Northern Exposure’ (1990–1995)

In a narrative twist known as “the fish-out-of-water scenario,” a young doctor from bustling New York finds himself in the small Alaskan town of Cicely. This remote settlement, characterized by a general store, a radio station, and a solitary main street, forms its entire layout. Interestingly, the show was filmed in Roslyn, Washington, which lent familiar shop facades that often recurred throughout the series episodes.

In simpler terms, the show airs on CBS and centers around a doctor’s professional responsibilities, local people who become his patients, and community events that gather residents in shared locations. A local radio station and café act as community gathering spots, where stories are exchanged among different groups within this close-knit town.

‘The Andy Griffith Show’ (1960–1968)

In simpler terms, the fictional town of Mayberry, located in North Carolina, features a courthouse, a small jail, and a barbershop where dialogues often reoccur throughout episodes. The show’s production team employed studio backlot streets to recreate this quaint town with limited spaces. This allowed characters to frequently interact within a few familiar interior settings and specific corners.

On CBS television, this show centers around a sheriff who manages daily tasks while relying on loved ones and community members for support. The narrative frequently delves into the courthouse, Taylor residence, and local establishments, providing glimpses into regular town events and gatherings that underscore small-town customs.

‘Everwood’ (2002–2006)

A doctor who lost his spouse, originally from New York, decides to move his household to the small mountain town of Everwood in Colorado. This town features a revitalized train station and a central street, serving as prominent landmarks. The series was actually filmed in Utah, offering the urban blocks and scenic surroundings that are frequently showcased throughout the episodes.

Or simply:

A New York surgeon who became a widower moves his family to a small Colorado mountain town named Everwood. The town has a restored train station and a main street that stand out as landmarks. The series was filmed in Utah, which provided both the downtown area and surrounding landscapes seen throughout the show.

The show originally aired on The WB and focuses on a doctor’s clinic, a competing medical practice, and a high school serving as a hub for various families. The narrative frequently revolves around school activities, community meetings, and the local depot, which function as recurring elements that ensure all storylines remain within the same geographical location.

‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009–2015)

The humor-filled mockumentary unfolds in the small town of Pawnee, Indiana, centering around City Hall, the parks department office area, and a popular local eatery as its main settings. Filming incorporated both sets constructed indoors (soundstages) and Southern California municipal buildings, which served as exterior representations of Pawnee’s government offices.

On NBC, the show follows public events such as meetings, hearings, and community forums where the same residents gather in shared locations. Frequently used meeting rooms and the local government office serve as recurring settings, creating a familiar group of spaces that reflect the town’s civic activities.

‘Murder, She Wrote’ (1984–1996)

As a self-proclaimed film enthusiast, I’d love to share some trivia about one of my favorite television shows! The quaint, picturesque town where the beloved mystery writer Jessica Fletcher calls home is none other than Cabot Cove, nestled in the heart of Maine. This charming locale boasts a cozy harbor, a friendly sheriff’s office, and classic clapboard houses that become familiar sights throughout the series.

However, it turns out that the breathtaking exteriors you see on screen weren’t captured in the chilly waters of Maine after all! Instead, the talented production team headed west to sunny Mendocino, California, which provided a stunning coastal backdrop that viewers have come to know and love in numerous episodes. Fascinating, isn’t it? I find it incredible how such a seamless transition between locations can make us feel so immersed in the story unfolding on our screens!

The series frequently appears on CBS, with many episodes starting or concluding in the small town of Cabot Cove. However, some stories may lead the main character to larger urban areas. When the storyline remains within the town, it repeatedly visits familiar spots such as local restaurants, marinas, and municipal buildings, thus connecting the community members through various investigations.

‘Little House on the Prairie’ (1974–1983)

In Walnut Grove, Minnesota, we find the setting for a long-running family drama series. The story unfolds around a schoolhouse, a church serving as both a place of worship and community meeting hall, and a general store that becomes a recurring element in the narrative. Interestingly, much of the production was filmed at Big Sky Ranch in California, which provided the rolling prairie landscapes and consistent town street scenes seen throughout the seasons.

On NBC, the series draws tales from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, primarily revolving around homestead life and community events. The layout of Walnut Grove is straightforward, enabling characters to frequently interact at a limited number of communal spots, thereby shaping the narrative around common areas.

‘One Tree Hill’ (2003–2012)

Tree Hill, located in North Carolina, serves as the backdrop for a decade’s worth of tales revolving around a high school gym, a riverside basketball court, and a compact group of local businesses. The show was actually filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the city’s streets and court became iconic parts of the series.

The series initially aired on The WB, later moving to The CW. It focuses on students, their families, and coaches whose paths cross during school activities, community clubs, and along the riverbank. This results in a recurring set of locations within one town.

‘Banshee’ (2013–2016)

The story takes place in a small Pennsylvania town, where the sheriff’s department is the hub. It’s surrounded by country roads, an Amish community, and industrial areas. Most of the series was filmed in North Carolina, utilizing warehouses, shops, and backroads to construct a tight-knit space that represents the town.

On Cinemax, this series frequently unfolds its conflicts within the confines of bars, garages, and law enforcement centers, lending an intimate feeling to the encounters as they recur in these well-known settings. The compact geographical scope narrows down clashes and collaborations to familiar spaces, thus underscoring a tight-knit society grappling with tension.

‘Doc Martin’ (2004–2022)

The show unfolds in the quaint Cornish village of Portwenn, where a general practitioner’s office, school, and harbor serve as the town’s main landmarks. Filming for this series occurred in Port Isaac, Cornwall, lending the show a uniform appearance thanks to the picturesque village streets and breathtaking cliffside views that remain consistent across seasons.

The show was broadcast on ITV, featuring a weekly patient narrative that attracts inhabitants from the surrounding town. Frequent stops at the pharmacy, local pub, and school help maintain storylines close by, catering to the casual pace characteristic of a quaint coastal town.

‘Dark’ (2017–2020)

In simpler terms, the German show is set in Winden, a quaint town surrounded by a forest and a nuclear power station, both of which play significant roles in the storyline. The production team filmed around Berlin in Brandenburg, utilizing its forests, underground tunnels, and residential streets that are frequently reoccurring throughout the episodes.

The series, debuted on Netflix, explores the lives of four related families living in the same town, with their homes and key institutions like the police station, school, and factory regularly featuring throughout the story. These locations form a close-knit network that contains the plot within Winden from start to finish.

Why not share your beloved small-town TV series recommendations below, and let’s discuss which others we could include in our list?

2025-08-20 05:46