- 30 Rock (TV on DVD, Season 1) - there is an episode on the 3rd disc called "Cleveland" where Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and her boyfriend, Floyd (Jason Sudeikis) go to Cleveland for a vacation... there is even a song all about it during a montage which shows Jacobs Field, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tower City. The song name-drops The Flats, Euclid Avenue, etc... "The Cleve" is the place to be on 30 Rock - you can pet police horses, women are first in line for hot dogs, and Liz Lemon can be a model/show host. Floyd gets a job offer in the Cleveland area (as he always hoped he'd end up in Lakewood or Shaker Heights) and asks Liz to move with him, but she stays in New York and the series continues...
- The Office (TV on DVD, I forget which episode, but it's one of the later seasons) - They mention a branch in Akron. Granted, there is an Akron in Pennsylvania, but when people here "Akron", they think of Akron, Ohio.
- Private Practice (an episode from a couple weeks ago) - Charlotte asked Coop to marry her and she wants to exchange vows in Vegas. Coop, on the other hand, wants to get married in Cuyahoga County, underneath a huppa. It was established in a prior episode that Coop is from Ohio.
- How I Met Your Mother (TV on DVD/current season as well) - Ted Mosby, Architect, hails from Ohio... probably because Josh Radnor (the charming actor who plays Ted Mosby) is actually from Ohio. More specifically, the Columbus area. One of my friends actually knows his dad through their work. Where the characters come from is super important on HIMYW - they mention that Ted is from Ohio, Robin is from Canada and Marshall is from Minnesota. The cultural diversities of these areas are often times weaved into plot lines... Marshall's Minnesota bar, and then the Canadian bar where he brings Robin were great. Especially the Canadian Karaoke... we don't need the words, everyone knows the song - "Let's go to the mall... TODAY!"
- Gilmore Girls (reruns on TV - I think Season 2 or 3) - Rory's grandfather is out of town on a business trip to Akron. Again, I know there are Akron's in other states but Ohio, but come on...
- Saturday Night Live (current season as well as past seasons) - Three sketches stick out in my mind, though I am sure there are more. One recurring bit was if they needed a drunk college kid during Weekend Update, s/he was usually wearing an Ohio State University sweatshirt. Another sketch was a pre-spring break sketch set at the Akron-Canton airport. A third sketch just happened recently - a bit about making up excuses to get yourself out of situations - was set in Logan, Ohio.
Of course there are other shows and movies that reference or even take place in Ohio... The Drew Carey Show, Family Ties, WKRP in Cincinnati, The "Oh" in Ohio, The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio, the Major League franchise, Bye Bye Birdie, American Splendor, Go Tigers!, etc...
Maybe this just interests me because I've spent a lot of time in Ohio. I wasn't born in Ohio, but have lived here for a majority of my life and it makes me chuckle when places I grew up around are referenced in movies or on TV.
Do you get a kick out of your hometown/home state being mention in (or the setting of) your favorite TV shows or movies?
