TV Programs Set in the Midwest Quiz

Answer: Indianapolis, IN

The show was the first on network television to feature a divorced, single mother raising children on her own. It was based on the real life experience of one of the writers, Whitney Blake, raising her own daughter as a single mother. The daughter? Meredith Baxter. (Duchess716)

Answer: The John Larroquette Show

Set in a bus depot, the show featured the staff of the night shift starring John Larroquette as a recovering alcoholic manager. It aired from 1993-1996. John Larroquette got his big break on the comedy "Night Court", which also aired on NBC. (Duchess716)

Answer: $108 million

The premise of the show was about a blue-collar family and their struggles with trying to make ends meet. Viewers could relate to them. When the Connors suddenly became rich, the ratings went down. However, the season's finale revealed that they didn't really win the lottery. Roseanne had written a book and the whole last season was her literary imagination. (jasa9092)

Answer: American Graffiti

"American Graffiti" is a 1973 George Lucas film about teenage cruising in the 1960s, Ron Howard played one of the teenagers. Mork first appeared on "Happy Days" as an alien trying to capture Richie to take him back to his planet, Ork. Laverne and Shirley were friends of Fonzie on "Happy Days". Chachi was Fonzie's cousin who eventually marries Richie's sister, Joanie. (Duchess716)

Answer: Minnesota

Walnut Grove is still a very real town in Southeast Minnesota. It still has a museum based on the locations written about in the Laura Ingalls Wilder books of the same name. While the town is currently less than 1000 people, they still have managed to keep the history of the Wilder books and the television series alive. Being set in Minnesota, the ferocity of the winters portrayed on the show were not exaggerated, as winters in Minnesota are often bitterly cold and filled with snow. (-Spaudrey)

Answer: Wrangler Jane

"Wrangler" Jane Angelica Thrift was played by Melody Patterson. She was the love interest of Captain Wilton Parmenter played by Ken Berry.
The show ran in the US from 1965 to 1967 on ABC. It played on ITV in the UK starting in 1968. It was also shown in Australia and Ireland.
It was a humorous but highly inaccurate depiction of the US Cavalry in the West during the post war period. It was well received and had healthy ratings, but it was not renewed for a third season due to supposed excessive cost of production. (JMElston)

Answer: WKRP

"WKRP in Cincinnati" was a comedy that worked on so many levels, and several episodes have stood the test of time and become classics in television. Usually once a year in November someone in our family quotes the show and says, "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." (-Spaudrey)

Answer: Home Improvement

Tim and "Home Improvement" spent eight successful seasons on ABC, never ending a complete season out of the top 10 in ratings for the year. In case you answered "Tool Time", that was the fake show that Tim Allen's character, Tim Taylor, hosted on the real show. "This Old House" was the Bob Vila-led PBS show that Tim parodied throughout "Home Improvement"'s time on the air. And "Extreme Home Makeover" is another "home improvement" show which debuted in 2003 on ABC.

This program often doesn't improve a house so much as destroy and rebuild. (-Spaudrey)

Answer: Timothy Olyphant

The series was a gritty, profane western that tried to portray the "Real West". Many of the characters were modeled on real people. Timothy Olyphant played Sheriff/businessman Seth Bullock. Ian McShane played Al Swearengen, a corrupt businessman/saloon owner. Powers Boothe played Cy Tolliver, a rival saloon owner. Keith Carradine played the legendary Wild Bill Hickok. (JMElston)

Answer: Ohio

Lima, Ohio is a city of approximately 37,000 people. The population has dwindled since reaching a peak of over 50,000 in the 1950's through the 1970's. "Glee" portrays Lima as a blue collar town with not a lot of opportunity, and with numbers hovering around 22% of the population below the poverty line, the portrayal seems to be accurate. According to the FBI, the city ranks 9th in the nation in crime per capita.

The school the show is based in, McKinley High, is fictional. (-Spaudrey)