The Final States... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Any Day Now

Anyone remember the show "Any Day Now" (1998-2002)? This was a well-intentioned, short-lived show originally set in Alabama in the 1960s about the close friendship between an outgoing white girl and a quiet black girl. They drifted apart and Rene (the latter) moved to Washington and became a successful lawyer, while Mary Elizabeth (the former) got married and stayed in town. 30 years later, after the death of her father, Rene (Lorraine Toussaint) moves back, and she and Mary Elizabeth (Annie Potts) become re-acquainted. "Waltons" are from Virginia; "Andy Griffith" was in North Carolina; "Dukes of Hazzard" is set is Georgia.

Answer: Delaware

"The Pretender" (1996-2000) was about a gifted man being studied at a secret agency located in Delaware (so secret you may never have heard of it). Jarod, our hero, escapes and travels around taking on different jobs and helping strangers (sort of like "The Fugitive" or "Run for Your Life", but with special skills).
Utah had "Big Love", Wyoming had "Longmire", Maine will always have Jessica Fletcher and Stephen King.

Answer: The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire

Did you think this was a trick question? It wasn't! If you got this wrong, you may be in the state of coma. "The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire" was a David E. Kelley Production from 2003 which was cancelled after the fifth episode. It was about the lives of three brothers in a small town, i.e., Mayor Garrett Shaw, played by John Carroll Lynch (from "Zodiac" and "Fargo"); Chief Hank Shaw, played by Randy Quaid (somewhere between Canada and Vermont) and Waylon Shaw, played by Chris Penn (brother of Sean).

There's just not much more to tell! And if I have to tell you where the wrong answers are set, just buzz your nurse for more oxygen!

Answer: American Pickers

"American Pickers", which premiered in 2010, is a reality show, i.e., sort of a low-brow "Antiques Roadshow". It features 'expert' antiquers as they travel around looking for priceless gems in junkyards, basements and barns. The searchers are Mike Wolfe (the show's writer) and his childhood friend Frank Fritz as they look for "rare artifacts". The show even has its own theme song!
"Pawn Stars" films in Las Vegas, NV. "Dirty Jobs" is with Mike Rowe and wherever filth can be located. "Deadliest Catch" is in Alaskan waters.

Answer: Kansas

"Jericho" (2006-2008) was set in a small town in Kansas where darkness descends after seeing a mushroom cloud appear over nearby Denver, Colorado. Based around the family of Mayor Johnston Green, played by Gerald McRaney (formerly "Major Dad"), and the townspeople of Jericho who search for answers and struggle to survive after an atomic attack on America's major metropolitan cities. This was a cult favorite which the fans were unsuccessful in reviving.
PA - "The Office"/ OR - "Eureka"/ TX - "King of the Hill"

Answer: Kentucky

Timothy Olyphant plays Marshal Raylan Givens on "Justified" (2010-2015). He is a modern day 'old school' lawman who goes by his own code of justice. His style creates conflict with his bosses (who is the boss of a Marshal?) in the Federal Government so he gets reassigned from Miami, Florida to the rural Kentucky district where he grew up, to do his enforcing back in his home town. The character is based on one created by writer Elmore Leonard.
North Dakota features "My Secret Identity"; "The Wire" is coiled in Maryland;
West Virginia is represented by "Hawkins", a short lived show which starred James Stewart.

Answer: In the Heat of the Night

The TV show "In the Heat of the Night" (1988-1995) is based on the movie and the novel of the same name. In the show, Carroll O'Connor (in his post Archie Bunker days) played small town police chief, William Gillespie, in Sparta, Mississippi. He later becomes sheriff and tries to control the murder, corruption, rape and racism (ironic, eh?) rampant in the town. Howard Rollins reprises the Sidney Poitier role of Virgil Tibbs. "The Manhunter" does his bounty hunting in Idaho; "Buckskin" ('58-'65) takes place in Montana; "Young Riders" is set in the state of Nebraska and starred a young Stephen Baldwin and Josh Brolin as Pony Express riders.

Answer: The John Larroquette Show

John Larroquette played D.A. Dan Fielding on "Night Court" before 'becoming' a recovering alcoholic who manages a big city bus depot in St. Louis on the aptly named "John Larroquette Show" (1993-1996), although he played John Hemingway (very "Newhart"-like). The comedic and sometimes tragic lives of the patrons of the station were explored.
"Sons of Anarchy" took place in Northern California; "In Plain Sight" was set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as was the wonderful "Breaking Bad"; "Burn Notice" was another show which featured Miami, Florida.

Answer: South Carolina

"Army Wives" (2007-2013) was a show about the women (and man) who love soldiers in the United States Army. The group was stationed at the army base in Charleston, South Carolina - a sort of "Desperate Housewives" in uniform. The male "Army wife" was psychiatrist Roland Burton who was trying to help his wife, Lieutenant Colonel Joan Burton, who is dealing with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Again covering the other choices: Tennessee is featured on "Memphis Beat"; Connecticut has "Soap", and Massachusetts is represented by "Cheers".

Answer: Deadwood

The last state we will deal with is South Dakota or, rather, the territory of Deadwood, South Dakota in the post Civil War era, i.e., the 1870s. Attempting to curb the lawlessness in the town of "Deadwood" (2004-2006), we once again find Timothy Olyphant (see question 6), this time as District of South Dakota U.S. Marshal Seth Bullock.

He arrived in Western Dakota on August 1, 1876, one day before the death of Wild Bill Hickcock. This led to an immediate promotional opportunity, as Bullock became the first sheriff of Deadwood and, later, deputy U.S. Marshal. "Roseanne"/Illinois, "Parks & Recreation"/Indiana, "Happy Days"/Wisconsin.