There have been many TV shows made in our beautiful state of Washington.
Washington is a perfect backdrop with gorgeous scenery and vibrant City life.
Let’s take a look at the Best TV Shows Ever Made about WA State (these are in no particular order.)
1. Grey’s Anatomy: The medical drama series focuses on young young doctors at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, who began their careers at the facility as interns.
2. Twin Peaks: A crime drama mixed with healthy doses of the surreal, this series is about FBI Agent Dale Cooper, who travels to the small logging town of Twin Peaks to solve the murder of seemingly innocent high schooler Laura Palmer.
3. Frasier: Dr. Frasier Crane, a successful Boston therapist, moves to Seattle to get a new start on life; he has a radio talk show, which he uses to relay his wit and wisdom to others, but at times he struggles with his problems with his salt-of-the-earth father, his pretentious brother, and his friends and co-workers.
4. Station 19: Practically raised at Seattle’s Station 19, Andy Herrera is a confident firefighter who is also the daughter of Pruitt Herrera, the formidable head of the firehouse.
5. iCarly: With her parents traveling abroad, Carly must rely on the help of friends Sam and Freddie, and her quirky older brother, Spencer, to cope with the newfound success.
6. The Killing: Based in part on a popular Danish TV series, `The Killing’ is a moody, character-driven detective procedural that weaves a murder mystery through a full season or more.
7. Northern Exposure: Dr. Joel Fleischman graduates from Columbia University medical school and is assigned to work in the tiny Alaskan town of Cicely to pay for his education.
8. Highlander: Duncan MacLeod cannot die — well unless you cut off his head. He is a 400-year-old immortal, who has seen his share of humanity’s bad side.
9. Sleepless in Seattle: After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). When Jonah calls into a talk radio program to find a new wife for his father, Sam grudgingly gets on the line to discuss his feelings.
10. Gravity Falls: Twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle, Grunkle Stan, in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Ore. Grunkle Stan has the kids help him run The Mystery Shack, the tourist trap that he owns.
11. Second Chance: In this modern version of Mary Shelley’s classic tale, a man is resurrected as a younger version of himself by two billionaire scientists.
12. Life As We Know It: After a disastrous first date, the only things Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) have in common are mutual dislike and their love for their goddaughter, Sophie.
13. Portlandia: Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Fred Armisen and rock ‘n’ roll guitarist Carrie Brownstein first cracked up audiences as the internet sketch-comedy duo ThunderAnt.
There are some lesser-known shows also set in WA State like the Netflix show Penelope.
Netflix’s Penelope was filmed at various locations across the wilderness of the American state of Washington. In a recent interview with the Seattle Times, Mel Eslyn, the producer of Penelope, revealed that a key aim of the series is to highlight lesser-known spots in Washington.
Why are so many shows filmed in Washington?
Created by the Washington state legislature in 2006, the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program is meant to draw filmmakers and TV creators to Washington.
“We like importing dollars from Hollywood and paying our local folks,” said Amy Lillard, executive director of Washington Filmworks, the nonprofit that manages the MPCP and the state film office.
I always enjoy watching shows filmed around the Northwest. How about you? Let me know which ones are your favorites.
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