Thursday, July 10, 2008

Miami Pop Cultural Geography, or How TV puts things on MY map!

As a little ongoing project, I have decided to spend a couple of posts thinking of the different places TV has put on my imaginary global (but mostly North American) map. We'll do the big ones first (NYC, Miami, LA, Chicago, San Fran, etc) but I also want to add smaller (and/or imaginary) places that I wouldn't have even cared for, if it hadn't been for people like Rory (Stars Hollow, CN), Dawson (Capeside, MA), and Buffy (Sunnydale, CA).

Last time we looked at NYC. This time, we're going South to the capital of Latin Americ... I mean, Florida.

MIAMI
- This is the city of Vice (and pastel suits).
- It houses a steamy serial killer, a pair of sizzling plastic surgeons and a sassy set of Golden Girls.
- Just like NYC, Miami seems to attract cops: here's where David Caruso looks cool in sunglasses as he CSI's, where Carla Gugino deluded herself into thinking she was J-Lo... er Karen Sisco I mean, and where Jeffrey Donovan burns notices.
- C'mon! It's the home of several variety shows: Sabado Gigante and Despierta America for the Latinos and Good Morning Miami for the fictional white viewers of that guilty-pleasure prone sitcom.
- And while we're spotlighting the Latino-centered shows in Miami, we have to remember South Beach is where the Latina Charmed ones lived.
- It's where Hogan knows best... apparently, and where Eve got an eponymous sitcom (who knew?!)
- I probably shouldn't be revealing this, but my favourite Miami TV Show (that I actually hadn't thought about in years and years) is Silk Stalkings. Anyone remember that? Good times.
- And, of course it's where Flipper swims around!
- While we're plotting the greater Miami area, let's expand a bit and add in Orlando (for all those crazy sitcom Disney arcs!) and Boca Raton (for all the NYC sitcoms we cited last time and the elderly parental couples who live there):

View Larger Map

Ah yes. Sunny Miami - not as impressive as NYC, but it did give us Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia; that adorable dolphin and rolled-up pastel sleeves. And if that wasn't enough, Miami-set shows are always good for some gratuitous male nudity (see: Nip/Tuck).

And now, let's put s'more pins on that map:

View Larger Map

1 comment:

POP COLONY said...

Please tell me you're watching Burn Notice!!! There is no excuse for not watching this season since Tricia's got a guest stint. Not to mention that Jeffrey Donovan looks brilliant in a muscle T.

"Anyone remember Silk Stockings?"- LOL, You are sooo foreign! And of course we do! The Silk Stockings/La Femme Nikita Power Hour on USA defined my childhood.