Thinking of upping sticks? Forget anywhere real – why not shop around and take a tour around some of the finest fictional TV towns on offer? Here’s a few of em!
Shelbyville – THE SIMPSONS (1989-present)
To reside in Shelbyville would be an absolute treat. You’re right next door to one of the most entertaining cities in fiction and in the middle of one heck of a feud.
There aren’t many rivalries like the one between Springfield and Shelbyville. Whether it’s a dispute over a lemon tree or a difference of opinion iregarding the ethical issues regarding marrying your cousins, the two towns never quite get along.
Shelbyville is something mystery to THE SIMPSONS viewers. We know it exists but we aren’t quite sure what goes on or who resides there, and apart from having various bizzaro versions of the original SIMPSONS cast, Shelbyville as a place remains an enigma.
Very seldom are we invited for a tour around Shelbyville and rarely do we meet any of its inhabitants. All we know is that the residents of Springfield don’t like them and, of course, Shelbyville returns a similar hostility.
Despite the two towns being within spitting distance of each other, they are both dead set on being entirely separate from one another, but what makes Shelbyville particularly intriguing is that barely any attention is ever paid to it.
Personally I’d find it pretty hard to decide whether or not to live in Selbyville over Springfield. On one hand you’d probably get a better education in Shelbyville and I can only imagine their mayor is half the imbecile that Quimby is… but I’m not sure that I could manage without the Quickie Mart.
Every single decision that’s made in South Park is stupid. Every single adult that lives in South Park is stupid. But every day in that town brings a new adventure even more insane than the last.
Frankly, there’s no town quite like it. Pretty much every single one of the adults supposedly running the town is as dense as a brick. The town ignores common sense and somehow strives from following the most illogical path to a route of a problem.
Living in a town populated by total morons must be difficult and so it comes as no surprise that South Park’s important decisions are more likely to be made and realised by the revelations of the four young boys, rather than the governing office. Anything can happen in South Park at any time and practically anyone can pop up or appear… The town is so bizarre and backwards that even the most preposterous turn of events fails to surprise you and despite the stupidity of the town and its in habitants there’s no denying it would be a pretty fun place to live.
Pawnee – PARKS AND RECREATION (2009-present)
Every so often a show comes along with a set of characters and a setting that just gels perfectly. Pawnee in PARKS AND RECREATION does exactly that.
Pawnee is populated by characters as extravagant and annoying as those residing South Park and manages to have a similar rivalry with it’s neighbouring town Eagleton, much like Springfield’s relationship with Shelbyville. Also, Pawnee has the fattest population of any town in America and conveniently contains a candy factory (Sweetums) that seems to practically fund the entire city.
Residents of Pawnee seem totally clueless and reluctant to even acknowledge the common sense preached by Leslie Knope and her team, and when a town meeting occurs the ramblings in the town hall echo the thoughts of truly barmy bunch of people. Also like SOUTH PARK and THE SIMPSONS, a sensible conclusion is never reached.
Pawnee represents everything fun and quirky about towns like Springfield and South Park, but personifies characters you can really relate to. Imagine Pawnee being a town as cartoony as you’ll ever find, but being as real as the spectrum will stretch. If this sounds appealing to you then perhaps it’s plausible settlement.
New New York, New York – FUTURAMA (1999-present)
Global warming is a pretty big concern…. but why worry? Just chill out and rest in the comfort that if it ever gets to the stage where you completely ruin your city, you can just build a better version above it.
New, New York is a beta version of an already very impressive city. If you like the idea of replacing the subway with endless miles of suction tubes and adding suicide booths for that ever so convenient easy self –ending that city living will eventually drive you to, then New, New York is a fictional setting worth considering.
Being cryogenically frozen is frightening concept and I can only imagine that waking up in a near geographically identical, yet totally updated, version of a city you once lived in is terrifying. Never the less, New, New York has a number of appealing qualities. Space travel is super convenient in the future and best of all the diversity of an already diverse city has been taken to another level. In New, New York, if you were to bring back an alien gal/guy to your parents they probably wouldn’t even bat an eyelid.
Royston Vasey – THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN (1999-2002)
There aren’t many places I can imagine being more unbearable to exist in than Royston Vasey. It’d be hard to make friends in a town like that, the choice of entertainment is fairly limited and to top it off, there are quite a few cannibals kicking around.
As much as the town is entertaining, it’s as grim as grim can possibly be. No matter what the weather in Royston Vasey there’s a constant cloud over your head and much like the residents it’ll never leave.
THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN is a beautifully constructed show (especially season three) and its setting has such a powerful dank aroma, which really gives it a creepy and dark rub.
All of the towns and cities that have been mentioned so far all have aspects that embody the character and essence of the show and their inhabitants, but none of them manage to keep the consistency that Royston Vasey does. Every single character and every sub-setting within the town carries an abhorrent scent which help create the overall ghoulish feel of the show.
As much as I’d hate to live in Royston Vasey there’s no denying that the place is remarkably crafted setting, however rancid it may be.
