These shows set in the South are a tribute to the most beautiful place on Earth. They don’t mock or insult, and they’ll make you want to move right now.
I’m going to say it loud and proud: I’m from the South, y’all. I understand how complicated that can be right now, but it’s doesn’t diminish my love for my place and home. These shows set in the South meditate on this knotty problem faced by a region that is beleaguered by an ugly legacy and criminal past.
However, the South is a beautiful, complex set of paradoxes, and I need y’all to know that you can love something and still be highly critical of it. This list is an example of just that. Some of these shows take on the South, hold its feet to the cultural fire, and force accountability onto it. Others, honor what we know to be the best parts of this place: kindness, empathy, and inclusion.
No matter your feelings about 97 percent humidity; brown liquor made in Lynchburg Tennessee; or fried chicken, you have to admit this is an intriguing and beguiling place. After all, nobody packs their bags and heads North for retirement. There’s more beauty and elegance here than any place in the world, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have our fair share of nasty bits. However, here in the South, we like to trot our crazy and ugly right on out, set it down on the porch, and acknowledge it’s for what it’s worth. Here’s my way of doing just that.
These shows set in the South offer a rich and varied look at a region that I dearly love, but that is often misunderstood in intention and progress. I hope you can enjoy my home by proxy of these 15 shows.