50 best television shows set across the United States
By Sundi Rose
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Idaho: Wayward Pines
The premise: Matt Dillon plays a U.S. Secret Service agent, Ethan Burke, who goes to a remote Idaho town to search for two missing agents. As he’s traveling, he gets into an accident, and wakes up in the hospital, unable to leave.
On the surface, the town seems quaint and welcoming, but when investigates further, he realizes the residents are trapped there, against their will, and the strict rules are enforced by mysterious town sheriff, played by Terrance Howard.
The setting: Wayward Pines is a fictional town in Idaho, and you should probably thank whoever you pray to that this town doesn’t really exist. It’s mostly constructed by a secret force that keeps its residents hostage. Although it looks scenic and idyllic, all that beautiful scenery masks a seedy evil.
The most Idaho thing about it: While most of the action is set in the quiet town streets, there are a few times when the characters go into the forest. Those giant, moss-covered trees and dense foliage call up everything we think about when we imagine what Idaho is. In fact, Idaho has the largest area of protected wilderness in the continental United States. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area covers over two million acres of unspoiled natural area.