Ohio in Your Favorite Show!

Over the last week, I caught up on the show Melissa & Joey. It is a pretty good show, set in Toledo, which is why I watched it, as I live pretty near there. The first couple of episodes were pretty corny, but it has evened out quite a bit.

I am disappointed in the lack of reference to Toledo, however, other than the fact that they say "Toledo" once every couple of episodes. And there was a MudHens decal on the door to the garage. Also, "Dancing with the Stars of Toledo" had no mention of Jamie Farr. Really. He could have been a judge. Or he could have been busy doing something cooler than Dancing with the Stars of Toledo, which in real life would probably be even more lame than it was on the show (it wasn't supposed to look awesome).

Also, it is always southern California sunny on that show. Here in Northwest Ohio, it can be completely overcast for two weeks in a row. Give me an establishing shot of the brown Maumee River with that gray Ohio sky and I will have an easier time pretending the show takes place in Toledo.
Though The Office was filmed in California, they sent cast and crew to Scranton for establishing shots and local memorabilia. Did you know that the shots of Scranton in the opening title sequence were done by John Krasinski, who plays Jim? It’s true. It says so on Wikipedia. They also reference local restaurants, bars, and landmarks, the county, neighboring towns, and more.

Come on, Melissa & Joey. You could get a lot of local support by referencing local things like Fifth Third Field, actual street names or neighborhoods, Glass City skyway or Libbey Glass, the Toledo Museum of Art, Lake Erie, the Maumee river, nearby towns/suburbs, even vague Ohio generalities like Cedar Point or something. They don’t have to do shameless local plugs, but a couple dashes here or there would go a long way. One of the jokes on an episode of Melissa & Joey was about a local newscaster who got hit in the head with a stop sign during a hurricane. Which is funny, because Toledo is 600 miles from the Atlantic, depending on to where you measure. Maybe she got her start somewhere out there before coming to Toledo?

I’m not even asking you to plug Tony Packo’s like they did on M*A*S*H. Did you know that on M*A*S*H they sent away for sausage casings from Packo’s in an episode to use in an experimental artificial kidney machine? I don’t think I made that up.

Drew Carey and the Drew Carey Show were set in Cleveland, where he was born, along with Halle Berry and Patricia Heaton. They didn’t live together and were born a few years apart, but all were from Cleveland.

The Drew Carey Show made references to Cleveland or Ohio all the time, and the “Cleveland Rocks” title sequence was largely filmed there.

Even the show Glee, which I don’t watch (or have any desire to) takes place in Lima(Lie-Muh), Ohio. When I was researching references to real towns in popular shows, I found a page describing about a dozen or so hidden or prominent references to Lima on Glee. I don’t know why Glee is set in Lima, because Lima is not the nicest town I’ve been to in Ohio. Collapsing industry with few available cultural activities (or much entertainment at all) make Lima a pretty depressing place. A friend of mine had his car broken into twice a month when he lived in Lima. Lived in fear, more like.
So come on, Melissa & Joey. You can do better with Toledo than passing references of the name of the town. It is set in Toledo for a reason; did that writer die since first envisioning it taking place there?

I’ve gotten a little local Ohioan opinion of Jamie Farr. I have heard that he is a nice guy, though some think he has played out the M*A*S*H and Toledo’s favorite son thing. He is generous, still lives here, and therefore makes local appearances and regularly attends MudHens games, from a private booth, of course. I’ve not met him, though if I did, Id like to hope that I’d be pretty cool about it. “Hi Mr. Farr, how are you, have a nice day.” Once my mother stood behind Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame) in line at an art museum and she didn’t bother him for an autograph, and I really respect that. He was there to enjoy the museum, not be bugged by fans. Or maybe he was. Either way, it was really cool of her.
Anyways, I would like to get a local opinion on Drew Carey, Melissa & Joey, and Glee, if I can get close enough to Lima without getting my car broken into.

By the way, a lot of people here in Ohio don’t get it if you read the state postal abbreviation (OH) as an interjection. “I’m from Toledo, Oh!” They don’t get it. I would think that you would grow up with that in this state. Maybe they are messing with me.

Did you know? Pretty much every town in northwest Ohio has more than one pronunciation. Some examples:
Toledo: To-lee-do (in town) or To-lee-duh (country folk)
Archbold: Arch-i-buld (from there) or Arch-bold (from near there)
Wauseon: Wah-see-un (most people) or Waw-si-ON (my neighbor)
Lima: Lie-muh (Ohio natives) or Lee-muh (people who know of Peru, Pierce Brosnan)
Sylvania: Sill-vane-yuh (from there) or Sill-vahn-yuh (most everyone else)
Holland: Hall-und (from there or Toledo) or To-lee-do (everyone else)