"Ruralcoms" (1 Viewer)

[Emcee]

Television back in the 1950s and 1960s were flooded with a host of situation comedies that took place in rural communities or centered on characters generically labeled hicks or country bumpkins. THE REAL MCCOYS is generally regarded as the series to start the trend, while THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW and THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES were the most popular and perhaps the ones best remembered today.

CBS was so closely identified with the genre that they earned the reputation for being the Country Broadcasting System. Once Fred Silverman took over the reigns of the network in the late 1960s, he began canceling a lot of these rural-based shows, many of which were still very popular in the ratings. His actions (which was followed by other networks) of getting rid of rural comedies has since become known as the "rural purge". The year 1971 was jokingly referred to as "the year they canceled everything with a tree in it ─ including LASSIE."

I understand that this rural-orientated humor might not being every viewer's forte, but these shows were popular as all get out when they were new. You've had to have seen them, and you've got to have a favorite.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Green Acres is one of my favorites and have the whole series on my shelf. Last night there was somebody on tv that reminded me of Mr. Haney.

 

[Matt Hough]

I second Green Acres. I can watch almost any episode and find something in it to make me laugh. And as it ran, it got more surreal making it actually more sophisticated than its reputation allows.

The first five seasons of The Andy Griffith Show were also prime comedy and quite impressive mixtures of humor and heart. I never much liked it once it went to color. The new town additions just weren't as funny or as interesting to me.

 

[Jenny Peerey]

Television back in the 1950s and 1960s were flooded with a host of situation comedies that took place in rural communities or centered on characters generically labeled hicks or country bumpkins. THE REAL MCCOYS is generally regarded as the series to start the trend, while THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW and THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES were the most popular and perhaps the ones best remembered today.

CBS was so closely identified with the genre that they earned the reputation for being the Country Broadcasting System. Once Fred Silverman took over the reigns of the network in the late 1960s, he began canceling a lot of these rural-based shows, many of which were still very popular in the ratings. His actions (which was followed by other networks) of getting rid of rural comedies has since become known as the "rural purge". The year 1971 was jokingly referred to as "the year they canceled everything with a tree in it ─ including LASSIE."

I understand that this rural-orientated humor might not being every viewer's forte, but these shows were popular as all get out when they were new. You've had to have seen them, and you've got to have a favorite.

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I enjoyed all these shows! I am from the rural south! I guess I'm a country bumpkin too! Too bad that they purged them all! I was a kid when these came on and I always watched them!

 

[jcroy]

Fast forward to more recent times, is there an approximate equivalent of a "ruralcom" ?

Offhand, the closest I can think of offhand would be something like Trailer Park Boys. (More recently, perhaps Letterkenny).

Trailer Park Boys is sorta like a grown up version of "Beavis and Butthead" as adults living in a trailer park or rural area.

 

[Greg.K]

Watched Andy Griffith, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres when I was a kid. Didn't pay much attention to Beverly Hillbillies for some reason. Maybe it just wasn't on the local UHF stations that reran this stuff constantly.

 

[DaveF]

I grew up watching these shows, many in reruns like Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, The Walton’s, and Petticoat Junction. I’d also lump in with them Dukes of Hazard and BJ and the Bear.

If these shows are your style and you’re open to trying modern variants on rural-oriented TV, I suggest:

Corner Gas
Corner Gas is a Canadian sitcom set in the fictional (very) small town of Dog River in Saskatchewan (I think). It’s very silly. Lots of groanworthy jokes. But it has a lot of heart for small town life. Its on Netflix or Amazon I really love this show. I started rewatching earlier this year, and should get back to it.

Heartland
I can’t personally recommend this yet, but I’ve seen a lot of praise for it, if you want a gentle drama set on a horse farm.

 

[Mark_B]

Fast forward to more recent times, is there an approximate equivalent of a "ruralcom" ?

Offhand, the closest I can think of offhand would be something like Trailer Park Boys. (More recently, perhaps Letterkenny).

Trailer Park Boys is sorta like a grown up version of "Beavis and Butthead" as adults living in a trailer park or rural area.

Schitt's Creek on Netflix does. I'm a little over half done and it's great.

 

[Matt Hough]

Schitt's Creek on Netflix does. I'm a little over half done and it's great.

Yep, it's great and stays consistently excellent through its six seasons.

 

[Emcee]

I enjoyed all these shows! I am from the rural south! I guess I'm a country bumpkin too! Too bad that they purged them all! I was a kid when these came on and I always watched them!

I think that's a reason I hold a general fondness for them. While I am certainly not old enough to have seen any of them during their original network runs, I have caught them in syndication and I have most of their DVDs.

I'm a south Georgian, so that's probably while they hold true. They're a little cartoonish compared to reality, but it makes for good television. I love them all.

 

[Emcee]

Watched Andy Griffith, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres when I was a kid. Didn't pay much attention to Beverly Hillbillies for some reason. Maybe it just wasn't on the local UHF stations that reran this stuff constantly.

That is odd. Most people are typically wrapped up in THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW and yet let the others fall through the cracks.

But I can relate a little. GREEN ACRES was, and still probably is, my favorite of the batch. I like the surreal/breaking the fourth wall humor. As I have matured, I've learned to appreciate the others and enjoying them thoroughly.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
The Beverly Hillbillies
"The Clampetts Entertain" (S1E31)

I was never a really big fan of this rural-Ozarks-dirt transported to urban-Beverly Hills-'cee-ment' series. Paul Henning's twist on the Horatio Alger rags-to-riches theme was a clever concept that unfortunately devolved into a canvas of highly predictable laugh track humor. I hastily add, however, that it's almost inconceivable of anyone other than Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, Max Baer or Nancy Kulp to credibly pull off their respective characters--regardless of how silly and stereotypical. Despite their solecistic propensity, the Clampetts come across as coherently loving, kind and worthy of respect. As Max Baer was once quoted, "If you live like a dick, you'll die as a dick." Take that, Mr. Drysdale.

Granny's feeling down in the dumps. Jed explains, "The good woman is as low as a fat frog in a dry whale." Knowing that nothing perks her up more than "doing" for other folks, Jed invites the Drysdales (Raymond Bailey, Harriet MacGibbon) to come to dinner. Who can turn down a potful of grits drowned in bacon grease and possum offal? Drysdale, ever eager to please his biggest depositor, readily agrees--much to the regret of his snobbish, feather-headed wife. Complicating matters, the bank's chairman of the board, Marty Van Ransohoff (Jim Backus), pays a surprise visit to the office and demands to join the Drysdales at the Clampett's dinner party. Marty has developed an impression that Jed singularly imbues the financial wisdom of Goldman Sachs, as he explains in Backus' patented talk-while-chuckling manner.

Drysdale always enjoys a good Mr. Magoo impression; Elly offers to prepare some roadkill; Jed channels John Jacob Astor

The table is set, so to speak, for a disastrous event. Elly May (Douglas) offers to do the cooking, which immediately sets Granny (Ryan) upright. "If there's gonna be a do, then I'm doing the do!" she cackles. Thankfully, Elly May is relegated to nothing more than hanging out in her two-sizes-too-small blouse and jeans. Drysdale is beside himself, sure that once his boss discovers Jed's backward ways, he'll be sent to manage a bank in Bunghole, Alaska as punishment.

Contrary to expectations, Marty finds the Clampett's rural schtick to be delightfully "clever" and even joins in for an impromptu dosey doe. He happily departs with a party favor of a half dozen buzzard eggs.

The Moral: To get ahead in the business world, nothing impresses more than a well-prepared repast of roasted squirrel testicles in rhubarb aspic.

 

[DaveF]

Maybe the best semi-recent take.

Corner Gas (TV Series 2004–2009) ⭐ 8.4 | Comedy

30m | TV-PG

www.imdb.com

 

[CAlford]

Fast forward to more recent times, is there an approximate equivalent of a "ruralcom" ?

Offhand, the closest I can think of offhand would be something like Trailer Park Boys. (More recently, perhaps Letterkenny).

Trailer Park Boys is sorta like a grown up version of "Beavis and Butthead" as adults living in a trailer park or rural area.

I second Trailer Park Boys and Letterkenny, which are both excellent shows. I don't know if the genre is entirely dead, but it's certainly not what it once was.