It's always fun to know where a popular television series is set, how the setting fits into the story, and what the characters do there. With the magic of television, characters can go anywhere in the world and do just about anything. There once were scads of shows in rural settings, then more metropolitan locales, until TV communities branched out to inhabit all kinds of towns and cities.
A big city is a fun locale for a sitcom or drama. Some characters work downtown and live in the suburbs, and others experience all of life under the city lights. Either way, these shows are great choices for those looking for some fun shows to stream that are set in big cities.
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World brought some Philadelphia fun to the 1990s with the Matthews family. Though they don't typically go downtown, the culture of the city influences some storylines, from sporting events to New Year's Eve on the subway.
Cory (Ben Savage), Eric (Will Friedle), and Morgan Matthews live with their parents, right next to Cory's longtime teacher, Mr. Feeny (William Daniels). The series is full of sweet growing-up storylines, from Cory's first kiss with his future wife, Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel), to their college years and marriage. Fans love the depth of the characters, especially Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong), with his more complex home life across town.
Friends
While Friends might not be the perfect 1990s/2000s sitcom, it is a quintessential New York show. The main cast thrives on the fast pace of the city, although they love to take a good long break at Central Perk.
As unaffordable as Monica's apartment must be, it's the place that every viewer has envied at least once or twice. The characters make it an even cozier spot to hang in as they flit in and out from work, dates, and other shenanigans.
Living Single
A lot of people don't know that Living Single (1993-1998) most likely inspired the writers of Friends. The series is about six Black friends in their 20s living close to one another in Brooklyn. Three of the women live together in one apartment, two men share another, and a sixth female friend is always coming over to spend time with them all.
The friends truly function as a family, navigating relationships and break-ups, learning to be there for each other, and celebrating major milestones.
Cheers
the longest-running sitcoms of all time, lasting for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. The central setting of each episode is Cheers, a Boston bar with former baseball player Sam Malone (Ted Danson) at the helm.
Sam deals with his complicated feelings for waitress Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), and after she departs, he finds romantic tension again with Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), the woman who shows Sam a thing or two about running a bar.
Ally McBeal
Boston continued to be a hot spot for TV series into the 1990s, this time with a quirky drama. Ally McBeal raises some valuable questions about feminism and careerism.
Ally (Calista Flockhart) unexpectedly lands a job with some familiar faces at the Cage and Fish law firm. In the early seasons, Ally is torn by her lingering love for Billy, the ex with whom she works in close quarters. With a regular reality check from best friend and District Attorney Renée Raddick, Ally works all day and unwinds downstairs at the bar after work.
Sister, Sister
Sister, Sister is a classic 1990s sitcom set in the Detroit metro area. Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell are twins who were separated at birth. Tia and her adoptive mother live in the city, while Tamera and her adoptive father live in the suburbs.
The parents, Ray and Lisa, give the twins a chance to live together under one roof. They have plenty to learn about one another, and they do so in a humorous but touching way. Frequent visits from their endearing next-door neighbor, Roger Evans, add to the show's charm.
Being Erica
Being Erica is a Canadian favorite, starring Erin Karpluk as Erica Strange. The comedy-drama is set in Toronto and truly takes advantage of the bustling city. Erica's life in her 30s is not what she had expected. She is struggling in her career, unfulfilled in her relationships, and unsure of what to do next.
A time-travel therapist called Dr. Tom comes into Erica's life and guides her to her best reality by unpacking all her regrets and sending her back in time to revisit them. The heartfelt series takes Erica from a cutthroat publishing house in the city to a small business partnership with Julianne, her old boss, in the perfect office inside a local coffee shop. Erica's romantic relationships are another central focus of the show, and traveling through time helps her clarify her decisions. Watch it on Amazon Prime or Hulu to see how Erica's story ends, or better yet, begins.
Younger
Younger (2015-present) is the ultimate New York half-hour dramedy. Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) is in the process of a divorce due to her husband's infidelity. The New Jersey mom attempts to take back her life by job-hunting, but no one will hire a 40-year-old with the resume gap Liza has. With the help of her friend, Maggie (Debi Mazar), Liza gets a younger look and pretends to be 26.
The age charade gets Liza a job at a reputable publishing house, where she works under top marketing executive Diana Trout (Miriam Shor) and meets a new friend in editor Kelsey Peters (Hilary Duff). Fans await the show's seventh season to see if Liza ends up with Josh (Nico Tortorella), her former lover, or Charles (Peter Hermann), her current flame and on-and-off boss.
Dollface
Hilary Duff isn't the only Disney Channel star to graduate to a grown-up series. Brenda Song is one of the leads in Dollface, starring Kat Dennings as Jules Wiley. The show is set in Los Angeles and focuses on Jules' changing social life after a break-up. She reunites with friends Madison (Brenda Song) and Stella (Shay Mitchell) to take the city by storm.
In the first episode, Jules tells her ex-boyfriend not to call her "Dollface," setting a strong, independent tone for the character to rebuild her life. The fashionable Hulu original was released in 2019 and is set for a second season.
Black-ish
Black-ish is also set in LA. Anthony Anderson plays Andre "Dre" Johnson, an ad executive, husband, and father of four. Dre is married to Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), an anesthesiologist, and their children are Andre, Jack, Diane, and Zoey.
The series was created by Kenya Barris and was originally inspired by his life and family. Zoey (Yara Shahidi) is the lead character of college spin-off Grown-ish, and Mixed-ish explores Rainbow Johnson's backstory. Black-ish is where it all started, and it's an important glimpse into the life of a Black family in the 2010s.