Out and About

Longest-running TV shows featuring NC

From teenage coming-of-age dramas to a reality show about a Wendell towing company, the state is home to some long-running television series.

Posted 2023-12-10T04:14:02+00:00 - Updated 2023-12-11T15:15:33+00:00

Joseph Ochoa

, WRAL multiplatform producers

North Carolina has picturesque beaches and coastal cities, romantic mountain getaways and great views.

If some of those coastal shots look familiar in hit teen dramas like One Tree Hill or Homeland, it’s because they were filmed in our backyard.

Here are some of the longest-running shows filmed in the state.

TV shows made in NC

Dawson’s Creek

Two childhood best friends, Dawson and Joey, go through different stages of adolescence together. Their friendship is tested, however, when both start a relationship with other people.

Dawson’s Creek was on the air for five seasons and sparked the careers of Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, James Van Der Beek and Joshua Jackson. It's also responsible for one of the best "memes" in recent memory.

The show was produced in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was made to look like the fictional town of Capeside, Mass.

Some of the locations that appeared in the show are Rebellion, Michaels on the Waterfront and the Wilmington Riverwalk.

One Tree Hill

The show follows half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott as they go between kinship and rivalry on the basketball court and in the hearts of their friends in the small but not-so-quiet town of Tree Hill, North Carolina. The show follows their lives as they travel through high school and college.

This show featured more young actors who became recognizable stars in the mid-2000s, including Hilarie Burton, Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush and James Lafferty.

Once again, the show used Wilmington as the backdrop for the town of Tree Hill, North Carolina for nine seasons, including Water Street Park, Reel Cafe, Airlie Gardens and more.

At one point, Fayetteville's Crown Coliseum was also used in filming.

Humdinger Juice, One Tree Hill mini-reunion ahead on Out and About podcast

American Gothic

Set in the small town of Trinity, South Carolina, nothing is as it seems, and everyone seems to follow their darkest instincts.

The show was filmed for one season and starred Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Sarah Paulson and Paige Turco before the show got canned.

While the show took place in South Carolina, much of the shooting took place in Wilmington.

Eastbound and Down

Many years after he turned his back on his hometown, burned-out major league ballplayer Kenny Powers returns to teach physical education at his old middle school.

The show stars comedy actor Danny McBride and again uses Wilmington as the backdrop for Powers’ hometown.

Some filming locations included Trinity United Methodist, New Hanover County Government Center and Neuwirth Auto Center.

While Powers’ eventually moved to Myrtle Beach and Mexico during his journey through the minors, he somehow found his way back to the coastal city during its four-season run.

Homeland

Starring Claire Danes. Damian Lewis, Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin, this award-winning Showtime-drama focuses on a bipolar CIA operative who believes a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda, and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil.

This Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning show, based on an Israeli show “Prisoners of War,” ran for 96 episodes in 8 seasons.

Some filming locations in western NC featured Charlotte, Concord and Mooresville. Homeland also filmed scenes in Raleigh as a stand-in for Washington, D.C.

'Homeland' puts Raleigh in TV spotlight

Matlock

Starring one of North Carolina’s famous sons, Andy Griffith, this follows a defense attorney who helps his clients avoid jail by solving the crimes they didn’t commit.

The show was filmed for nine seasons with nearly 200 episodes and spent most of that time filming in Wilmington.

It also meant a lot of travel time for Griffith. While on NBC, Filming happened in Los Angeles, and Griffith commuted from North Carolina.

It wasn’t until ABC took over production that production moved to Wilmington.

It’s one show Griffith made about North Carolina that took place in North Carolina (more on that in a bit).

Sleepy Hollow

This show featured a reincarnated Ichabod Craine as he solves mysteries in the spooky town.

Despite only filming four seasons, the show filmed all around Wilmington, New Bern and Salisbury.

The show’s pilot filmed at a church in Rowan County, and our own Tar Heel Traveler visited it.

'Sleepy Hollow' films at Salisbury church

Reality shows in NC

Lizard Lick Towing

This show followed a towing and recovery company in the Raleigh suburb of Wendell.

The show was on the are for four seasons with 91 episodes and featured various locations around Wendell.

The towing company's owner said in 2014 he wants to use the fame from the show in order to help others.

Swamp Loggers

This American reality television series on the Discovery Channel followed the crew of Goodson's All Terrain Logging as they logged the swamps of North Carolina.

The show filmed in Pender County and ran for four seasons.

Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks

"Bluefin tuna fishermen venture to North Carolina's treacherous fishing grounds, the Outer Banks, where they battle for the ocean's most lucrative prize," IMDB says.

The show filmed on our coast and in some cases, cameramen stayed on the ships as long as 80 days.

Shows set in NC, but not made in NC

The Andy Griffith Show

The show follows Andy and his adventures as sheriff in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, along with his deputy played by Don Knotts.

While the town is based on Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, none of it was filmed in the state. Each one of its 249 episodes over eight years was filmed in California.

Despite this, it’s still beloved by the folks of Mount Airy and people who would watch it.

Outer Banks

Maybe it was obvious from its infamous line regarding the Haw River, but this hit Netflix drama has yet to film an episode in the Tar Heel State.

Its first three seasons were produced in and around the Charleston, South Carolina area. Some attributed the change in location to House Bill 2, commonly known as the "Bathroom Bill," which saw numerous entertainment groups leave the state and saw musicians pass over the state in protest.