Made in NC: 15 TV Shows Shot in North Carolina

They say we're living in a new "Golden Age of Television." Thanks to dozens of streaming services and hundreds of channels, people can access an almost infinite universe of entertainment using only their remote control. 

You want comedy? Drama? Reality? Romance? Horror? Science fiction? It's all available with the push of a button.

And with more shows and series being produced than ever before, localities are learning that this new "Golden Age" has real value in terms of revenue. New York City and Hollywood aren't the only entertainment games in town anymore.

Fortunately, North Carolina has been hip to this fact for a long time.

When it comes to movie and TV production, North Carolina knows how to stay busy.

And the busiest spot in the state has to be Wilmington, which really heated up (pun intended) in 1983 when producer Dino de Laurentiis came to the region to produce the film, Firestarter. 

According to the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, since then, the region has hosted 138 feature films and 162 television productions.

The state continues to offer attractive incentives through the North Carolina Film Office, which boasts that "over the past 38 years, more than 1,000 feature films and television series (and numerous documentaries and commercials) have been made possible" with its assistance.

That's a lot of content. 

Maybe big numbers like that make you skeptical. Maybe you're the kind of person who needs proof. Lucky for you, we've prepared a list.

It's only a tiny sampler of the Tar Heel State's TV production, but it's a diverse collection of everything from classic courtroom drama to high-concept sci-fi thrillers.  

But before we present this list of 15 Television Shows Made in North Carolina, there are two important things you need to know.

1. The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) was NOT shot in North Carolina. Though all 249 episodes of the classic series take place in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, the production was based in California. All those rustic, woodsy areas where Andy and Opie would wander with their fishing poles? Those were shot just north of Beverly Hills. 

2. The massive hit Outer Banks on Netflix is NOT shot in the actual Outer Banks.  That show is made in South Carolina. I guess we could be bothered by that, but we shouldn't complain too loudly, since there's a new show called Florida Man that was shot in Wilmington.

Now that we've got that out of the way, here's our list of 15 Television Shows Made in North Carolina...

American Gothic

Premise: An American horror series. Sheriff Buck is a bad, bad guy whose power-base is backed by apparent supernatural powers, which he uses to manipulate people to “fulfill their potential”” and make life-changing choices.

Stars: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Branda Bakke, Sarah Paulson
Network: CBS
How many seasons/episodes? 1 season, 22 episodes
Years aired: 1995-1996
NC Filming locations: Wilmington

Did you know?

• The series earned some awards buzz including nominations for a Saturn Award, Artios Award, Cinema Audio Society Awards, Emmy Award, and YoungStar Awards.
• Series creator Shaun Cassidy played the role of Joe Hardy in the 1977-1979 series The Hardy Boys Mysteries. In one episode of American Gothic, Sheriff Lucas Buck quips, “Well, if it ain’t the Hardy Boys.”

Banshee

Premise: "An ex-con assumes the identity of a murdered sheriff in the small town of Banshee, Pennsylvania, where he has some unfinished business."-IMDB

Stars: Antony Starr, Ivana Millicevic, Ulrich Thomas, Frankie Faison
Network: Cinemax
How many seasons/episodes? 4 seasons, 38 episodes
Years aired: 2013-2016
NC Filming locations: Mooresville, Huntersville, Charlotte, Monroe, Mount Ulla, Lincolnton and Waxhaw

Did you know?

• Lead actor Antony Starr busted his lip on set during one stunt but decided to keep filming for six hours to complete his scene before going to the hospital.
• Production moved to Pittsburgh, PA in 2015 after North Carolina discontinued its movie and TV production tax credits.
• Visual effects supervisor Armen V. Kevorkian won the award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects at the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Dawson’s Creek

Premise: "Four friends in a small coastal town help each other cope with adolescence." -IMDB

Stars: James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes
Network: The WB
How many seasons/episodes? 6 seasons, 128 episodes
Years aired: 1998-2003
NC Filming locations: Wilmington

Did you know?

• Procter & Gamble Productions joined as an original co-producer of this series, but then sold its interests in the show three months before the premiere when stories surfaced about the show having "racy dialogue" and "risque" plot lines.
• Scenes at the fictional Worthington University in Boston were filmed at Duke University as well as around Franklin Street at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Eastbound & Down

Premise: "Many years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach Physical Education at his old middle school." -IMDB

Stars: Danny McBride, Steve Little, Katy Mixon, John Hawkes
Network: HBO
How many seasons/episodes? 4 seasons, 29 episodes
Years aired: 2009-2013
NC Filming locations: Wilmington, Scotts Hill

Did you know?

• Kenny Powers is the name of a real-life American stuntman who attempted to jump a portion of the St. Lawrence River in a rocket propelled Lincoln Continental. 
• In addition to filming in Wilmington, seasons two and three included production in Puerto Rico and Myrtle Beach, SC.
  
  

Homeland

Premise: "A bipolar CIA operative becomes convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil." -IMDB

Stars: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin
Network: Showtime
How many seasons/episodes? 8 seasons, 96 episodes
Years aired: 2011-2020
NC Filming locations: Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord

Did you know?

•  Homeland won the 2011 and 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama for its first two seasons, and the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for its first season. 
• The show is based on the Israeli TV series Prisoners of War.
  
  

Lizard Lick Towing

Premise: Reality TV show about a towing and recovery company in the Raleigh suburb of Wendell.

Stars: Ronnie Shirley, Amy Shirley, Big Juicy, Bobby Brantley 
Network: truTV
How many seasons/episodes? 4 seasons, 91 episodes
Years aired: 2011-2014
NC Filming locations: Raleigh

Did you know?

• The company “Lizard Lick Towing” started in 1998 with only a single truck. Within 10 years the company grew to 15 staff members and a fleet of 20 trucks.
• An article by Eastern Wake News recounts that "Those at the network were merely scouting out prospects at the time, but after realizing Amy Shirley was not only a power lifter, but a mortician and co-owner of the recovery business they realized there was more color to the picture than originally anticipated."
  
  

Matlock

Premise: "Ben Matlock is a very expensive criminal defense attorney, who charges one hundred thousand dollars to take a case. Fortunately, he's worth every penny, as he and his associates defend his clients by finding the real killer." -IMDB

Stars: Andy Griffith, Kene Holliday, Linda Purl, Nancy Stafford
Network: NBC (1986-1992), ABC (1992-1995)
How many seasons/episodes? 9 Seasons, 193 EPS
Years aired: 1986-1995
NC Filming locations: Wilmington

Did you know?

• The entire time the series ran on NBC it was filmed in California. This meant that Andy Griffith had to commute from his home in North Carolina. When the series moved to ABC, production moved to EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington to make it easier for Griffith.
• Don Knotts, who co-starred with Griffith on The Andy Griffith Show, made appearances as Les "Ace" Calhoun, Matlock's next-door neighbor.

One Tree Hill

Premise: "Half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott trade between kinship and rivalry both on the basketball court and in the hearts of their friends in the small, but not so quiet town of Tree Hill, North Carolina." -IMDB

Stars: Chad Michael Murray, James Laffery, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, Paul Johansson, Sophia Bush
Network: The WB (2003-2006), The CW (2006-2012)
How many seasons/episodes? 9 seasons, 187 episodes
Years aired: 2003-2012
NC Filming locations: Wilmington

Did you know?

• The show was originally set in Illinois, but the WB asked for it to take place in a warmer climate, so it was moved to North Carolina.
• Wilmington has put together a "One Tree Hill Walking Tour" of filming locations on its website.
• Cosmopolitan and Digital Spy listed the series as one of the greatest teen dramas of all time.

Revolution

Premise: "Fifteen years after a permanent global blackout, a group of revolutionaries seek to drive out a tyrannical militia that's taken over the former United States of America." -IMDB

Stars: Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, Giancarlo Esposito, Zak Orth
Network: NBC
How many seasons/episodes? 2 seasons, 42 episodes
Years aired: 2012-2014
NC Filming locations: Wilmington

Did you know?

• On September 4, 2012, New York City’s advanced screening of the pilot was held for only 1,000 guests. 80 of them were seated on stationary bikes to generate electricity to reflect the main theme of the series.
• Revolution was canceled after two seasons, but fans petitioned to renew or relocate the TV series. The petition gathered over 101,358 signatures, just shy of the goal of 110,000. Although the series was never renewed, a 4-part comic book series completed the story for fans.

Sleepy Hollow

Premise: "Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers." -IMDB

Stars: Nicole Beharie, Tom Mison, Orlando Jones, Katia Winter
Network: Fox
How many seasons/episodes? 4 seasons, 62 episodes
Years aired: 2013-2017
NC Filming locations: Wilmington, Salisbury, New Bern

Did you know?

• WRAL aired a story about production using the historic St. Luke's church in Salisbury.
• Aerial footage for the series was filmed over the actual village of Sleepy Hollow and the surrounding Tappan Zee region of New York.

Surface

Premise: "A marine biologist, an insurance salesman and a teen-aged boy find their lives fundamentally changed by the emergence of a new, and often dangerous, species of sea life, while government agents work to keep the affair under wraps." -IMDB

Stars: Lake Bell, Jay R. Ferguson, Carter Jenkins, Ian Anthony Dale, Leighton Meester
Network: NBC
How many seasons/episodes? 1 season, 15 episodes
Years aired: 2005-2006
NC Filming locations: Wilmington

Did you know?

• The creators of the TV series Surface are also the creators of the hit Netflix series Outer Banks (which is NOT filmed in NC). Josh and Jonas Pate grew up visiting the beaches of North Carolina. 
• It has been reported that the show's star Lake Bell was afraid of water before production started.
  
  

Swamp Loggers

Premise: "Swamp Loggers is an American reality television series on the Discovery Channel that follows the crew of Goodson's All Terrain Logging as they log the swamps of North Carolina." -IMDB

Stars: Bobby Goodson, Justin Goodson, Dave Mueller, Simitrio Ruiz
Network: Discovery Channel
How many seasons/episodes? 4 seasons, 35 episodes
Years aired: 2009-2012
NC Filming locations: Pender County

Did you know?

• Goodson's All Terrain Logging is still in operation. 
  
  

Swamp Thing

Premise: "Abby Arcane returns home to Marais, Louisiana to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, only to discover the dark, terrifying mysteries of the swamp." -IMDB

Stars: Crystal Reed, Virginia Madsen, Andy Bean, Derek Mears
Network: DC Universe
How many seasons/episodes? 1 season, 10 episodes
Years aired: 2019
NC Filming locations: Wilmington

Did you know?

• The show is based on a DC Comics character that first appeared in a July 1971 horror comic book.
• The show was cancelled before the second episode aired, though it went on to complete a shortened season of 10 episodes.

Under the Dome

Premise: The residents of the fictional small town of Chester's Mill struggle to survive and find answers about a massive, transparent, indestructible dome that suddenly cuts them off from the rest of the world.

Stars: Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, Natalie Martinez, Britt Robertson, Jolene Purdy, Aisha Hinds, Jeff Fahey, Dean Norris
Network: CBS
How many seasons/episodes? 3 seasons, 39 episodes
Years aired: 2013-2015
NC Filming locations: Southport, Wilmington and Burgaw

Did you know?

• The series is based on Stephen King's novel Under the Dome.
• The first collaboration between Stephen King and Stephen Spielberg, who both served as executive producers.
• During an advanced screening of the pilot episode, Wilmington's mayor declared Monday, June 24, 2013, as "Dome Day", and awarded Stephen King a key to the city.
  
  

Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks

Premise: "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

Stars: Tyler Mclaughlin, Timothy James Ott, Jarrett Przybyszewski
Network: National Geographic
How many seasons/episodes? 7 seasons, 84 episodes
Years aired: 2014-present
NC Filming locations: Outer Banks

Did you know?

• According to Screenrant.com, "Each of the vessels has an embedded cameraman who stays on the boat full-time while a season is being filmed, with some spending upwards of 80 days out on the water during a given fishing season in order to get the necessary footage."
• "In 2013, Kiyoshi Kimura, the owner of a Japanese sushi restaurant chain, paid $1.76 million for the first bluefin tuna of the season at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, which weighed 489 pounds." - MentalFloss.com