I am watching episodes on DVR of an ABC sit-com called Happy Endings. It's supposed to take place in Chicago, but it's obvious from the street scenes that it is filmed someplace else and they just call it Chicago. I thought about Detroit 187 and how many people weren't satisfied until every last scene was filmed in Detroit. There was also some backlash on DY about the HBO show Hung when certain scenes turned out to be LA doubling as GP. Then I thought about the Fox comedy Martin. The only Detroit scene in that show was the shot of Martin's apartment building on Jefferson, yet people were OK with Martin taking place in Detroit.

I don't know the fate of Happy Endings, but I like it and it's pretty funny. Seems to me that there is a net benefit in saying that a show takes place in a city even if it's not filmed there. Think about Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley and what it did for Milwaukee. Do you think Detroiters will be happy to just get mentioned in a TV show or movie? Will everything get pooh-poohed by Detroiters unless it's 100% keepin' it real MADE IN DETROIT?