Back in the early 1970s, networks—especially CBS—canceled a bunch of popular rural-themed shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres in what became known as the “Rural Purge.” The goal was to chase younger, more urban audiences.
Fast forward to today, and it feels like we might be seeing the opposite.
Shows like Yellowstone, Virgin River, Heartland, and even reality content centered on rural lifestyles seem incredibly popular. There’s also a broader cultural pull toward slower living, small towns, and “getting away from the city.”
Obviously the tone is very different from the old sitcoms, but the setting and appeal feel familiar.
Do you think we’re in a kind of “Rural Redux”?
Not as much as CBS is being dragged back into the 50s in every way conceivable
31
No_Worker394Mar 27, 2026
+8
The streaming wars definitely changed the game here. Networks don't need to chase that broad demographic anymore when you can find your niche and make bank off it - rural audiences have buying power and they're underserved. Plus there's something about the whole "escape to simpler times" thing that hits different after covid and all the urban chaos of the last few years.
8
vibe4itMar 27, 2026
+3
it’s more about this Administration and who is super anxious to comply.
3
Infamous-Lab-8136Mar 27, 2026
+5
No, I think there's just a billion outlets all looking to fill up with content and so more of everything is out there. Combine that with the fact that there's a niche audience for everything and people looking to fill the gaps with as much different types of content
I also think there's a difference between westerns like Yellowstone and a show like Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres that involved a culture clash base for the humor. Even as those shows were phased out they kept airing westerns like Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, seemingly constant Lonesome Dove mini-series, or Little House on the Prairie through the 80s and into the 90s
5
BaronsHatMar 27, 2026
+3
We already had a rural/Southern redux in the late 1970s-early 80s with Urban Cowboy, Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas and those sorts of shows that precipitated and then accompanied Reaganism. It crops up when American nationalism spikes. I knew when Beyoncé started doing country that we were in it again.
3
OswarezMar 27, 2026
+4
This is just nationalistic propaganda.
4
normankrasnerkcMar 28, 2026
+1
many of those shows that were cancelled were long past their ratings peak, and The Waltons came on a few years later
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