One thing about Shreveport-Bossier: We show up in the strangest, most unexpected places on television. Often, these brief appearances contribute to unforgettable or iconic television moments. With lots of us spending more time than usual watching television during social distancing, I thought it’d be fun to recap a few of Shreveport-Bossier’s most memorable television cameos.
1. The Legendary “Schiller Visions” Sketch From Saturday Night Live
“Now, live from Shreveport, Louisiana via international satellite hook-up…”
In what must surely be one of comedian Chris Farley’s greatest performances, the loud-mouthed comic portrays Michael Huff, a Shreveporter who flies into a violent rage when a waiter informs him that his regular coffee has been switched with decaf crystals. If you haven’t seen this skit, stop what you’re doing and give it a watch.
2. “Radio Bart” from The Simpsons
“Well, ma’am, we’ve located a piece of machinery in Shreveport, Louisiana…”
In episode 13 of the fantastic third season of The Simpsons, Bart cons the residents of Springfield into believing that an orphan named Timmy O’Toole has fallen down a well. When Bart’s trick goes awry, he finds himself actually stuck in the well and in need of a special piece of equipment from…you guessed it: Shreveport, Louisiana.
3. Mike and Frank Visit Herby-K’s on American Pickers
We love the fact that, when History’s smash hit reality show American Pickers visited Shreveport-Bossier, hosts Mike and Frank just wound up eating oysters and drinking beer all day long at Herby-K’s. Around here, we just call that “going to Herby-K’s.”
We blogged about this episode being filmed back in 2015, if you’d like to learn more.
4. Saul Heads to Shreveport in Better Call Saul
In the fourth season of AMC’s outstanding Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul, morally compromised lawyer Saul Goodman devises a plan to help his Creole right hand man, Huell Babineaux, beat charges for hitting an undercover police officer with a bag of sandwiches. In order to free Huell, Saul boards a bus bound for good ol’ Shreveport, Louisiana.
5. The Entire Run of Billy the Exterminator
Say what you will about reality television, but it’s hard not to be entertained by the fact that—for several years, at least—the most recognizable Shreveport-Bossier resident in America was a snake-fighting, wasp-attracting hooligan named Billy the Exterminator.
6. Mr. Shreveport Loses His Presidential Bid on Futurama
Of the many bizarre instances of Shreveport-Bossier showing up in pop culture, this has got to be one of the most surprising. For reasons that the world may never know, the animators of Futurama snuck in a quick cameo for Shreveport during an episode entitled “Decision 3012.”
7. Spoiler Alert: Elvis Presley’s Ghost Not Found by Ghost Hunters
Sure, lots of cities have famously haunted buildings. But how many cities can say that Ghost Hunters came to their city to search for the ghost of Elvis Presley? Spoiler alert: They didn’t find Elvis’s ghost, but in the eighth episode of their ninth season, America’s best-known paranormal investigators produced a fun episode in Shreveport-Bossier.
What’d we miss? If you know of a time when Shreveport or Bossier City made a surprising appearance on TV, let us know about it in the comments.
For folks who are really into film and TV, you may be interested in checking out the Northwest Louisiana Film Trail brochure, which lists dozens of movies filmed in Shreveport-Bossier with maps to prominent filming locations.
20×49.com is a publication of The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.