History Main / DeepSouth

-->'''Elder:''' Pants are an illusion. Much like death.

* ''Literature/DecadesOfDarkness'' is an AlternateHistory story in which, during the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812, all of the states northeast of Pennsylvania [[DividedStatesOfAmerica seceded]] and formed a [[HollywoodNewEngland Republic of New England]] while the British seized a large swath of the Midwest (including UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} and [[UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} Fort Dearborn]]) to later become part of {{Canada|Eh}}. The rump United States left behind, dominated by the planter aristocrats of Dixie, turns into [[TheEmpire an expansionist empire]] based in white supremacy in which slavery is still legal and celebrated well into the 20th century, by which point it has evolved into a racial caste system not unlike Latin America's thanks to its many conquests in that part of the world over the years. The culture of the ruling class is described as a mix of Southern gentry and the Hispanic ''criollos'' who [[LesCollaborateurs collaborated]] with them.

* ''Film/{{X|2022}}'' and ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' are primarily set in a small Texas farm owned by a particularly murderous couple.

This is where the SouthernFriedPrivate comes from; the SouthernFriedGenius is from here as well, although the South they know and grew up in is very often the "city/suburbia with an accent" flavor. Texas is part of this region, but it has enough of its own distinct stereotypes to warrant [[[[EverythingIsBigInTexas its own page]]. [[OnlyInFlorida Florida]] is similarly complicated. Its rural areas are as Deep South as it gets, especially in the Panhandle, but its major cities have [[OnlyInMiami their own quirks]] due to the influx of Northerners and Latin immigrants.

This is where the SouthernFriedPrivate comes from; the SouthernFriedGenius is from here as well, although the South they know and grew up in is very often the "city/suburbia with an accent" flavor. Bordering [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]] has plenty of cultural overlap with the region, but its stereotypes are distinct enough to warrant their own page. [[OnlyInFlorida Florida]] is similarly complicated. Its rural areas are as Deep South as the rest of the region, but the major cities have [[OnlyInMiami their own quirks]] due to the influx of Northerners and Latin immigrants.

The Deep South: home of [[DirtyCop corrupt, fat redneck sheriffs]], shotgun-toting [[HalfWittedHillbilly hillbillies]], [[HillbillyMoonshiner moonshiners]], TheKlan, tobacco-chawin' [[GoodOlBoy Good Ol' Boys]] missing half their teeth, and all other manner of [[SmallTownTyrant Small-Town Tyrants]] and [[LowerClassLout Lower-Class Louts]], not to mention [[TheFundamentalist fire-and-brimstone preachers]], [[ApronMatron iron-bound matriarchs]], [[FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit white-suited plantation owners]], [[StillFightingTheCivilWar Confederate revanchists]], {{Southern Belle}}s in either [[GorgeousPeriodDress flouncy gowns]] (in period works) or [[MsFanservice short-shorts with crop tops]] (in more modern ones), and possums. Some KissingCousins could also be in the mix somewhere.

* Seth from ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' is pretty much the worst of Southern stereotypes blatantly distilled into a genetic freak of nature. Among other details, he was conceived from [[BrotherSisterIncest his uncles porking his mother]] and is shown to be [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain homophobic and racist]] (he makes fun of Apollo and Midnighter for being gay and at one point says the N-word).

* ''Franchise/FarCry'': Hurk Drubman Jr., first introduced in ''VideoGame/FarCry3'', is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} BloodKnight with a Southern accent who teams up with Jason Brody to battle [[AmoralAfrikaner Hoyt Volker's]] privateers in hopes of getting Rakyat tattoos and the chance of having sex with [[JunglePrincess Citra]]. He's quite a friendly individual, if disturbingly obsessed with [[WeaponizedAnimal using monkeys as bombers]]. He pops up again in future games as the one character establishing continuity between the different settings and plots of the series. Hilariously, ''VideoGame/FarCryPrimal'' reveals that his ancestor Urki had the same accent, despite Urki being from ''prehistoric Central Europe''. And then ''VideoGame/FarCry5'' reveals that Hurk and his family are from '''Montana'''. To add to the MindScrew, his voice actor is [[FakeAmerican Canadian]].

* ''Film/{{Borat}}'' has a number of scenes set in various "red states," including those specifically in the deep south, attempting to exploit stereotypical conservative attitudes. Borat dines with a family in the South and displays a wide range of boorish behavior, but they courteously endure him until be brings in a transvestite prostitute, at which point they kick him out. A cut scene has him try to adopt a dog from a kennel with the stated intention of defending himself from Jews, but the owner of the kennel chewed him out for such beliefs, which didn't fit the narrative.

* ''ComicBook/ScareTacticsDCComics'': Fang comes from a clan of hillbilly werewolves somewhere in the Appalachians. When the band unwittingly returns there, he is captured by his family and dragged off for a ShotgunWeeding.

* ''Theatre/{{Parade}}'', set in Atlanta.

Although the real mid-Southern and Southeastern United States has a far wider range of locales and settings, the Deep South as it appears on TV is usually one tiny rural town after another, separated by miles of farmland, desert or steep, forested mountainsides. Its inhabitants always seem to be about fifty years behind the times, at least as far as social issues are concerned (or worse, stuck in the WildWest era and/or fighting [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar The Recent Unpleasantries]]).

->'''Sam Donaldson:''' Governor Clinton, let's be frank. You're running for president, yet your only experience has been as the governor of a small, backward state with a population of drunken hillbillies riding around in pickup trucks. The main streets of your capital city, Little Rock, are something out of ''ComicStrip/LilAbner'', with buxom underage girls in their cutoff denims prancing around in front of Jethro and Billy Bob, while corncob-pipe-smoking, shotgun-toting grannies fire indiscriminately at runaway hogs.
->'''UsefulNotes/BillClinton:''' I'm sorry, Sam, do you have a question?

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' - the Terrans are the Deep South InSpace! Nearly all the Terrans are apparently from the Deep South; many of the heroic ''and'' the villainous Terrans use syntax and expressions stereotypically attributed to Deep Southerners. In the expansion pack, the non-Terran humans are European, specifically Russian and German--and are almost universally evil. The United Earth Directorate is, more or less, a mish-mash of CommieLand and [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi Germany]]. Not ''every'' Terran has a Southern accent though: Sarah Kerrigan does not, and Jim Raynor's is debatable, as his accent is a sort of "Generic Rural" that can sound vaguely Southern at times (listen to him say "right on"). Tell you what, it's an Indiana accent. Southern Indiana. Basically Midwestern, but with a few traces of Southern from the dialect of Indiana's original Virginian settlers. If the Battlecruiser voices are any indication, there are also some Russians lumped in with them as well. The wiki even mentions traces of Japanese culture. Still, it seems that much of Terran civilization is dominated by heavy American (i.e. Southern) influences.
** The sequel's SCV amplifies the redneck stereotypes. Including telling you "[[Film/{{Deliverance}} You got a purdy mouth]]" if you annoy him.

The highest figure of authority down there is the reverend of the local evangelical Protestant congregation (usually either Baptist or Pentecostal), leading to the zone being often called the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt "Bible belt."]] Unlike the rest of the country, the MoralGuardians and the CulturePolice are ''actually'' supported and respected. So ''don't'' complain about the military, ''don't'' say how much you love Music/LilNasX, ''don't'' try to explain how [[UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism Paganism]] has nothing to do with devil worship, ''don't'' go out to the secluded farm house when your car breaks down in the rain, ''[[HeteronormativeCrusader don't]]'' [[BuryYourGays be gay]], and if you're a woman, ''don't'' [[StayInTheKitchen try to be anything other than a]] BabyFactory... actually, if you value human rights and decency, [[FlyoverCountry just don't go there at all]]. No, seriously, the Bible Belt is Satan's paradise — [[HumansAreBastards a bunch of depraved dipshits]] [[TheFundamentalist doing horrible things in the name of God]]. Unless the [[SacredHospitality Southern Hospitality]] is being played up, that is.

Any part of the region that is not rural, backwoods, mountains, or bayous shows up on TV as merely TheCity or {{Suburbia}} with an accent; the modern, sprawling metropolises of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} and UsefulNotes/{{Houston}} might as well not exist. And while UsefulNotes/{{Nashville}} and UsefulNotes/NewOrleans do exist, they're not without stereotypes of their own: N'awlins being a [[ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans party city]] with the occasional vampire or HollywoodVoodoo shenanigans, and Nashville only known for CountryMusic despite its diverse population, large healthcare industry, and PunkRock and HipHop scenes that rival the country one in size. As far as writers -- largely based in Southern California -- are concerned, the only true South is the Deep South. And any old state down there will do. Mississippi, UsefulNotes/{{Georgia|USA}}, UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}}, Maryland[[note]]Maryland was a slave state for much of its history and banned interracial marriages until well into the 1960s; but it was founded by Roman Catholics (who historically have been a minority in the South), stayed in the Union during the Civil War, and in more recent times has attracted New Yorkers as well as a diverse immigrant population from many countries throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America thanks to the sprawl of Baltimore and most especially UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, and is now a deep blue state with high taxes and heavy-handed business regulations. For these reasons and others, it is often hard to determine whether it should be considered a Southern state or a Northern state; a Northerner will tell you it's Southern, a Southerner will tell you that it's Northern, and a Marylander will tell you that it's [[TakeAThirdOption Maryland]].[[/note]]...what's the difference? They're all stuck in a bubble of stupidity and evil.

* Music/NeilYoung's ProtestSong [[Music/AfterTheGoldrush "Southern Man"]], against which "Sweet Home Alabama" is partly a TakeThat, is an opposing example, graphically portraying and condemning the abuses of slavery and racism.
* For a TakeThat at "Sweet Home Alabama" itself, see Warren Zevon's "Play it All Night Long." The first line is "Grandpa pissed his pants again" and that sort of sets the tone.
** "Sweet home Alabama / Play that dead band's song..." Ironically, Music/LynyrdSkynyrd is still touring, while Music/WarrenZevon has been dead for years-though that depends on whether you consider the current Lynyrd Skynyrd to be the same band as the one that wrote "Sweet Home Alabama".[[note]]The original lineup broke up after a tragic plane crash that killed three members including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. Of the current band touring as Lynyrd Skynyrd, only guitarist Gary Rossington is an original member.[[/note]]
* Music/PhilOchs' "Here's to the State of Mississippi".

* Occurs in Music/InsaneClownPosse's "Chicken Huntin'", "Your Rebel Flag", and others. Additionally, the former Creator/PsychopathicRecords artist Music/{{Boondox}}, simply is this trope personified.

* Anthony and Those Other Guys [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqnWQgU5AOU&feature=plcp&context=C3982292UDOEgsToPDskLtPcZIM_hmZZGJkqDag9Pd Sunburn]] which is loosely based on a real person.
* Tends to be a favorite setting for Randy Newman, especially his controversial hit "Rednecks"[[note]]Ironically for the controversy, the song reserved its sharpest satirical punches for the ''North''.[[/note]] and the more subtle, but just as pointed, "Birmingham".

* Music/{{Cormorant}} has the song "Blood on the Cornfields", which is about the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Turner Nat Turner rebellion]].
* Music/CharlieDaniels' first hit, "Uneasy Rider" has the narrator forced to stop in a small Southern town to get his car repaired. Being a long-haired hippie, he doesn't get a warm welcome from the locals. He has a bad (if hilarious) encounter with "a fat old drunk chick and some guy with green teeth".

* ''Theatre/{{Parade}}'', set in Atlanta.

* ''Theatre/LilAbner''

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' - the Terrans are the Deep South InSpace! Nearly all the Terrans are apparently from the Deep South; many of the heroic ''and'' the villainous Terrans use syntax and expressions stereotypically attributed to Deep Southerners. In the expansion pack, the non-Terran humans are European, specifically Russian and German--and are almost universally evil. The United Earth Directorate is, more or less, a mish-mash of CommieLand and [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi Germany]]. Not ''every'' Terran has a Southern accent though: Sarah Kerrigan does not, and Jim Raynor's is debatable, as his accent is a sort of "Generic Rural" that can sound vaguely Southern at times (listen to him say "right on"). Tell you what, it's an Indiana accent. Southern Indiana. Basically Midwestern, but with a few traces of Southern from the dialect of Indiana's original Virginian settlers. If the Battlecruiser voices are any indication, there are also some Russians lumped in with them as well. The wiki even mentions traces of Japanese culture. Still, it seems that much of Terran civilization is dominated by heavy American (i.e. Southern) influences.
** The sequel's SCV amplifies the redneck stereotypes. Including telling you "[[Film/{{Deliverance}} You got a purdy mouth]]" if you annoy him.
** The Terran Confederacy were originally comprised of prisoners who crash landed in the Korprulu Sector. It is pointed out that the Terran Confederacy (using a modified Confederate States Army naval Jack as their flag) is considered corrupt, is plagued by several rebel groups, has nuked a rebelling planet (Korhal) and is eventually [[FromBadToWorse overthrown by the even worse]] [[TheEmpire Terran Dominion]]. Actually, most of the human factions [[HumansAreBastards are shown as more or less evil]], except [[LaResistance Raynor's Raiders]].
* The villains in ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS 2}}'' are Anti Mutant Rednecks.
* ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}: Stranger's Wrath'' is set in an alien version of this, populated by hillbilly chicken people and toadlike outlaws.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' chronicles the journey of four survivors of a ZombieApocalypse making their way from Savannah, Georgia to New Orleans. Two of the characters are Southerners: Ellis, an overly energetic mechanic who loves guns, rambles at length about "[[TheMunchausen mah buddy Keith]]", and is generally too good-natured to be a GoodOlBoy, and Coach, an African-American high school football coach who loves food and plays the role of TeamDad. They are joined by two Northerners, Rochelle, a reporter from Cleveland, Ohio who takes on the dual roles of the TeamMom, and Nick, a Vegas con-artist and borderline Guido DeadpanSnarker. Much of the humor in the game is based on Rochelle and Nick's observations of the Deep South views vs. Ellis and Coach's SweetHomeAlabama views. The latter two share a somewhat stereotypical love for NASCAR and southern music, Ellis going so far as to wish he were a woman so he could have his favorite racer's children. Nick makes fun of a more repulsive southern stereotype in the "tunnel of love" section of the Dark Carnival campaign by saying that the tunnel was created for hillbillies and noting that it used to give discounts for cousins. In the second level of the game, one possible dialog has Ellis say he knows of a gun store where they can get better equipped. Nick snarks "Looks like living in this place is finally paying off", taking a stab at the stereotypical Southerner's gun obsession, and Coach doesn't like it, though he's civil about it. The places they pass through, however, are less Deep South than they are SouthernGothic.

* ''Death on the Mississippi'' and ''Till Death Do Us Part'' missions in ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney''. Notably, ''Till Death'' takes place at a very redneck wedding, and is the only time in the game 47 can openly carry (even fire in some areas) long guns without alarming civilians.

* ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'', of course, ''rolls'' in this trope.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'' is set in a huge, derelict plantation like something out of ''Series/TrueDetective'' - only with [[HillbillyHorrors superhuman cannibal hillbillies.]]
* Planned, but ultimately averted in ''VideoGame/BioShock''. Atlas, your MissionControl, was initially given a deep south voice actor rather than his Irish one, but players immediately distrusted him and they had to change to a more trustworthy one. [[spoiler:Given that [[MissionControlIsOffItsMeds Atlas reveals himself as the villain]] halfway into the game, having the player trust him was a significant part of the narrative.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Maneater}}'' is set in Louisiana, specifically a version of such lifted from "rednecksploitation" RealityTV shows like ''Series/SwampPeople'' and ''Series/DuckDynasty''. The BigBad, "Scaly Pete" [=LeBlanc=], is a RaginCajun GoodOlBoy shark hunter who serves as the star of one such show. What we see of the landscape is a parody of the Gulf Coast at its worst: rednecks in the bayou, a WretchedHive of a city, wealthy retirees living in [[GaiasLament ecosystem-destroying]] country clubs and coastal developments with [[UrbanSegregation high walls to keep out "the locals"]], a Ride/SeaWorld-esque marine park that abuses animals, industrial pollution courtesy of politicians who only care about economic growth, you name it.
* Chapter 3 and 4 of ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' storyline is primarily set in these parts, in particular the State of Lemoyne which heavily inspired by Louisiana and other Southern states. It even has an expy of New Orleans, the city of Saint Denis. There's also Scarlett Meadows, a mixed land of hills and bayou swamp where two inbred clans hate each others' guts, and traces of the Civil War and slavery can still be found.

* ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition2'' takes place in Louisana, and all the stereotypes associated with the region, both positive and negative, are shown or subverted.
** This example is interesting because SWERY, the developer, actually physically visited the Deep South with his team to do research prior to finishing the game. According to his stream, he chose the area because he wanted a niche region of the US that even some Americans would consider somewhat exotic.
* This is actually [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zagged]] in ''VideoGame/BigMuthaTruckers''. The game takes place in Hick County, an area that you would think would consist of nothing but a city of hillbillies. And indeed, it has Ma's House, which while a big house, has the look of the backwoods redneck area. And there's Skeeter's Creek has the rundown and broken-down areas that you would associate with the stereotypical Deep South. On the flip side, Hick County has quite a few cities that are more higher-brow than you would think an area of its name has. Such as Capital City, with the store there being an art museum ran by a Frenchman. And there's also the [[VivaLasVegas Las Vegas-like city, Greenback.]]

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/NipAndTuck''. The titular redneck foxes are erudite, intelligent, and informed, the local political zealot is a Democrat, no one much seems to mind people from different walks of life, and visitors get Southern Hospitality in spades. In other words, it's probably a better reflection of the South than you'll get anyplace else (except, you know...the actual South). On the other end of the spectrum, look no further than Gus Guthrie. As you might expect, the brothers' disdain for him stems as much from the fact that he's exactly what comes to mind when someone says "Deep South," as from the fact that this makes him a pain in the ass to rival casaba-sized hemorrhoids.

* Subverted in ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' with Margaret Tweedy, who was a favorite target of bullies at school largely because of her Southern roots, despite being neither stupid nor behind the times. Said bullying did, however, make her bitter and perpetually angry.
* Diabetus of LetsPlay and Retsupurae fame is from Alabama, and will occasionally exaggerate his accent for the sake of a joke.

* After spending most of the episode pretending to be a Kentuckian that was accidentally sent to [[WebAnimation/CampCamp Camp Campbell]] for a foreign exchange program, Brian reveals himself to be a Kentucky secessionist hoping to steal Cameron Campbell's fortune in order to fund his state leaving the union. He gains a much thicker accent and begins to embody all the stereotypes of the Deep South (except the racist parts).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Cletus the Slack-jawed Yokel, his wife Brandine and all their children evoke all clichés about Southern hillbillies.
** Whenever either Bart or Lisa imagine themselves as obese, they also get a southern accent for some reason.

* Appears 2000 years in the future in ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian'', when the hero in question encounters a SmallTownTyrant sheriff in the populated ruins of 'Lanta.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' featured two episodes revealing Fred's paternal ancestors were hillbillies from the state of "Arkanstone", and that they were all wiped out in a long-running feud with the Hatrock family. Said feud was revived when the Flintstones and Rubbles visit Arkanstone to claim an estate Fred had inherited.
** Although "Arkanstone" works as a typical Flintstones PunnyName, it's also a case of geographical artistic license (or RuleOfFunny) since the Hatfield/[=McCoy=] feud occurred along the Tug River, which forms part of the border between Kentucky and West Virginia (both culturally very Southern but historically ambiguous), nowhere near Arkansas.
* In the episode "Inherit the Judgement-The Dope's Trial," ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' heads to the Deep South where he is put on trial for being an "eggolutionist."
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Squidbillies}}'' This is one of the biggest offenders. Every single character, with the exception of the very smart, business-good, but arrogant and petty Dan Halen, is either inbred, a moron, a criminal, or as politically incorrect as can possibly be, and combinations of any of these are hardly uncommon.
* [[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-570997817440305842 Alabama Man]] from the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Chinpokomon".[[note]]"Not all people from Alabama are wife-beaters."[[/note]]
** They did it again in "Worldwide Recorder Concert" where the class all travels to Arkansas, and Mr Garrison is forced to confront his father about molestation, [[spoiler:specifically, why his dad ''didn't'' molest him.]] The episode goes on to insinuate that Arkansans [[spoiler:other than Mr Garrison, Sr.]] are a bunch of child molesters.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' believe it or not, featured the Foggy Swamp Tribe, a distant cousin of the Water Tribes. But when one of them reveals this fact, the Water Tribe siblings (mostly Katara) look a bit disturbed. Because of the show's fantasy setting the Foggy Swamp dwellers aren't necessarily backwards in technology or stupid, only dirty and rustic. Their elder does dispense some very meaningful spiritual advise to Aang that he takes to heart, a personal philosophy derived from living in the swamp. That said, they don't seem to like wearing pants.
-->'''Elder:''' Pants are an illusion. Much like death.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' has the Kanker Sisters. The three live in a trailer park called Park N' Flush, May and Lee have Southern accents. May fits the image of a hillbilly best as she has 2 buck teeth and is very stupid. The cartoon's [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow movie]] even reveals Lee has 3 eyes, implying that the Kanker Sisters were inbred.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Scott and Sugar, despite being Canadians like everyone else on the show, fit many of the stereotypes associated with the American South (Sugar even has a noticeable Southern accent). This is probably due to the fact that their real-life inspirations (Russell Hantz and Alana "Honey Boo-Boo" Thompson respectively) are both known for hailing from the South.
* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' was set in the small town of Highland, Texas, and Creator/MikeJudge was not flattering in how he portrayed it. Highland was a crude, ignorant, white-trash bunghole where the titular protagonists waste their days watching Creator/{{MTV}} and engaging in various loutish shenanigans, most businesses are either corporate chains or cater to [[LowerClassLout lowlifes]], and the few people with any ambitions in life are absolutely miserable. ([[SpiritualAntithesis Compare it]] to the more positive depiction of small-town Texas that Judge featured on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''.) One of those ambitious people, Daria Morgendorffer, later moved a new town when she got [[WesternAnimation/{{Daria}} her own spinoff]], and while her new StepfordSuburbia home of Lawndale (stated by WordOfGod to be located [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic region]]) was still a CrapsackWorld, she ''still'' preferred it to Highland, because at least there wasn't uranium in the drinking water making everyone crazy.

%%* ''Literature/{{Run}}'' is set in the small town of Mursey, Kentucky.
* ''Literature/TheLittleFriend'' by Creator/DonnaTartt takes place in rural Mississippi and tackles race relations, plantation fiction, snake-handlin' churches, meth use and manufacturing, and plenty of poverty.
* Judd "Scanner" Sandage, one of the principal side characters in the ''Literature/FortunesOfWar'' books, is basically a hillbilly in a Starfleet uniform, complete with thick accent, garrulous mannerisms, and a bit of a lack of boundaries, but [[SubvertedTrope he knows his stuff when it comes to sensors and is a competent officer overall]].
* ''Literature/TheWitchOfKnightcharm'': One of the members of Lily's clique of evil witches is Lucille Ballard, an imperious girl from Mississippi with a thick accent who occasionally drops southernisms (like saying 'bless your heart' to a rival classmate that she's in the process of killing via magic).

* ''Series/TheHeartSheHoller'' portrays the South so negatively that it makes ''Film/{{Deliverance}}'' look like a tourist ad.
%%* ''Series/PetticoatJunction''.

* An episode of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' ZigZagged this. The episode centered on a feud between two stereotypical West Virginia hillbilly clans, who shot at federal agents and insisted on referring to JJ as "Mrs" rather than "Agent Jureau". The BAU come to the conclusion that the two are cooking crystal meth and the rivalry has spiraled into a drug war. Subverted when it turned out they were both making clean, efficient, bio-fuels. Then it went right back to playing it straight when [[spoiler:the matriarch of one clan and the patriarch of the other are revealed to be brother and sister, and the VillainOfTheWeek is their inbred son who was raised in the backwoods by a CrazySurvivalist]].
* Seen in several ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' episodes, except that garrulous New Englanders who interfere in everyone's business ''don't'' come to horrible ends.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''--Joel, Mike and the Bots would take jabs at the Deep South anytime a movie featuring the stereotypes was screened. Since absolutely everyone--fat or thin, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, smart or dumb--gets lampooned equally on the show, it's not worth getting worked up about.
* Although the trope is based on an exaggerated stereotype, the ''Series/TopGear'' team proved that it's still not a good idea to drive around in Alabama with cars sporting such slogans as "NASCAR sucks" and "Manlove rules OK", to say nothing of "Hillary 4 President". They pulled in for gasoline and eventually had to flee while rocks were chucked at them. The jury's out on whether the locals kicked off as a result of being offended by what was written, or at being trolled with the stereotype...
** Strangely, the [[SeriousBusiness locals reacted most strongly to NASCAR being dissed]], so maybe the stereotype of the Deep South has some TruthInTelevision to it.
* ''Series/{{Matlock}}'' is set in a version of Atlanta which apparently neglects to include the sports teams, the multiple Fortune 500 companies, the obscene traffic and overflowing interstate system, and focuses primarily on plantation style houses, small town streetscapes, and a sense of general suburbia (which, to be fair, Atlanta has a lot of, especially to its north).
* Somebody in the crew making ''Series/TrueBlood'' must have been reading TV Tropes, because the opening credits show all clichés from the main entry, pretty much in the order they are listed. The Sookie Stackhouse novels - upon which Series/TrueBlood is based - explores this trope as well, but with a far more balanced perspective.
** Though the show itself is more mixed. The small town of Bon Temps is up to date in technology and current events, the sheriff and the assistant sheriff are basically decent people, and you can count the number of episodes where people have a problem with the CampGay black guy in the kitchen on one hand. It's just that whole vampire thing that brings out the populous' more bigoted side.

* ''Series/HannahMontana'' never lets you forget the main character's Southern roots (specifically, Tennessee). Taken to extremes when a snooty set of parents spent the entire episode mocking The Deep South.
** Interestingly enough, Disney apparently originally tried to make Miley Cyrus speak in that standard bland [=SoCal=] dialect that all their other personalities use, but even the most rigorous dialog coaching failed to erase her accent, so they just gave up.
** Miley herself in interviews and in RealLife will [[SelfDeprecation self-deprecatedly]] refer to her accent or Southern culture as "hillbilly" (though she certainly is proud of her roots). Accounts on her Website/{{Twitter}} feed that she follows and Website/YouTube videos she favorites show a fascination with the South (serious or tongue-in-cheek).
* Dr. Leonard [=McCoy=] of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' exemplifies mostly good aspects of Southern stereotypes: humane, passionate, polite, and a great cook, although with a mild streak of racism directed against Vulcans and androids.

* ''Series/{{ER}}'' brought Dr. Benton to the backwater town of Pascagoula, Mississippi, where minorities were looked upon with suspicion and residents were wary of treatment from him. When this episode aired, it caused residents of the real Pascagoula (a medium-sized city) to protest its portrayal.
* ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' has had more than a few hillbilly jokes thrown up, but [[NWordPrivileges Wayne Brady]] can always be counted on to provide his own unique spin on the trope:
-->''["Scenes from a Hat" suggestion: "Visions of Hell other than fire and brimstone."]''
-->'''Colin:''' (miming driving) Mississippi... I'm ''still'' in Mississippi...
-->'''Wayne:''' Mississippi... '''I'm''' still in Mississippi!
-->''[From a different session: "Unlikely state songs"]''
-->'''Wayne:''' (singing) Oh, you won't find me in Alabamaaaa...
* ''Series/TrueLife'' had an episode called "The Theriot Family: [[PunBasedTitle The Riot]] in the Bayou" about a large Louisiana family that likes to have fun. They fall into most of the stereotypes of the South as well as some UsefulNotes/NewOrleans stereotypes.
* The Creator/{{ABC}} show ''Series/{{GCB}}'' is about a single mother and widow who moves from Santa Barbara, California to her hometown of Dallas, Texas. The show pretty much plays up all of the stereotypes of the South and Texas.
* Creator/{{CMT}} has a tendency for these types of show; most of them were reality shows.
* Many pageants featured on ''Series/ToddlersAndTiaras'' take place in rural Southern towns.
%%** Its {{spinoff}}, ''Series/HereComesHoneyBooBoo'', exaggerates it.
* On of the {{Noodle Incident}}s in ''Series/{{Community}}'''s fake-ClipShow involves the gang visiting a GhostTown in the Deep South. It involved Troy and Abed (black and Palestinian Arab respectively) getting shot at by a guy in red long underwear.
-->'''Troy:''' By the way, that dude was hardcore racist. Like 18 hundred's Disney-style. We learned new ways to hate ourselves.

* ''Series/InTheHeatOfTheNight'' deals with this even more than the original book and movie did, with racism and other traditions, good or ill, of the Deep South being a frequent theme and contrasted with the newer attitudes of the late eighties/early nineties.
* Britain's favourite black American, Reginald D. Hunter, was sent back to his homeland by the BBC to present a series making sense of the Deep South states for British viewers. Reginald, from Georgia, accomplished this with style and insight in ''Reginald D. Hunter's Songs of the South''. See him '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kNqwoo407E here]]''' explaining Tennessee to the British.

* The ''Series/AmazingStories'' episode "Mummy Daddy" is set here, with a movie-actor stuck in his mummy costume attempting to escape from a bloodthirsty band of local hicks and reach the local hospital where his wife is giving birth.
* The ''Series/ThirtyRock'' episode "Stone Mountain" features Liz and Jack visiting Kenneth's hometown of Stone Mountain, Georgia, which is portrayed as being a small town full of white rednecks. This actually ends up being an example of TelevisionGeography, as in real life Stone Mountain is a suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} and is over 50% Black.
* A few ''Series/MiamiVice'' episodes whose plots require the protagonists to travel outside Miami involve them dealing with such crises as a turf war between redneck families in the Everglades. Crockett himself is a very stereotypical southerner at times.
* Referenced more than a few times on ''Series/GoodEats''. The "polenta/grits" episode begins with Alton being invited in by a family ("Southern Hospitality") for breakfast, and pissing them off by saying that grits and polenta are the exact same thing. In two episodes, he contrasts regional differences between the North and South with banana pudding [[note]] Up north, they like it refrigerated, with whipped cream. Down south, the dish is ''baked'', and the whipped cream is replaced with meringue. [[/note]] and chicken-and-dumplings. [[note]] Up north, the dumplings take inspiration from choux pastry; they're thick and fluffy. Down south, the dumplings are more noodle-like. [[/note]] In the (after-) ThanksgivingEpisode, Alton, his "relatives," and his TV crew are SnowedIn...by which we mean there was ''an inch of snow on the ground'', because this is [[SelfDeprecation Georgia]]. He also did an episode dedicated to gumbo, and an episode dedicated to rice and beans, two dishes heavily influenced by the Cajun and Creole cultures found in the region. And when the recipe is distinctly Southern, such as fried catfish, mint juleps, or ambrosia, expect Alton's "uncle" Col. Bob Boatright (a parody of KFC's Col. Sanders) to appear.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=kjiigr0symwi6p262xm6qf5p
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[folder:Anime]]

* Yuuya Bridges, the Japanese-American pratagonist of ''Literature/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse'' grew up in the Deep South, which explains a few things about his identity issues and the chip on his shoulder.

* ''ComicStrip/LilAbner'': The sheer ''definition'' of every possible ''Deep South'' cliché!
* ''ComicStrip/{{Pogo}}'': Apart from the fact that we're dealing with [[TalkingAnimal talking animals]] here all action takes place in a typical Mississippi swamp, with alligators, opossums and the likes talking typical Southern ''slang''.
* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': Hoo boy. Among others, coveralls-wearing swamp warfare expert T.C. who'll screw anything (including, but not limited to: a chicken, a fish, (possibly) a one-eyed boy's eye socket, a ''birthday cake''...), [[TheFundamentalist a fundamentalist]] matriarch, Klansmen (including one who has sex with meat piled into the shape of a woman and his Nazi secretary), and a family of hillbillies so inbred their kids only have one eye (and they're among the most ''sympathetic'' people you'll ever meet).
* ComicBook/ThePunisher tends not to do very well when going south... he's met gun smugglers, raging homophobic ministers, an alligator-raising CannibalClan...
* Doug [=TenNapel's=] ''ComicBook/CreatureTech'' thoroughly subverts this with the town of Turlock. First, the town's sub-literate rednecks turn out to be more accepting of a giant insect-man than the protagonist is. Second, several townspeople are revealed to be quite intelligent: the pastor was formerly a biologist, and another man taught himself quantum mechanics. Third, Turlock is actually in rural [[HollywoodCalifornia California]].

* In the 1980s, Drew Friedman did a comic parody of ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'' where Andy, Barney, and the good citizens of Mayberry take Klan vengeance on a black motorist with the temerity to stop in town. A good deal more caustic than most of Friedman's work.

* In ''ComicBook/BitchyBitch'', Marcie surely comes from the deep south. She's a stupid and extremely prejudiced (but cute) SouthernBelle type with a heavy accent.
* ''ComicBook/ScareTacticsDCComics'': Fang comes from a clan of hillbilly werewolves somewhere in the Appalachians. When the band unwittingly returns there, he is captured by his family.
* Averted in ''Comicbook/GoldDigger.'' The Diggers family lives in Atlanta, but it's treated pretty much like any other big American city.
* ''ComicBook/VonHerlingVampireHunter'': The setting is in the fictional town of Richten in Tennessee. When the local teens at a party catch on that August Von Herling is not from around there, they start teasing him.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' is based heavily on Southern culture of the era, particularly trucker and CB culture.

* ''Film/MyCousinVinny'' mines a lot of comedy from a FishOutOfWater story of two Italian-Americans from New York City going to a small, deep south town and getting into various clashes of culture. Unlike most representations, the city slickers more than hold their own with their street smarts and toughness. That said, Vinny only succeeds by becoming familiar with the ins and outs of the local culture. And for their part, the local southern authorities are shown to be entirely modern and professional.
* The stereotyped cruelty of the Deep South is used as both plot device and major driving force in the award-winning film ''Film/LawnDogs''. Many people in the gated community there are cruel, quick to judge, and look down upon hard-working lower-classman Trent. [[spoiler:He is even beaten, twice, for things he didn't do.]] What's more, the screenwriter, who created the story, is [[OffendingTheCreatorsOwn from the Deep South herself]].
* ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'' takes place in a [[PoliticallyCorrectHistory sanitized version of Reconstruction]]. The movie contains [[MagicalNegro Uncle Remus]] stories about Br'er Rabbit [[BriarPatching ("Please don't throw me in the briar patch!")]] and gave us "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah".
* Harold and Kumar visit the Deep South in ''Film/HaroldAndKumarEscapeFromGuantanamoBay'', and encounter, among other things, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a Ku Klux Klan rally, an inbred mutant child, and Neil Patrick Harris]].

* ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou?'' takes place in 1930's Mississippi.

* ''Film/GatorBait'', ''Film/WildAtHeart'', ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise'', ''Film/RaisingArizona'', ''Film/MotelHell''...
* The whole premise behind the ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'' and ''[[Film/TheHillsHaveEyes1977 The Hills Have Eyes]]'' film series is rooted in this trope.
* ''Film/{{X|2022}}'' and ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' are primarily set in a small Texas farm owned by a particularly murderous couple.
* ''[[Series/HannahMontana Hannah Montana: The Movie]]'' takes place in the fake Tennessee town of Crawley Corners.
* ''Film/{{Borat}}'' has a number of scenes set in various "red states," including those specifically in the deep south, attempting to exploit stereotypical conservative attitudes. Borat dines with a family in the South and displays a wide range of boorish behavior, but they courteously endure him until be brings in a transvestite prostitute, at which point they kick him out. A cut scene has him try to adopt a dog from a kennel with the stated intention of defending himself from Jews, but the owner of the kennel chewed him out for such beliefs, which didn't fit the narrative.
** ''Film/BoratSubsequentMoviefilm'' also has a few, such as a scene with a debutante ball in Georgia, to showcase a new rise in conservativism.
* ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate:'' The real Gainesville, Florida is a modern college town with several hundred thousand permanent residents and whose courthouses are all modern multi-level buildings made of concrete and steel located in a busy downtown. What do we see in the film? A Civil War-era whitewashed courthouse on an isolated dirt road, more fitting of Black-Belt Mississippi or Alabama (even there it's unlikely unless the county seat moved) than anywhere in Florida.
* ''Film/StrawDogs2011'' moves the setting from England to Mississippi, and the antagonists are a group of pickup truck-driving redneck rapists.
* ''Film/RequiemForADream'': The boys end up in a Southern prison, which doesn't take kindly to drug-addicted New Yorkers.
* ''Film/MississippiBurning'' & ''Film/InTheHeatOfTheNight'' both set in the deep south and tackle racism and {{Small Town Tyrant}}s.
* ''Film/SouthernComfort'' pits a bunch of Nation Guardsmen against a gang of local RaginCajun s who don't take too kindly to outsiders invading their territory and stealing their boats.
* The screenwriter of the ''Film/CapeFear'' remake directed by Martin Scorsese admits as a "New York Jew", he wrote Max Cady to be a "Monster of the South" speaking in tongues like something out of a tent show revival.
* The documentary ''small town gay bar'' centers around...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin gay bars in small town]]. Homophobia and persecution is prevalent, and the patrons use the local gay bar as a sanctuary. Basically, WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame + The Deep South.

* The Mexican-German film ''Film/GutenTagRamon'' shows the Mexican version of this trope: Ramón, the titular protagonist, is a Mexican Northerner hillbilly from the Northern state of Durango, who is forced to migrate to Germany having no other choices on hand. Part of the charm of the film is the CultureClash between the backwards mentality of the main character with the European mindset of the Germans.
* ''Film/AlienAbduction2014'' takes place in the deep woods of North Carolina. Sean and his unseen brother Scott are both cabin-dwelling hunters and survivalists, and Sean freely uses terms like "slow" and "retarded" to describe the autistic Riley.
* When [[Film/AceVentura Ace]] is tracking down Ray Finkle's latest whereabouts he drives to Collier County, Florida which is populated by disgruntled rednecks who lost all their money betting on Finkle.
* ''Film/FletchLives''. The protagonist inherits a BigFancyHouse in Louisiana and dreams (literally) of living the idle life of a SouthernGentleman. Turns out the house is derelict and he's pestered by {{Dirty Cop}}s, horse-molesting criminals and Klansmen (though the latter is suffering somewhat from BadassDecay). However it turns out that these things have been arranged to scare him off so he won't interfere in the scheme of the BigBad.

* ''Film/PoorPrettyEddie'' is an exploitation film set in an isolated lodge and the nearby small town somewhere in the South.

* Creator/WilliamFaulkner, himself a Mississippian, ''loved'' to play around with this trope.
** For example, his short story ''Literature/ARoseForEmily'' is set in this fair land, and at first it seems quite idealized, with social classes firmly in place, black servants that keep their masters' secrets, and gorgeous, stately mansions... that are riddled with decay, and years past the times.
%%* Creator/FlanneryOConnor lived in this trope.
* Sharyn [=McCrumb=]'s works:
** Subverted in ''Literature/ZombiesOfTheGenePool'', which is set in Tennessee. Jay Omega worries that he and his fellow professor-slash-girlfriend Marion have stumbled upon a diner like this. Then a big bearded man comes up to the table and starts intimidating Jay...until Marion tells him to knock it off. It turns out, the "redneck" is a Joyce scholar professor and a friend of Marion's who wanted to have a little fun at the expense of yet another "''Film/{{Deliverance}}'' sucker" as he puts it.
** Mostly averted in her ''Ballad'' series, set in the area where Kentucky, Tennesee and North Carolina all meet. Subverted however in "The Devil Amongst The Lawyers'' where northern journalists, visiting for a murder trial in the 30s deliberately project the stereotypical image because they know that it's what their readers want to see.

* ''Film/{{Deliverance}}'', by James Dickey. Southerners will complain at length about the movie and the novel and the horrible stereotypes it represents. It's worth noting Dickey was born and raised in Atlanta, living and working in the Southeast for most of his life.
* The much-beloved ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' by Harper Lee focuses partially on racism revolving around a falsely-accused black man.
* ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' sees the [[FallenStatesOfAmerica downfall]] of the decayed future United States, and one of the successor states is a reformed New Confederacy which invokes every stereotype relating to this trope, from the SouthernGentleman to TheKlan. The protagonist is a Yankee, but visits the South and aids them in their battles against their home-grown DirtyCommunists.
* Literature/BrownsPineRidgeStories: This anthology of stories (all set in rural southern Georgia) runs on this trope. An example that somewhat lampshades this: "Once a year we came under attack from the North! No, not Yankees, I'm talking about the Goat Man."

* William Bradford Huie's novel ''Literature/TheKlansman'' is set in the Deep South, in a politically corrupt county in the years immediately preceding the Civil Rights movement. blacks are vilified and lynched - a central plot point is the alleged rape of a white woman by a black man. this is set against the deliberate false imprisonment and rape in prison of a visiting black woman from the North, who is viewed as "uppity" by local whites who determine she needs to be taught a lesson.

* The 2011 remake of ''Film/StrawDogs'' moves the setting from England to Mississippi. And the antagonists are a group of pickup truck-driving redneck rapists.

* The stereotyped cruelty of the Deep South is used as both plot device and major driving force in the award-winning film ''Film/LawnDogs''. Many people in the gated community there are cruel, quick to judge, and look down upon hard-working lower-classman Trent. [[spoiler:He is even beaten, twice, for things he didn't do.]] What's more, the screenwriter, who created the story, is from the Deep South herself.

%%* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard''.

*** In [[TheIdiotFromOsaka Kansai]] (save for Kyoto), people are stereotyped as lacking in [[JapanesePoliteness mannerisms]], having a [[KansaiRegionalAccent funny accent]], greedy, hot-headed, alchoholic, gluttonous and perverted. While these are partially derived for the famed [[TheRival rivalry]] between Tokyo and Osaka, some of them have a kernel of truth, such as Edo-era society aspiring to the Samurai culture of Edo, who valued reserve and dignity, and considered the more commercial-minded Osakans' focus on business to be rude and uncouth and thus below themselves.

*** In Tohoku (especially the Aomori prefecture), people are stereotyped as being poor, not too bright or even inbred, and having a (different) [[TohokuRegionalAccent funny accent]], while the weather is almost constantly rainy and it snows real hard in the winter.

* ''Film/DownByLaw" takes place in Louisiana and features a lot of SceneryPorn of the swamps and a little of UsefulNotes/NewOrleans.

* ''Film/X2022'' and ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' are primarily set in a small Texas farm owned by a particularly murderous couple.
* ''Film/HannahMontanaTheMovie'' takes place in the fake Tennessee town of Crawley Corners.

* On of the {{Noodle Incident}}s in ''Series/{{Community}}'''s fake-ClipShow involves the gang visiting a GhostTown in the Deep South. It involved Troy and Abed (black and Pakistani respectively) getting shot at by a guy in red long underwear.

* Yuuya Bridges, the Japanese-American pratagonist of ''LightNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse'' grew up in the Deep South, which explains a few things about his identity issues and the chip on his shoulder.

* In ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'' [[spoiler: Matt]] speaks with a rednecky accent.

Any part of the region that is not rural, backwoods, mountains, or bayous shows up on TV as merely TheCity or {{Suburbia}} with an accent; the modern, sprawling metropolises of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} and UsefulNotes/{{Houston}} might as well not exist. And while UsefulNotes/{{Nashville}} and UsefulNotes/NewOrleans do exist, they're not without stereotypes of their own: N'awlins being a [[ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans party city]] with the occasional vampire or HollywoodVoodoo shenanigans, and Nashville only known for CountryMusic despite its diverse population, large healthcare industry, and PunkRock and HipHop scenes that rival the country one in size. As far as writers -- largely based in Southern California -- are concerned, the only true South is the Deep South. And any old state down there will do. Mississippi, UsefulNotes/{{Georgia}}, UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}}, Maryland[[note]]Maryland was a slave state for much of its history and banned interracial marriages until well into the 1960s; but it was founded by Roman Catholics (who historically have been a minority in the South), stayed in the Union during the Civil War, and in more recent times has attracted New Yorkers as well as a diverse immigrant population from many countries throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America thanks to the sprawl of Baltimore and most especially UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, and is now a deep blue state with high taxes and heavy-handed business regulations. For these reasons and others, it is often hard to determine whether it should be considered a Southern state or a Northern state; a Northerner will tell you it's Southern, a Southerner will tell you that it's Northern, and a Marylander will tell you that it's [[TakeAThirdOption Maryland]].[[/note]]...what's the difference? They're all stuck in a bubble of stupidity and evil.

** IsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} has both a Deep South and a Deep North, which both share similarities with the American stereotype

** Brazil has both a Deep South and a Deep North, which both share similarities with the American stereotype
*** The south (specificall the South Region), people are stereotyped as being racist and even [[ArgentinaIsNaziLand Nazi]] and speak a funny accent, and the region has a tendency to vote towards conservative politics. There is also the notion that the further you get away from the cities, the most backwrds and racist people are. For these reasons and others, the South Region is stereotyped as being the Brazilian equivalent to Canada's UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}} province.
*** The north (specifically the Nordeste) has a history of plantations staffed by slaves taken from Africa. It is also has among the largest rural populations in the country. People there are stereotyped as being poor (due to it being comparable to Appalachia), not too bright or even inbred, and having a (different) funny accent. In an an inverse of the usual politics associated with this trope, the region tends to vote for leftist politicians.

*** The south (specificall the South Region), people are stereotyped as being racist and even [[ArgentinaIsNaziLand Nazi]] and speak a funny accent, and the region has a tendency to vote towards conservative politics. There is also the notion that the further you get away from the cities, the most backwrds and racist people are. For these reasons and others, the South Region is stereotyped as being the Brazilian equivalent to Canada's UsefulNote/{{Quebec}} province.