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Tulsa’s greatest TV cameos…

10:08 AM EDT on July 16, 2014

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They're filming another television show in Tulsa.

Unfortunately, it's not an hour-long hit drama on a premium challenge, and a beloved sitcom character isn't begrudgingly transferred here for a job he hates. Rather it's that one crime docu-series about murder investigations you always find yourself watching on Sunday afternoons.

From News on 6:

The Tulsa Police Department says A&E’s popular reality show “The First 48” will start filming the Tulsa Police Department’s homicide investigators this week. 

The show chronicles homicide detectives investigating murders.   

The department says A&E’s cameras will follow TPD's homicide investigators working during the hours immediately following a murder.  Police say “The First 48” crews will stay with the investigators for the duration of the investigation. 

“The show will bring positive exposure by demonstrating the detectives’ tireless dedication to solve the case and the compassion they have for the families involved,” said Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan.   

Jordan says the show will provide an inside look into real-life murder investigations.

Tulsa Police said residents who are near a homicide scene will be asked whether they agree to be filmed and no resident will be filmed who does not wish to be. 

Episodes featuring Tulsa will most likely begin airing this fall.  TPD says the city’s agreement with the show has one-year duration.

On one hand, this is kinda cool...I'm guessing this means that the TPD is pretty good at solving murder cases. A&E wouldn't want to come film a police department that didn't have their shit together, right? (Well, actually as we've all seen in buddy cop films, incompetent police departments seems to make excellent entertainment fodder--but I digress).

On the other hand, uh, Tulsa has enough murders to supply a TV show with a whole season's worth of episodes? That's pretty terrifying. The occasional reality show contestant, sure. An entire cast of Biggest Losers, absolutely. But murder cases? Way to go, Tulsa PR department. Our Olympic bid is out the window for sure now. Oh wait...

In honor of this season of the TV show, I thought it'd be fun to take a look back at some of the other noteworthy television appearances that Tulsa had made. Check them out after the jump.

1. When Chandler was transferred to Tulsa for work in Friends.

"Let's send Chandler to a place that Monica and most of our viewers find completely unpalatable...Tulsa, perfect!" --some Hollywood writer twelve years ago.

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2. Center Of The Universe, which lasted exactly 10 episodes.

This show was about how everyone in a Tulsa man's family depended on him for everything, from money to housing to personal life decisions (the Center of the Universe, get it?). John Goodman, Jean Smart, Spencer Breslin, and Ed Asner couldn't keep this CBS series from getting yanked in 2005.

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3. Summer's New Year's Eve date on The O.C. who was from Tulsa.

Apparently McG spent like, a year of his life in Tulsa and wanted to pay homage to it by having the guy Summer makes out with on NYE (instead of Seth) mention that he was visiting from Tulsa. Scraping the barrel here, you guys.

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4. D.U.I. on TLC

According to Wikipedia, TLC picked northeastern Oklahoma as the setting for this show because not only do we have some of the strictest DUI laws, but we also have the fastest DUI court turnarounds. Uh...cool?

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5. Rodney, which actually lasted two whole seasons on ABC!

A) Not one, but two major networks commissioned sitcoms that took place in Tulsa during the Fall 2004 season. B) I was unaware of both of them. In 2004, I guess I was too busy with AOL Instant Messaging and playing snake on my Nokia and watching American Idol for sitcoms destined for doom to know about Rodney or Center of the Universe. Speaking of which...

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6. American Idol...sort of.

Semi finalist Melinda Doolittle attended Union High School. Winner David Cook was working as a bartender in downtown Tulsa when he auditioned. Winner and supermegastar Carrie Underwood totally had to drive here from Checotah to purchase prom dresses. Do any of these people mention our great city? Nah, instead the only people who claim us are certifiably insane Hollywood Week contestants and wannabe girl groups on The Voice.

Damn this was a short list.

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Follow Chelsea on Twitter at @xCawoodstock

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