When I was a kid, I’d try to stay up as late as possible when local TV station WPIX in New York would run marathons of The Twilight Zone occasionally. That experience helped define my pop culture worldview and instilled in me a lifelong love of TV shows that feature sharp writing and push boundaries in all kinds of interesting ways.
By the time I went off to Binghamton University in upstate New York – then known as SUNY Binghamton – I was vaguely aware that Twilight Zone creator and in-show host (submitted for your approval… and all that) Rod Serling hailed from my college town.
Over the years, my pattern recognition-obsessed brain tracked pop culture references and figures who tie to Binghamton, New York. Here’s my grand collection of what I’ve tracked, a Pop Thruster exclusive you might even say.
Television
Industry
Not only is Industry one of the buzziest shows on television, but my alma mater ties to an important plot point in the first season. Harper Stern (Myha’la) claims to have graduated from Binghamton University even though we soon find out that she has fudged her application to Pierpoint. Bonus: we see Harper wearing Binghamton University sweatshirts several times.
Also: Harper Stern. Harpur College at Binghamton. I can’t be the only person to make this connection, right?
Sidenote that my mom refers to my undergrad institution as a “public Ivy” to this day because Newsday called it that in a feature decades ago. The reality though, at least back then, is that it was known as both a pretty good school and the poor man’s Cornell.
The Sopranos
Julianna Margulies plays Julianna Skiff, a real estate broker who holds the unique role of being someone that Tony Soprano backs off from having an affair at the last moment out of fealty to his wife, Carmela. Of course, Tony immediately regrets the decision and continues in his self-interested and destructive ways, but that’s a tale for a different time.
We learn en route that Skiff is from Binghamton, but left at the age of 17 as she didn’t want to get trapped in a life working for her family’s catering business.
The Office
It’s widely known that the U.S. version of The Office is set in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Lesser known is that Binghamton is briefly mentioned among the cities which have a Dunder Mifflin office.
While I’ve never spent a single moment in Scranton, I’ve driven through it many times while traveling back and forth from my family’s house on Long Island and Binghamton. While both of those locations are in New York state, the route “cuts through” New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Movies
Rounders
A Gen X dude classic, Rounders is a terrific movie that features great earlyish performances from Matt Damon, Ed Norton, and a host of others, and also drips in underground gambling culture and lingo in the era before gambling laws were lightened up considerably.
One scene takes place in Binghamton, and it’s a memorable one. Mike McDermott (Damon) and Worm (Norton) head upstate and have the audacity to try to con a hall full of sheriff’s deputies who are playing poker. Things go well… until they don’t.
A Real Pain
I’m wildly in love with this dramedy about cousins who take a trip to Poland together in honor of their recently deceased grandmother. Both Jesse Eisenberg (who also directed) and Kieran Culkin are pitch perfect as the odd couple cousins. And, bonus, Kieran’s character, Benji, reveals that he lives in Binghamton in a scene where he presses David (Eisenberg) about why he doesn’t visit him.
Music
Yolk
Color me biased, but I consider the wildly eclectic funk rock band called Yolk to be the best band the city of Binghamton has produced to date. For much more, check out two of their albums that made the cut on the best 1,000 albums ever:
My favorite song of all is “So This Is Heaven.”
Other incredible bands from the upstate New York scene from back in the day include Brother Meat, Conehead Buddha, and Perfect Thyroid.
Binghamton University pop culture alumni hall of fame
There are a ton of choices here, but I’ll just point out a handful to give you some flavor.
- Madeleine Smithberg – co-creator and original showrunner of The Daily Show
- Paul Reiser – I always associate him with Mad About You, but he’s had a prolific career and was recently in Stranger Things
- William Baldwin – Old Billy Boy of the Baldwin brood, beyond co-starring in early ‘90s flicks like Flatliners and Sliver, is rumored to have played rugby at Binghamton. As did I – BURFC
- Andy Kindler – incredible comedian who still gets quoted among my friend group from his Dr. Katz appearance
- Tony Kornheiser – legendary ESPN sports talk show host, including an iconic run on Pardon The Interruption
- Amy Sedaris – her weirdo hilarious energy on Strangers With Candy will stay with me always
- John Wilson – How To with John Wilson is one of my favorite off beat shows to recommend to people