How the States Got Their Shapes (2011)

Adventure · Documentary · History

The show deals with how the various states of the United States established their borders, but also delves into other aspects of U.S. history, including failed states, proposed new states, and the local culture and character of various U.S. states. It thus deals with the "shapes" of the states in a metaphorical sense as well as a literal sense. The show format follows Unger as he travels to various locations, and interviews local people, visits important historical and cultural sites, and provides commentary from behind the wheel of his car as he drives from location to location. Interspersed with these segments are brief historical synopses by notable U.S. historians.

IMDb rating: 8.2 (796 votes)
Episode average: 7.8 -0.4 vs IMDb
Seasons: 2
Streaming (US): Hulu · Amazon Prime Video · Disney+
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Declining trajectory: each season no better than the last. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every Declining show in the explorer →

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 2 seasons indexed

Cast

Brian Unger

Seasons

Season 1 (2011)

8.33 avg 10 episodes 8.1 → 8.5 42 min avg

Consistent

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A River Runs Through It	8.1	58
2	The Great Plains, Trains and Automobiles	8.2	49
3	Force of Nature	8.1	42
4	State of Rebellion	8.2	41
5	Living on the Edge	8.5	42
6	Use It or Lose It	8.4	38
7	Church and States	8.5	34
8	A Boom with a View	8.4	33
9	Culture Clash	8.4	36
10	Mouthing Off	8.5	31

Season 2 (2012)

7.53 avg 19 episodes 7.1 → 7.1 23 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Red State vs. Blue State	7.1	24
2	White Collar vs. Blue Collar	7.1	21
3	Hillbilly vs. Redneck	7.5	19
4	Hatfields vs. McCoys	7.2	21
5	North vs. South	7.2	15
6	Bigfoot vs. Aliens	5.8	15
7	Great Lakes, Big Stakes	7.6	14
8	Battle of the Bible Belt	7.8	15
9	Vice vs. Virtue	7.4	14
10	Midwest vs. The Rest	7.8	15
11	Is West Best?	7.6	11
12	City vs. Country	7.9	12
13	East vs. West	7.8	12
14	Rebels & Outlaws	7.9	10
15	Mess with Texas	8.2	12
16	State vs. State	8.2	14
17	Rich vs. Poor	7.6	13
18	Big vs. Small	8.2	12
19	The United Shapes of America	7.1	18

How the States Got Their Shapes (2011)

Cast

Seasons

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