remember quite liking the movie Fargo because quite a few of those people felt recognizably "real" to me of the kind of area I grew up in, and that felt very rare.

Yes! When replying I tried to think of a few "small town" depictions that didn't seem condescending or shallow, and Fargo came to mind. I didn't mention it because I felt I was already drifting longwindedly all over the place. :)

And someone else has mentioned Northern Exposure. Another good one.