Reality bites: Television shows filmed in Louisiana capture compelling cultural and historical aspects and turn residents into international stars, but they also affect perceptions about living and conducting business in the state.

Advertisements showcasing Louisiana are seen by millions of viewers on several major cable networks: A&E, ABC, Discovery Channel, History Channel, MTV, Oxygen and TLC. But these aren’t the kind of commercials that tout the state’s growing high-tech industries, the Creative Capital of the South, any of the research under way at Pennington Biomedical Research Center,