diff --git a/pandas/tests/test_series.py b/pandas/tests/test_series.py
index 415f13cb2cfb4..1ac61ea276cac 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/test_series.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/test_series.py
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@ def _skip_if_no_scipy():
     except ImportError:
         raise nose.SkipTest
 
+def _skip_if_no_pytz():
+    try:
+        import pytz
+    except ImportError:
+        raise nose.SkipTest
 
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Series test cases
@@ -2545,7 +2550,6 @@ def test_asof(self):
         self.assert_(np.isnan(self.ts.asof(d)))
 
     def test_getitem_setitem_datetimeindex(self):
-        from pytz import timezone as tz
         from pandas import date_range
         N = 50
         # testing with timezone, GH #2785
@@ -2624,6 +2628,16 @@ def test_getitem_setitem_datetimeindex(self):
         result["1990-01-02"] = ts[24:48]
         assert_series_equal(result, ts)
 
+    def test_getitem_setitem_datetime_tz(self):
+        _skip_if_no_pytz();
+        from pytz import timezone as tz
+
+        from pandas import date_range
+        N = 50
+        # testing with timezone, GH #2785
+        rng = date_range('1/1/1990', periods=N, freq='H', tz='US/Eastern')
+        ts = Series(np.random.randn(N), index=rng)
+
         # also test Timestamp tz handling, GH #2789
         result = ts.copy()
         result["1990-01-01 09:00:00+00:00"] = 0
diff --git a/pandas/tslib.pyx b/pandas/tslib.pyx
index c0b500afef5ba..98d1d81b9aabc 100644
--- a/pandas/tslib.pyx
+++ b/pandas/tslib.pyx
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ cdef convert_to_tsobject(object ts, object tz):
             # sort of a temporary hack
             if ts.tzinfo is not None:
                 if (hasattr(tz, 'normalize') and
-                        hasattr(ts.tzinfo, '_utcoffset')):
+                    hasattr(ts.tzinfo, '_utcoffset')):
                     ts = tz.normalize(ts)
                     obj.value = _pydatetime_to_dts(ts, &obj.dts)
                     obj.tzinfo = ts.tzinfo
@@ -631,9 +631,9 @@ cdef convert_to_tsobject(object ts, object tz):
                                                       PANDAS_FR_ns, &obj.dts)
                     obj.tzinfo = tz
             elif not _is_utc(tz):
-                if (hasattr(tz, 'localize')):
+                try:
                     ts = tz.localize(ts)
-                else:
+                except AttributeError:
                     ts = ts.replace(tzinfo=tz)
                 obj.value = _pydatetime_to_dts(ts, &obj.dts)
                 obj.tzinfo = ts.tzinfo