TV shows that put your city on the map

[mhays]

Originally Posted by BigDipper 80

One of the biggest giveaways in TV shows and movies that a show is filmed in LA is the pink donut box. That's very much a California thing and when I see a pink donut box show up in a show ostensibly set in Chicago or something I immediately know they're on a backlot in LA.

I thought pink boxes were a typical bakery thing. We have them in Seattle too (not that we film much here).

[summersm343]

Philadelphia

1. Fresh Prince of Bel Air (I know, weird. Mostly set in LA but deals with Philadelphia from time to time and everyone and their mom's knows the theme song)

2. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

3. The Goldbergs

4. Boy Meets World

5. Mare of Easttown

6. How to Get Away With Murder

7. Queer Eye (Season 5)

[kingkirbythe....]

Pink bakery boxes are life imitating art. It's something that happened in movies that has spilled over into life.

I used to know a man back in the 90's who opened a bakery because he was a pastry chef. He insisted that he wanted the pink boxes like in the movies. But when he went to go buy them he couldn't find them anywhere. He had to find specialty manufacturers to get them, and they were way more expensive. Again, life imitating art.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Razor

Didn't "Different Strokes" also take place in Portland?

One other cdn drama series that took place in Toronto was "Traders," which I remember enjoying at that time.
Nothing for Ottawa, unless early Tom Greene's silly self produced ones count..

Nobody would use Ottawa as Ottawa because it is too distinctive and too unknown to Americans. However, in the last few years, it has been a filming site for a number of Halmark Christmas movies including the Chateau Laurier hotel and a cgi adjusted downtown skyline to make it look more like New York. A couple were filmed at my cousin's business and another was filmed near where I live, with summer faked as winter with camera filters. It looks white but there are leaves on the trees.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Nobody would use Ottawa as Ottawa because it is too distinctive and too unknown to Americans. However, in the last few years, it has been a filming site for a number of Halmark Christmas movies including the Chateau Laurier hotel and a cgi adjusted downtown skyline to make it look more like New York. A couple were filmed at my cousin's business and another was filmed near where I live, with summer faked as winter with camera filters. It looks white but there are leaves on the trees.

I sorta ran into Mel Gibson twice a couple of winters ago when he was filming "Fatman". Which is kind of a weird movie.

Once in central Ottawa near the Rideau Canal skating rink, and another tim close to my place on the Quebec side of the river which has hills and small mountains and where I guess they shot the more rustic scenes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWfPGIMDhNw

[KDD]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Ha!... the Girls were technically Miami Beach (which is different world... especially back then), but could have been anywhere really. They show was rarely outside of their house.

Burn Notice is a pretty decent, more modern Miami Vice substitute. Very different show than Miami Vice, but also mainly filmed on location.

Not only that but when they did leave the house, it sometimes made no sense. Pre Marlins, they went to a Dodgers game, somehow, where they wondered if anyone would mistake Blanche's overweight daughter for Tommy Lasorda.

[202_Cyclist]

DC was a real backwater until Jed Bartlet served in the White House.

[KDD]

Allentown:

None, but I can think of a few references

1) On Frasier, Niles made a comment about reading an newspaper article about a lung donor from Allentown
2) The Office, Jan attends Lamaze in Allentown

Now songs that put a city on the map, then we have something.

[KDD]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

DC was a real backwater until Jed Bartlet served in the White House.

Other than that exceptional apartment building, 227.

[pdxtex]

Any favorite TV homes? Man I loved the Three's Company apartment and day dreamed of the Regal Beagle. Frasier condo is cool. I like the 90s decor, even Martin's nasty chair. Kitschy trendy decor is funny too like the love interest from Big, her NYC condo all done in 80s southwestern mall motifs, howling turquoise coyotes and glass block walls! Oh thats a movie! Sorry.

[pdxtex]

The Jefferson's had a cool apartment too.

[KDD]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

Any favorite TV homes? Man I loved the Three's Company apartment and day dreamed of the Regal Beagle. Frasier condo is cool. I like the 90s decor, even Martin's nasty chair. Kitschy trendy decor is funny too like the love interest from Big, her NYC condo all done in 80s southwestern mall motifs, howling turquoise coyotes and glass block walls!

I always liked the arched doorways in Three's Company but not much more appeal for me. My favorite? Designing Women
For something more urban, The Nanny

[SAN Man]

The original Flip or Flop on HGTV and the other spinoffs with Tarek and Christina have done a good job showcasing Orange County and surroundings, with some episodes in LA.

The Real World is a funny one. The 2004 season, the cast mates got into street fights. I didn't watch the 2010 season, but I saw some filming in Pacific Beach a few times.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

Any favorite TV homes? Man I loved the Three's Company apartment and day dreamed of the Regal Beagle. Frasier condo is cool. I like the 90s decor, even Martin's nasty chair. Kitschy trendy decor is funny too like the love interest from Big, her NYC condo all done in 80s southwestern mall motifs, howling turquoise coyotes and glass block walls! Oh thats a movie! Sorry.

Probably the Bel Air mansion.

[Steely Dan]

as a kid i was always jealous of Webster's house because it had secret passages inside of it, like the one behind the grandfather clock that led to a ladder that went up to the 2nd floor.

i mean, to an 8 year old, what kind of house feature could possibly be cooler than secret freaking passages?

besides it was a pretty snazzy old school gold coast mansion to boot!





the actual home sold a handful of years ago for $9.5M.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by BigDipper 80

One of the biggest giveaways in TV shows and movies that a show is filmed in LA is the pink donut box. That's very much a California thing and when I see a pink donut box show up in a show ostensibly set in Chicago or something I immediately know they're on a backlot in LA.

We have Stan's in Chicago now though, with pink donut boxes!

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Probably the Bel Air mansion.

The Bel Air mansion for me too. Followed by the Huxtables' brownstone.

[pdxtex]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Probably the Bel Air mansion.

Nice! Is that Will Smith painting really in the house? I can't picture a specific house but all the miami modernist sets from Miami Vice are my all time favorite. And maybe Crockett's bachelor pad, I mean boat.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Razor

San Francisco- The Streets of San Francisco of course. All I remember are those epic foot chase scenes with blazer jackets swinging left and right with the wind, and in rhythm with their strides.

Preceding that, Ironside starring Raymond Burr. late 60s - early 70s

[KDD]

The Fresh Prince house might have been nice, but this big fancy house and they have a foosball table and a fake Mona Lisa in the living room? Come on...