Welcome to the film and television capital of the country. Thanks to Hollywood, Los Angeles continues to be directly associated with the entertainment industry. Many of the major studios, including Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures, still have production lots either in Los Angeles or the surrounding cities.
While many television shows have left the city for other places like Atlanta, Los Angeles remains a desirable filming location thanks to its diverse culture, distinct architecture, and proximity to the ocean. There have been countless TV shows that have set their stories in La La Land. Here are three legendary TV shows from this century that called LA their home.
1
Modern Family
Nobody ever said family life would be easy. Modern Family depicted the trials and tribulations of three related households. It all starts with Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill), the patriarch who remarried a younger Colombian woman, Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofía Vergara), and became a stepfather to her child, Manny (Rico Rodriguez). Jay’s daughter, Claire (Julie Bowen), lives with her husband, Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell), and three children: Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter), and Luke (Nolan Gould). Finally, Jay’s son, Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), is married to Cam Tucker (Eric Stonestreet), and together, they’re fathers to Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons).
Despite the numerous moving parts, Modern Family seamlessly navigated between the dramas of each family. Stealing a page from The Office, Modern Family implemented a mockumentary-style show, meaning the characters frequently shared hilarious confessionals directly to the camera. Modern Family is a throwback sitcom, one that champions sitting down with the family and enjoying a few laughs.
One of Modern Family’s signature aspects was its Los Angeles setting. Many of the show’s exteriors include real houses, including the Dunphys’ at 10336 Dunleer Drive in the Cheviot Hills neighborhood. If you want more luxury, then Jay’s house at 121 S. Cliffwood Drive in Brentwood will be right up your alley. Just don’t expect Jay’s beloved dog Stella to be waiting there for you.
Release Date
2009 – 2020
Network
ABC
Showrunner
Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan
Directors
Gail Mancuso, Steven Levitan, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Jason Winer, Michael Spiller, James Alan Hensz, Fred Savage, Chris Koch, Jeffrey Walker, Ryan Case, Randall Einhorn, Eric Dean Seaton, Scott Ellis, Bryan Cranston, John Riggi, Julie Bowen, Ken Whittingham, Reginald Hudlin, Iwona Sapienza, Elaine Ko, Helena Lamb, Adam Shankman, Claire Scanlon, Dean Parisot
Writers
Becky Mann, Audra Sielaff, Bill Wrubel, Stephen Lloyd, Jon Pollack, Vali Chandrasekaran, Ben Karlin, Jack Burditt, Chuck Tatham, Andy Gordon, Christy Stratton, Cindy Chupack, Ilana Wernick, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Joe Lawson, Jessica Poter, Carol Leifer, Emily Spivey, Jerry Collins, Dave Weasel
Sofía Vergara
Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
Julie Bowen
Claire Dunphy
2
NCIS: Los Angeles
Do not mess around with television’s NCIS empire. The military police procedural show started with NCIS, which followed Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his special team of agents working in law enforcement for the Navy. Premiering in 2003, NCIS grew a dedicated following and eventually became the most-watched scripted show by season 7. NCIS‘ popularity led to several spin-offs set in New Orleans, Hawaii, and the one that lasted the longest, Los Angeles.
During NCIS season 6, Gibbs traveled to the NCIS Office of Special Projects—Los Angeles team to solve a murder. That storyline served as the backdoor pilot for NCIS: Los Angeles, which ran for 14 seasons on CBS. The LA spin-off centers around Special Agents Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) and Grisha Callen (Chris O’Donnell), two undercover agents who solve the toughest crimes and catch the meanest criminals that pose the biggest threat to the country.
NCIS: Los Angeles filmed in the City of Angels and embraced its California roots. The show featured notable Los Angeles landmarks, including the Griffith Observatory, the Santa Monica Pier, and the La Brea Tar Pits. The exteriors for NCIS: LA’s headquarters were filmed at the Marina del Rey Garden Center on Mindanao Way. However, many of the interiors for these buildings, including the HQ, were shot at the Paramount Studios, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue. Shooting on a soundstage instead of on location is the Hollywood way.
Release Date
2009 – 2023-00-00
Network
CBS
Chris O’Donnell
G. Callen
Eric Christian Olsen
Marty Deeks
3
The Shield
At the start of the 21st century, the antihero became a popular character trope on television. The crowning achievement for antiheroes is Tony Soprano, the character made famous by James Gandolfini in one of the greatest TV shows of all time, The Sopranos. Not far behind Soprano is Vic Mackey, the main character on FX’s The Shield.
Played by Michael Chiklis, Vic Mackey is a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department who runs the anti-gang unit, the Strike Team. Judging by how he acts, you would never guess he was a cop. Over the show’s seven-season run, Mackey committed acts of murder, theft, blackmail, and assault. Infidelity is not typically treated as a crime, but Mackey did that, too. Mackey tries to justify his corruption by saying it’s to protect his family. I’ll let you be the judge for Mackey’s morality after he killed someone in cold blood.
As a Los Angeles-set show, The Shield utilized the location to its benefit. The most iconic location of the show was The Barn, the nickname for the converted church that served as the Farmington Precinct in the LAPD. For the pilot episode, The Shield was filmed at the Christian Light Baptist Church at 1376 E 18th Street. The show eventually recreated the Barn’s interiors and exteriors to film at The Prospect Studios. For the authorities’ headquarters, The Barn had its fair share of drama, including the occasional shooting at The Barn.
Release Date
2002 – 2008
Network
FX
Directors
Guy Ferland, Scott Brazil, Clark Johnson, Dean White, Stephen Kay, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, D. J. Caruso, Nick Gomez, Paris Barclay, Peter Horton, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Philip G. Atwell, Terrence O’Hara, Billy Gierhart, Brad Anderson, Craig Brewer, David Mamet, Davis Guggenheim, Frank Darabont, Gary Fleder, John Badham, Leslie Libman, Michael Fields, Scott Winant
Writers
Shawn Ryan, Glen Mazzara, Charles H. Eglee, Kim Clements, Kevin Arkadie, Gary Lennon, John Hlavin, Lisa Randolph, Reed Steiner, Angela Russo-Otstot, Diego Gutierrez, Ted Griffin, Elizabeth Craft, Emily Lewis, Jameal Turner, Renee Palyo
Michael Chiklis
Vic Mackey
Catherine Dent
Danielle ‘Danny’ Sofer
Walton Goggins
Shane Vendrell
There are other cities around the world prominently featured in the media. New York City and its rich movie history are equivalent to those of Los Angeles in terms of their notoriety and recognition.
