Dramatic Filming Locations in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is known for a lot of things and given that we are in tinseltown, it definitely has its share of drama. Especially on the sets of some of our favorite dramatic and edge-of-your-seat tv shows. The best part is you can see many of these filming locations while you are here in LA. As usual, Hollywood takes creative license in many of these spots, but you would have never known since many of these shows are so seamless that their backdrops help create the story rather than detract from it. Here are 5 of our favorite dramatic shows and their filming locations.
Scandal
Scandal
You would think a drama that was set in Washington D.C. would be filmed there, right? Well, Hollywood takes has once again been able to make our minds believe we are in our Nations Capital instead of our TV & film capital…and it’s scandalous (pun intended). If you choose the downtown LA option on our tours, then you might notice the outside of the Olivia Pope and Associates office. It’s actually the top floors of The Palace Theatre on Broadway. And if seeing is believing then you won’t believe that the White House gate, which is shown in many episodes, is actually shot at the Huntington Library in San Marino. And while you might think that the park where Cyrus and Olivia meet is LaFayette Square Park in DC, it’s really the Rose Garden at Exposition Park in Los Angeles with the White House on a green screen in the background. Gotta love Hollywood magic.
Ray Donovan
Ray Donovan
Another one of our favorite “fixers” has shot many of their scenes all over Los Angeles. The gym that Ray’s brother owns is really an apartment building downtown. And the TV magic continues when the First Congregational Church near MacArthur Park poses as St. Josephine’s in Boston, MA. The house where Ray and his family live is in a private community in Calabasas about an hour outside of LA. In fact, another one of our favorite TV families live in Calabasas as well, but their drama is real. Yes, we are talking about the Kardashians. We wonder what Ray would think of them…
How to Get Away With Murder
How to Get Away with Murder
In How to Get Away with Murder, brilliant attorney Annalise Keating teaches only the best and brightest how to be the best defense attorneys and keep secrets along the way. Well, it’s no secret that the producers of the show get away with making locations in LA look like Pennsylvania. Annalise’s office is actually located near USC in the North University Park District which is a five-block residential area developed between 1887 & 1929. The neighborhood contains a number of notable homes (mostly Victorian and Craftsman style),
and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The law school where Keating teaches is also filmed at USC. Talk about higher education.
American Horror Story
American Horror Story
Well, there is one thing you can say about this house… creepy. And not just because it is the “Murder House” from the first season of American Horror Story. OK, well maybe that is the reason. Renowned architect Alfred Rosenheim built the house in 1902 to use as his personal residence on what what was originally called “Billionaire Row”. Located in Country Club Park, the house is a historical landmark in Los Angeles. The home has 3 stories and is 10,440 square feet. It not only has 6 bedrooms and and 5 bathrooms, it boasts 6 incredible fireplaces, Tiffany stained and leaded glass, Italian brickwork, Peruvian Mahogany paneling, a cathedral ballroom that was once a chapel that was run by the Sisters of Social Service, a huge basement, and a world class recording studio.
Fear the Walking Dead
Fear The Walking Dead
While you don’t have to fear a zombie apocalypse any time in the near future (we hope! ), you can check out some of these filming locations of Fear The Walking Dead in LA. Bethany Presbyterian Church in Silverlake is where they filmed the church scenes of Nick awaking to find his girlfriend is no longer a part of the land of the living. And that road you see Nick running down to escape the same fate of his (now) former girlfriend? It’s our very own Griffith Park Boulevard ( a popular filming location). And if you head over to Sunset Triangle Plaza you will see where the Farmers Market scene was filmed. This is, of course, in a pre-zombie reality before the world knew what was going to hit them.
We can take you to all of these places and more on one of our 5-Star rated Private Tours! Choose from our All LA in a Day, the half day Hollywood Experience, or even Build Your Own Tour of any length and choose exactly what you want to see. We have had a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor since 2011 and all of our tours are completely private, custom tours with just you and your family — like your friend in LA taking you around town.
Call us at 800-549-6625 or email us today to book!