Culture

TV Capitals: On Location In… New York City

Looking to immerse yourself in TV history and visit real-life locations from your favourite shows? Head for the most-filmed city in the world: New York

By Victoria Luxford

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Ever since cameras first started rolling, the skyscrapers of Manhattan have captured the imagination of TV producers and audiences alike. Join us on our tour around the city, visiting the locations – both high-profile and under-the-radar that cost nothing to experience.

Tom’s Restaurant (Seinfeld)

If you walk past this unassuming American diner on 2880 Broadway and hear loud gasps, chances are you’ve found a Seinfeld fan! The sitcom fronted by Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most popular TV shows of all time, and this diner was one of the show’s regular locations – the place where Jerry and co. worked out their problems over breakfast and coffee. The interior is different from the show, but the outside will be instantly recognisable to any fan, who may want to go inside anyway and reminisce about all the laughs.

90 Bedford Street, Greenwich Village (Friends)

Affectionately known as ‘the Friends building’, this apartment block was used for exterior shots of the famous six friends’ apartments throughout the show’s run. While interiors were shot on a soundstage in LA, this genuine piece of Manhattan TV history is a cherished landmark for many fans visiting the city. Any number of tour guides will take you there and recount facts about the show, but sitcom aficionados may want to find it for themselves and bask in the nostalgia!

30 Rockefeller Plaza (30 Rock)

The Rock, as it’s been referred to colloquially, has been the setting for a number of TV and film productions over the years. However, its very name is in the title of this hit comedy, set in the offices of a fictional sketch show inspired by Saturday Night Live, where creator/star Tina Fey was the head writer. SNL itself is still based in the building, where it films to this day. Tours and studio audience tickets are available to the public; however, given the exterior is such an important part of the show’s aesthetic, even standing outside will fill fans with glee.

66 Perry Street (Sex and the City)

HBO comedy Sex and the City was responsible for reinvigorating the Big Apple’s reputation in the early 2000s, with Manhattan becoming synonymous with cosmopolitan cocktails, cutting-edge fashion and legendary parties. A staple location of the influential show was lead character Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) apartment, which can be found a short walk from the Christopher Street subway station on Perry Street. Number 66 is the exterior used for Carrie’s apartment from Season 3 onwards, while number 64 was used before that. Be careful, though, as the location can attract a lot of fellow fans!

Bryant Park Skating Rink (Glee)

This romantic skating location was the backdrop for one of the most heartwarming moments of Glee’s fourth season, which was set in New York. It features characters Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) reuniting to continue their festive tradition of singing “White Christmas” together. Viewers of the show can do the same – if they’re feeling brave enough.

Grand Central (Gossip Girl)

If you want to make the ultimate entrance, you could copy Gossip Girl icon Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), who returns to New York via Grand Central Station in the opening scene of this ultra-successful drama show. It’s the first time we meet the character who would become a pop culture phenomenon, and the sequence is appropriately filmed in Manhattan’s timeless rail hub. It’s served as a location for everything from superhero movies to romantic comedies, but lovers of this noughties cult show will know exactly where to arrive!

McGee’s Pub (How I Met Your Mother)

Many classic TV comedies have a central meeting point for the usual suspects, and MacLaren’s pub was where the friends in How I Met Your Mother went on dates, experienced breakups, shared laughs and commiserated. While not a definite location for the show, McGee’s in New York was a direct inspiration for the fictional pub, and fans can take in its very similar atmosphere in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen, just a few blocks from Central Park. Show creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays drank there in the early days of their careers as writers for a late-night talk show, and its influence is clear for every viewer to see.

World Trade Center and 28 Liberty Street (Succession)

Much of the award-winning drama Succession, about a familial fight for control of a multinational corporation, was based in the headquarters of the fictional Waystar Royco. A monument to corporate titans, the building was ‘played’ by two skyscrapers during the series’ run: the World Trade Center at 4 WTC and 7 WTC, then 28 Liberty Street after season two. Both buildings inspire awe as you pass them, evoking the kind of intimidation that company head Logan Roy (Bryan Cox) would be proud of.

The Belnord (Only Murders in the Building)

One of the most recent TV hits on this list, Only Murders in the Building sees Selena Gomez joining Steve Martin and Martin Short as podcasters who all live in the same building where a variety of mysterious murders occur. A delightful satire of both true-crime culture and mystery TV, the building of the title is actually a real place! The Arconia is, in real life, the Belnord building at 225 West 86th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Built in 1909, its architecture is a tribute to the ambition of early 20th-century New York. While the interiors are visible to residents only, you can nonetheless pass by the edifice and feel like the crime-solving trio!

78th Precinct, 65 6th Avenue, Brooklyn (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Disappointingly for a lot of fans, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was largely shot in California on a film set, however some parts of the Big Apple remain integral to the series. Chiefly, Brooklyn’s 78^th Precinct on 6^th Avenue played the headquarters of ‘the Nine-Nine’ for the show’s entire run, establishing the tone for each episode of this award-winning offbeat comedy.

14 Aspen Drive, North Caldwell (The Sopranos)

We take a slight detour on our trip, given that mob classic The Sopranos is set in New Jersey, not New York (a distinction that Jersey residents will happily remind you of!). The short drive from Manhattan to North Caldwell, New Jersey is irresistible when the destination is one of the most famous houses on TV. Tony Soprano’s home looks the same as it did in the show, complete with a swimming pool that featured in many a classic scene. It is a private residence, however, so please be respectful!

The Puck Building (Will & Grace)

Many of us dream of having a glamorous, high-flying job in a big city, and that was just what Grace (Debra Messing) was doing in the beloved sitcom Will & Grace, which followed the lives and loves of a single woman and her gay best friend. The Puck Building, which houses a mixture of offices and residences, was the setting for Grace’s interior design business, where she was assisted – with varying degrees of usefulness – by her friend Karen (Megan Mullally).

1616 India Street, Brooklyn (Girls)

One stoop on Brooklyn’s India Street will hold particular affection for fans of Lena Dunham’s Girls, about the lives of a group of friends in their early 20s trying to make it in New York. An influential show with a loyal fanbase, this location was the setting of a lot of heart-to-hearts – given that it was where Dunham’s character Hannah lived. Perhaps you’ll want to have a sit and think on the famous steps, but please be mindful of residents!

Times Square (Hawkeye)

When you walk through Times Square, with its bright lights and buzzing energy, it’s easy to feel you might be in the centre of the world. Naturally, such an alluring spot has been used for countless TV shows and films, but for this trip, we’re speaking to your inner superhero fan. Times Square was a very visible part of Marvel TV show Hawkeye, where Jeremy Renner confronted enemies from his past as well as taking on a protégé.

The Manhattan Center (WWE Monday Night Raw)

We end our tour of the Big Apple with a left-field choice. Claiming to be the longest-running episodic TV show in history, WWE Raw is a wrestling programme that has aired every week since 1994, introducing the world to megastars such as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena. If there’s a wrestling fan in your life, impress them with a trip to the Manhattan Center, where the programme debuted 30 years ago this year. It has since gone on the road for each episode, but the Grand Ballroom and the centre’s exteriors are forever a part of wrestling history!