So I spent two days talking about the famous interiors of famous sitcom homes. What about the exteriors? Oh yeah, you knew we’d get here eventually! Those establishing shots which give the home or apartment for our favorite sitcoms are very famous. There are even tours that will take you to them (and sadly I have never done one of them!).
Here are some of them. I decided to focus on the real life structures and not the shows which used homes on their studio backlots. So no Bewitched or Growing Pains, for example. And I tried to pick pictures from the actual series but as we’ll see not all are. Also like the other articles no in depth analysis on the architecture or stuff like floor plans, I’m just a fan.
Happy Days
I never really got why the Happy Days was so iconic since the establishing shots go by so fast we barely see the house. They’re also tight close ups probably to hide the fact the house isn’t in Milwaukee but Beverly Hills. Then I dug a bit and realized that in the early days especially we did see more of the house, and I’ve come to the conclusion I really need to watch these episodes again someday.
Everybody Loves Raymond
I can’t seem to get a confirmation on this but its seems this house is real and does exist in Merrick, NY. I don’t why it seems so strange to me that the series never confirmed this.
All in The Family
I failed to give this show love in my other article, which has one of the most famous living rooms in any show, so here is a little love. Yes this is a real house in New York.
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary had a beautiful home on the show which does really exist in Minneapolis. It became such a tourist attraction that the creators moved her into a new apartment around Season 5. And yes that apartment building also very much exists.
The Brady Bunch
Oh come one, who doesn’t know about this one? This split level ranch served as the home for The Brady Bunch. And, of course, it still very much exists although it looks a bit different. And why the creators chose a split level ranch I will NEVER know.
Benson
This is a lesser known one I realize but the Governors mansion from this show does in fact exist in Los Angeles. Movie fans may recognize it from the Beverly Hillbillies movie.
Fresh Prince
Speaking of mansions that home we always saw on Fresh Prince is a real home, not in Bel Air but Brentwood.
Who’ The Boss?
This Connecticut hone, which we really only ever saw in the opening credits, does exist in Rye, NY
Roseanne
If you visit Evansville, Indiana you can see the actual house which doubled as the Lanford, IL home of the Connors.
The Golden Girls
This surprised me since I saw this house on the Disney backlot tour (got a nice picture too) but in fact it was a replica of a real house. The real house was used in Season 1 and is still there in Brentwood, CA.
Sabrina,The Teenage Witch
Yep this house exists, though in New Jersey not Massachusetts. How weird is that? Even weirder, it's an office building not a house! Huh?
Designing Women
This one is amazing! Not only does The Sugarbaker House exist but is actually listed in the national registry of historical places in the MacArthur Park Historic District of Little Rock, Arkansas. Yeah this place has quite the history! Speaking of Little Rock The Arkansas governor’s mansion there stood in as Suzanne’s house on that show as well.
Empty Nest
Just like The Golden Girls this house was a real house before recreated on the Disney backlot.
Full House
Yeah I think we all know this one is real, I wish I had seen it when was in San Francisco but sadly the show did not exist yet. Of course it’s really in San Francisco, where else would you find architecture like that?
Family Matters
And the same is for the Winslow house, which really does exist in Chicago. By the way if you’re wondering why I didn’t mention Perfect Strangers, it’s because the building that was used as Larry and Balki’s apartment no longer exists
Step By Step
This does still very much exist and if you go to South Pasadena, CA you can see the house that he Lambert’s lived in.
The King of Queens
Apparently this was a real house that is in New Jersey. Though also apparently the stock shots of the house were just that, stock shots.
The Cosby Show
Yeah this is one I HAVE to see someday. 10 Stigwood Avenue on The Cosby Show is really a Manhattan brownstone.
Seinfeld
I could do a whole blog on the New York locations. From The Jeffersons to The Odd Couple to Mad About You to The Nanny to Will & Grace. Seinfeld’s building is unique however, because it wasn’t in New York at all! It was in LA in fact. And yes of course Monk’s exists though it’s called Tom’s Restaurant in real life.
oh and need I forget……
Friends
Yeah this has got to be on the most visited buildings in that city. One reason is they kindly showed the streets the building sits on in the opening. Kinda makes it easy to find. And no there is no Central Perk, of course.
So have I seen ANY of these? Well in fact…
I live near Boston of course I’ve been here! And yes this is my picture not pulled off the web.
Plenty more I could have mentioned, including Boy Meets World, Married..With Children , and even Mama's Family.
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