TV shows set in cities that get city features horribly wrong

[GaryV]

People in the fake snow are often wearing far less cold-weather gear than would be expected. They run out of their front door holding a coat over their arm that they might put on a few minutes later. Or they're wearing some stylish vest or hat, something that can't possibly keep them warm for the length of time they are supposedly outside.

[Stephane Dumas]

Due South was set in Chicago but was mainly filmed in Toronto and the movie "Rumble in the Bronx" was mainly filmed in Vancouver.

[Rothman]

Not that they got it terribly wrong for what they were aiming for, but Escape from New York was filmed in East Saint Louis.

[roadman65]

One A Team episode when the Team went to New York City, I saw Caltrans signals in the background. NYC doesn't use back plates and only in some places uses dark color heads which you didn't see in some scenes.  You saw clearly as the A Team Van drove through an intersection, dark back plated signal heads on curved mast arms and not yellow signals on double guy mast arms as NYC uses.

[cwf1701]

Much of the 2012 version of Red Dawn was shot in Detroit. The movie is set in Washington State and will show scenes of cities with Michigan style traffic lights (used during 2012) and a freeway shot where tanks are going down a freeway. most people from Detroit will recognize the shot taking place near the junction of I-75 and I-375 as the tanks are going down the Chrysler Freeway (the signs you see from the back on the exit ramp is the signs for south I-75 and M-3)

[US 89]

Every movie ever with any part set in London has a scene with a thunderstorm in it. It does rain a bunch there, but they get about as many thunderstorms as the US Pacific Northwest (that is, a handful of days per year). It is by no means a regular part of their weather. All for dramatic effect, of course.

[bing101]

https://www.nfi.edu/atlanta-filming-locations/
Here are Atlanta area filming locations that are supposed to be a filming location to other places.
https://www.11alive.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/the-a-scene/georgia-now-considered-top-filming-location-in-the-world/85-4df63788-993d-48e9-ba72-b4bd0ed43f58

https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2022/08/11/10-iconic-filming-locations-atlanta/

[bing101]

Every movie ever with any part set in London has a scene with a thunderstorm in it. It does rain a bunch there, but they get about as many thunderstorms as the US Pacific Northwest (that is, a handful of days per year). It is by no means a regular part of their weather. All for dramatic effect, of course.

Umm is the location where the London rain scenes actually in areas where hurricanes and typhoons actually take place.Are we talking about Humid Subtropical climates or Tropical climate where the rain scenes were filmed.


https://soilhealth.ucdavis.edu/climatic-zones

[ethanhopkin14]

https://www.nfi.edu/atlanta-filming-locations/
Here are Atlanta area filming locations that are supposed to be a filming location to other places.

My only issue with that article is it shows locations where Flight and Driving Miss Daisy were filmed.  Both those movies were set in Atlanta.  I guess the article doesn't explicitly line out that these locations are stand-ins for other locations. 

[ethanhopkin14]

Movie, not TV show, but...

Bad Santa got Phoenix Police's uniforms and car striping wrong. Not remotely close.

I feel the same way when a Texas State Trooper is depicted wearing a more generic Mountie trooper hat and not their trademark cowboy hat. 

[bing101]

Every movie ever with any part set in London has a scene with a thunderstorm in it. It does rain a bunch there, but they get about as many thunderstorms as the US Pacific Northwest (that is, a handful of days per year). It is by no means a regular part of their weather. All for dramatic effect, of course.

Consider climate of UK and Pacific Northwest are technically in different zones.  Washington State is mostly in Mediterranean climate and UK is oceanic climate.

[triplemultiplex]

The recent passing of Suzanne Somers reminded me of the opening sequence to Step by Step; a show ostensibly set in Port Washington, Wisconsin.  The whole title sequence takes place at some shore side amusement park that is definitely not in Wisconsin as one can clearly see at the end when the camera pans back so you can see the mountains in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g94bPMtxtM

[Rothman]

The recent passing of Suzanne Somers reminded me of the opening sequence to Step by Step; a show ostensibly set in Port Washington, Wisconsin.  The whole title sequence takes place at some shore side amusement park that is definitely not in Wisconsin as one can clearly see at the end when the camera pans back so you can see the mountains in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g94bPMtxtM

Wasn't the park supposed to be Kings Island (wonder if it was supposed to be the Dells)...which may present its own problems...Still, traveling to amusement parks away from home is a thing.

*shakes dust off of late 1980s/early 1990s dendrites*

[US 89]

Every movie ever with any part set in London has a scene with a thunderstorm in it. It does rain a bunch there, but they get about as many thunderstorms as the US Pacific Northwest (that is, a handful of days per year). It is by no means a regular part of their weather. All for dramatic effect, of course.

Consider climate of UK and Pacific Northwest are technically in different zones.  Washington State is mostly in Mediterranean climate and UK is oceanic climate.

snipped images

This has actually been the source of significant scholarly debate over Koppen's system. Koppen places much of western Washington in the same category as a lot of California due to its pronounced summer dry season, even though it is a little cooler and wetter than most places people think of as "Mediterranean". A lot of scientists thought it would fit better in an oceanic zone. A handful of alternative climate classifications have been proposed, the best known of which is the Trewartha system. A map of that is shown below:



But that is not without its flaws. As you can see, it does successfully label the Pacific Northwest as oceanic ... but it also applies the "oceanic" label to places like central Kansas and the mountains of Arizona. So there is no winning here.

[bing101]

Every movie ever with any part set in London has a scene with a thunderstorm in it. It does rain a bunch there, but they get about as many thunderstorms as the US Pacific Northwest (that is, a handful of days per year). It is by no means a regular part of their weather. All for dramatic effect, of course.

Consider climate of UK and Pacific Northwest are technically in different zones.  Washington State is mostly in Mediterranean climate and UK is oceanic climate.

snipped images

This has actually been the source of significant scholarly debate over Koppen's system. Koppen places much of western Washington in the same category as a lot of California due to its pronounced summer dry season, even though it is a little cooler and wetter than most places people think of as "Mediterranean". A lot of scientists thought it would fit better in an oceanic zone. A handful of alternative climate classifications have been proposed, the best known of which is the Trewartha system. A map of that is shown below:



But that is not without its flaws. As you can see, it does successfully label the Pacific Northwest as oceanic ... but it also applies the "oceanic" label to places like central Kansas and the mountains of Arizona. So there is no winning here.

True and I seen maps where Humid Subtropical climate go as far north as Boston. Also I seen ones where Westchester County, New York is both in a Continental climate and Humid Subtropical at the same time.

[dvferyance]

Little House on the Prairie showed mountains in Milwaukee which of course is false. The whole show is that way it's supposed to take place in western Minnesota but looks nothing like it. In the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Long Haul their destination is somewhere in Indiana. However when they get there it's quite hilly and forested not typically what you see in Indiana.

[jeffandnicole]

The recent passing of Suzanne Somers reminded me of the opening sequence to Step by Step; a show ostensibly set in Port Washington, Wisconsin.  The whole title sequence takes place at some shore side amusement park that is definitely not in Wisconsin as one can clearly see at the end when the camera pans back so you can see the mountains in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g94bPMtxtM

There may be an appearance of a mountain at the first second or two as well.

Also takes one back to the era of how long intros were.  This was nearly 2 fricken minutes long.  Networks told their shows to cut out most of their repetitive opening sequences when they realized it gave viewers a chance to switch to other shows.

[Rothman]

Little House on the Prairie showed mountains in Milwaukee which of course is false. The whole show is that way it's supposed to take place in western Minnesota but looks nothing like it. In the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Long Haul their destination is somewhere in Indiana. However when they get there it's quite hilly and forested not typically what you see in Indiana.

See southern Indiana (e.g., Brown County, just for starters)...

[bing101]

Little House on the Prairie showed mountains in Milwaukee which of course is false. The whole show is that way it's supposed to take place in western Minnesota but looks nothing like it. In the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Long Haul their destination is somewhere in Indiana. However when they get there it's quite hilly and forested not typically what you see in Indiana.

San Gabriel mountains or Santa Monica Mountains used on the shows and movies are the likely scenario.

[DTComposer]

The recent passing of Suzanne Somers reminded me of the opening sequence to Step by Step; a show ostensibly set in Port Washington, Wisconsin.  The whole title sequence takes place at some shore side amusement park that is definitely not in Wisconsin as one can clearly see at the end when the camera pans back so you can see the mountains in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g94bPMtxtM

There may be an appearance of a mountain at the first second or two as well.

Also takes one back to the era of how long intros were.  This was nearly 2 fricken minutes long.  Networks told their shows to cut out most of their repetitive opening sequences when they realized it gave viewers a chance to switch to other shows.

That's Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia (I recognized the coaster and the sky tower) - about 25 miles north of Hollywood, and nowhere near the ocean, which they edited in (where the ocean is in that shot is actually a parking lot).

[triplemultiplex]

...and nowhere near the ocean, which they edited in (where the ocean is in that shot is actually a parking lot).

I suspected as much.  The wooden roller coaster is way too close to the beach for that to be real.  Plus the 'stitch' in the composite shot is sort of noticeable.

One of my favorite lines from Austin Powers that I adapt to whatever the scene is I'm watching when called for:
"It's amazing how much England doesn't look like Southern California!"

Simply sub in whatever the place is allegedly being portrayed for "England".

[bing101]

The Apartment for Seinfeld is actually located in the Koreatown district of Los Angeles.



https://lamag.com/news/scene-it-before-seinfelds-apartment-building

Yes this apartment building was set in New York but its really in LA.

[bing101]

In order to block out road signs in the 21 Jump Street movie (shot in New Orleans) they are driving on the LEFT bridge.  Watch the chase scene, all the signs are backwards.

Also Interestingly the TV version of 21 Jump Street was shot in the Vancouver, BC area. Yes this is given that the movie and TV versions of 21 Jump Street are different from each other. the movie one is a parody of the TV series and the TV version is drama.


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092312/locations/

[dvferyance]

Little House on the Prairie showed mountains in Milwaukee which of course is false. The whole show is that way it's supposed to take place in western Minnesota but looks nothing like it. In the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Long Haul their destination is somewhere in Indiana. However when they get there it's quite hilly and forested not typically what you see in Indiana.

See southern Indiana (e.g., Brown County, just for starters)...

But it was meant to take place just west of Indianapolis. The answer of it being so hilly and forested is it was filmed just outside of Atlanta.

[bing101]

The recent passing of Suzanne Somers reminded me of the opening sequence to Step by Step; a show ostensibly set in Port Washington, Wisconsin.  The whole title sequence takes place at some shore side amusement park that is definitely not in Wisconsin as one can clearly see at the end when the camera pans back so you can see the mountains in the background.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/real-estate/friends-tv-series-filming-locations-1234959673/
Here's another one and yes it is mentioned now given that Matthew Perry is deceased where Friends was filmed is on the WB lot in Burbank but the show was set in New York.