Where to find famous TV sitcom homes in L.A. - Los Angeles Times
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The exterior of the "Brady Bunch" house  framed in a car window.
The Studio City house used in establishing shots for the 1969 to 1974 TV show “The Brady Bunch” is among the sitcom-famous SoCal homes and apartment buildings anyone can visit — and photograph.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

L.A. is home to TV’s most iconic houses. This curbside tour leads the way

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When my college roommate Mark came to visit me in L.A. for the first time, almost 25 years ago, he had something very specific on his must-visit list. “I want to see ‘The Brady Bunch’ house,” he said.

For the record:

3:24 p.m. July 28, 2023The address for the home used as Phil and Claire’s house on “Modern Family” has been corrected to 10336 Dunleer Drive. A previous version of this story had the wrong house number.

After a little bit of digging (the information superhighway seemed more like an unpaved one-lane road at the time), he was standing in front of the familiar facade grinning from ear to ear, throwing a thumbs-up sign while I snapped his picture.

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We both knew full well that “The Brady Bunch” had actually been filmed on a studio lot and that the house we were standing in front of was a bit of Hollywood magic, appearing only in establishing shots. But it felt special. And more important, it felt accessible. We could drive right up and see a piece of our childhood right through the car window, a few feet off the street.

HGTV is selling the ‘Brady Bunch’ house for $5.5 million. The TV network famously flipped the house for ‘A Very Brady Renovation’ in 2019.

May 26, 2023

A few years later, while looking for a parking spot, I happened upon another sitcom scene from my childhood — just two blocks from our apartment: the house the Cunninghams (and for a while, Fonzie) called home on “Happy Days.” I remember feeling the same tingle of accessible nostalgia.

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Those two drive-by encounters made me realize that there were probably all kinds of curbside closeups out there to be discovered; instantly recognizable pieces of Hollywood history that could be visited — and even photographed — by car. Once I started digging in, I realized I wasn’t wrong at all.

Thanks to being the epicenter of the entertainment industry, the Greater Los Angeles area is home to so many high-profile homes that the entire Southland is practically a studio backlot.

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June 27, 2023

Because I’m a fan of the comedy genre, I started trying to visit as many sitcom settings as I could. The list here includes some of the most recognizable and street-visible homes and apartment buildings I’ve visited to date.

The first of those criteria is key because, over the years, renovations (and no small amount of hedge growth) have obscured many a once-famous facade: “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” house in Brentwood and the “Three’s Company” apartment building in Santa Monica, to name two I’d hoped to lay eyes on. The second criterion — that these sitcom set pieces be visible from the street — is important because these homes and apartment buildings are private property, so fans paying their respects should take care to do so from the public right of way.

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With historic Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes now underway, it seems the perfect time to pay homage to the homes of sitcoms past, and it’s reassuring to know that even if the fall TV schedule ends up being a dumpster fire, some of our fan favorites are just around the corner. Literally.

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The exterior of a house with a green lawn.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

"The Brady Bunch"

Studio City Private Residence
Even though “The Brady Bunch” ended its five-season run back in 1974, the house used for exterior shots has remained a must-visit piece of curbside Hollywood memorabilia and, by some accounts, ranks as the second-most photographed house in America (behind the White House).

That never-ending fascination has also managed to keep the house, which dates to 1959, in the news. In 2018, HGTV snapped up the Studio City property for $3.5 million (more than twice what it was listed for) and launched a reality renovation show in 2019 — the same year a Massachusetts couple paid $7,777 for a private tour accompanied by Susan “Cindy Brady” Olsen. In May 2023, the renovated house (now with an interior that matches the one seen on TV in the original series) was back on the marketfor a cool $5.5 million (with a portion of proceeds pledged to a charity that fights hunger).

However, you can still have your own very Brady moment — from a distance, anyway — for free by parking across the street (just east of the intersection with Klump Avenue) and imagining what ‘70s-era living was like for Mike, Carol and the kids. (Just remember, mom always said don’t play ball in the house.)
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The exterior of the home used in establishing shots in the sitcom "Fresh Off the Boat"
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"Fresh Off the Boat"

Mar Vista Private Residence
The longest-running broadcast TV sitcom about an Asian American family (its sixth and final season aired in 2020), “Fresh Off the Boat” began with the Huang family relocating to a mostly white neighborhood in Orlando, Fla. Although a different house appears in the 2015 pilot episode, this one (in the same Mar Vista neighborhood) was used for external shots during the rest of the series’ run. (Fun fact: In 2017, the Los Angeles City Council declared May 2 “Fresh Off the Boat Day” in honor of the ABC show.)

The home’s location at the end of a cul-de-sac — and not far from the 405 Freeway — makes this an easy piece of TV sitcom history to take a drive-up commemorative snap of.
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The exterior of the house used for establishing shots on the sitcom "Golden Girls"
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"The Golden Girls"

Brentwood Private Residence
For seven seasons on NBC, the Emmy-winning sitcom “Golden Girls” followed the adventures — and misadventures — of Dorothy, Sophia, Rose and Blanche as they shared a Miami home that looks suspiciously similar to a house you’ll be able to drive past just a few blocks north of Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood.

It looks slightly different than it did when the show began its run in 1985 (though the distinctive geometric white chimney will be recognizable to many). That’s partly because there is now a gate and hedges in front of the home that didn’t appear on-screen. But it’s also because the SoCal facade appeared only in the early seasons of the show. Later ones used exterior shots filmed using a replica of the original facade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla.

This one is worth the drive-by visit though, if only because visiting the Orlando locale is no longer an option. It was torn down a few years back to make way for a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction.
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The exterior of the house used for establishing shots of the Cunningham residence in the '70s sitcom "Happy Days."
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"Happy Days"

Hancock Park Private Residence
The popular Garry Marshall ’50s-era sitcom “Happy Days,” which aired for 11 seasons in the ’70s and ’80s, may have been set in Wisconsin, but the house used for exterior shots of the Cunningham home is actually just down the road from Paramount Studios where the show was filmed. (Fun fact: The real house on North Cahuenga Boulevard in Hancock Park and its fictional counterpart on North Clinton Drive in Madison share the same house number.)

To get the best drive-by view of this house — the exterior of which appears to have changed very little since the mid-’80s — try to approach it from the south and stop just opposite the house near 564 N. Cahuenga Blvd., where there’s four hour parking from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (except for street sweeping 12 to 3 p.m. on Mondays).

That should give you more than enough time to see if you can spot Fonzie’s apartment over the garage.
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An apartment building bears the words "The Dunes" above its entrance.
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"Insecure"

Inglewood Apartments
“Insecure,” the HBO comedy series that put South Los Angeles front and center for five seasons, featured all kinds of real-life locales, including the Inglewood apartment building where co-creator Issa Rae’s character lived. (Just as on the show, the Dunes is a functioning apartment building, and when I drove by in early July, one-bedroom, one-bath apartments were available.)

The best time to swoop in for a souvenir snap (unless you’re in the neighborhood to fetch a package from the purgatory of the cavernous FedEx facility on nearby North Eucalyptus Street) is on a Tuesday when there’s no parking on the opposite side of the street between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. That way, if you approach from West Hyde Street, you can pull over, soak it all in and then move along without snarling traffic — or getting out of your car.
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A brick multistory building with faded lettering on the side.
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

Downtown L.A. Point of Interest
FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the longest-running live-action sitcom in U.S. TV history, usually finds the Gang hatching its hare-brained schemes out of a South Philly bar called Paddy’s Pub. But you’ll find the building used in establishing shots — and as a backdrop to the Gang’s not-infrequent shenanigans — occupying the corner of Mateo and Palmetto streets in downtown L.A.

Built in 1908, the three-story Pan Pacific Warehouse (also known as the Nate Starkman Building) may look like just another nondescript former factory building, but it’s actually a longtime, hard-working Hollywood utility player that’s been used for TV and movie productions for decades. In addition to many a “Sunny” appearances, the building’s exterior and/or interior can be seen on the small screen in episodes of “Columbo” and “Parks and Recreation” and on the big screen in the films “Repo Man,” “National Treasure” and “Date Night,” among others.
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The exterior of the home used for establishing shots of the Pritchett-Tucker residence in the sitcom "Modern Family."
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"Modern Family"

Century City Private Residence
Multiple-Emmy-winning, L.A.-set sitcom “Modern Family” has multiple options on the facade front because the exterior stand-ins for the Pritchett, Dunphy and Pritchett-Tucker residences can all be found in the L.A. area.

The most central — and closest to the Fox Studio Lot where most of the show was filmed — is the Century City one used for establishing shots of the 1920s duplex that Mitch, Cam and Lily call home.

Because the building is in a permit-parking residential neighborhood six blocks north of West Pico Boulevard, your best bet for snapping a hassle-free photo is to swing by during street-sweeping hours (8 to 11 a.m. Thursdays) so you can alight on the far side of the street just long enough to snap a photo. Then if you’re in the mood for more “Family” facades, you can find Phil and Claire’s house less than two miles southeast (at 10336 Dunleer Drive) and Jay and Gloria’s modern manse roughly seven miles northeast (at 121 S. Cliffwood Drive).
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A multistory industrial building turned loft complex.
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"New Girl"

Downtown L.A. Apartments
Throughout the seven-season run of the sitcom “New Girl,” most of the action takes place in apartment 4D in a factory-turned-residential-loft building in L.A. In this instance, fiction and reality aren’t too far apart, with a real apartment building not far from the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles — Binford Lofts — appearing in exterior establishing shots.

Getting an as-seen-on-TV photo of this building (which is less than half a mile‘s drive from the faux facade of “It’s Always Sunny’s” Paddy’s Pub) is as easy as parking (or standing) as close to the Arts District Brewing Co. (at 828 Traction Ave.) as possible and shooting facing the intersection of Traction Avenue and Avery Street.
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A multistory brick building reads "Brookmore Apartments" on its side.
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)

"Not Dead Yet"

Pasadena Apartments
The most unrealistic thing about “Not Dead Yet” — a 2023 ABC sitcom that focuses on an obituary writer, Nell Serrano (Gina Rodriguez), who can converse with the ghosts of the folks she’s writing about — is probably the opulence of the office space occupied by the fictional SoCal Independent newspaper that employs her.

A set piece slightly more grounded in reality is the Brookmore Apartments building where Nell lives and entertains the occasional spirit obituary subject. Establishing shots of the building, not far from Old Town Pasadena, are practically an advertisement for the 1924 building thanks to the cheery green and white striped awnings and the name painted in all caps at the top of the north wall. (The building’s website leans into the connection too.)

Because there’s no parking on the side of the busy street opposite the building, if you plan to linger for any length of time, your best bet is to find parking on a nearby side street (I found metered parking just off Walnut Street on Garfield Avenue) and walk to the northeast corner of Walnut Street and North Marengo Avenue, where you’ll find a view that approximates the show’s establishing shots.
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A multistory brick apartment building.
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times )

"Seinfeld"

Koreatown Point of Interest
“Seinfeld,” which had its original run on NBC from 1989 to 1998 (and seems to be living forever in syndication and on the streamers), may have been famously set in New York City, but the brick facade used in establishing shots of Jerry’s (and Kramer’s and Newman’s) apartment building is in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood.

Even two-and-a-half decades after the last original episode aired, the building’s exterior is surprisingly recognizable (though the magnolia trees in front have grown noticeably taller). To approximate the view most frequently seen on TV, approach from 8th Street and park on the opposite side of the street just north of the building. Scheduled street cleaning on that side — Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. — makes it slightly easier to find a place to pause momentarily.

Your other option is to swing into the parking lot of the fast-food restaurant right across the street, which “Seinfeld” fans everywhere will be disappointed to learn is a Taco Bell and not a Kenny Rogers Roasters.
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