TV shows are embracing L.A. as a main character

After years of collective hand-wringing over declining local film and television production, Hollywood recently experienced a morale boost: increased state subsidies, including tax incentives and reduced filming fees, seem to be working. According to FilmLA, the first quarter of 2026 saw an almost 10% increase in local shooting days.

Lowering the cost of filming in the L.A. area is key to increasing production, but another force may also be at work. Almost as if in answer to fleeing production, an increasing number of high-profile television series have been showcasing Los Angeles on a granular level.

Obviously, there have been many series set in Los Angeles, from “The Beverly Hillbillies” to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Dragnet” to “The Shield,” “Insecure” to “Modern Family.”

Too often, however, that backdrop was created by the use (and overuse) of stereotypical imagery — the palm trees, the beach, the freeways, the Hollywood sign, the view from Mulholland Drive, the “mean streets” of South-Central — that made Angelenos roll their eyes.

And while New York has long been seen as more main character than setting in many movies and series, Los Angeles has, historically, leveraged its shape-shifter abilities. That, along with the temperate climate, is precisely what drew filmmakers here in the first place — with mountains, deserts and beaches a few hours drive of each other, the cinematic possibilities were endless; many more movies and, later, TV shows were shot in L.A. than were set here.

Lately, however, series as diverse as “The Studio,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Shrinking,” “I Love L.A.” and “Nobody Wants This” are leaning into the area’s wide diversity of neighborhoods and cities in all their messy street-level glory.

So much so that as of this month, those who cannot get enough of the Netflix romantic comedy “Nobody Wants This” can now join On Location Tours for a three-hour visit to some of the series’ many L.A. locations.

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple; Harold A. Henry Park in nearby Windsor Village; the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; Nancy Silverton’s Osteria Mozza; West Hollywood’s iconic sex toy shop, the Pleasure Chest; the Preserve LA, a co-working space just off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood; and, of course, Chris Burden’s “Urban Light” display in front of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are all part of the new “Nobody Wants This” tour.

Hollywood-centric tours have long been an industry in Los Angeles — bus, tram and guided walking excursions are as much a part of the landscape as the famous buildings, signs and street corners they visit. But fans seeking sites from specific shows have traditionally had to rely on self-guided tours (including many provided by The Times).

According to Georgette Blau, founder and owner of On Location Tours, L.A.’s sprawl has something to do with that. For decades her company has run tours for “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in New York where, she says, the proximity of the locations makes it much easier.

“Nobody Wants This” is just one of many series depicting the way people actually live here — not somehow miraculously zipping from Hollywood to Long Beach in 20 minutes, but by sticking mostly to their neighborhoods or the places where Angelenos actually do business.

HBO’s “I Love L.A.” established its credibility early on, with a snippy conversation between the main characters about how hard it is to get to the beach from anywhere not directly on the beach. The show’s 20-somethings take walks around Echo Park Lake and the Silver Lake Reservoir, and patronize Erewhon, Courage Bagels, Capri Club and Tenants of the Trees, with occasional jaunts to Italian restaurant Dan Tana‘s and visual references to the adult entertainment club Jumbo‘s Clown Room and Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

If the characters of Apple TV’s Hollywood satire “The Studio” are scathing send-ups of entertainment industry players, its settings are sincere: The Ebell of Los Angeles, Smokehouse restaurant, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Beverly Hilton (home of both the real and fictional Golden Globes), a panoply of John Lautner homes, and many streets and views are all easily recognized by anyone who actually lives here.

Another Apple TV favorite, “Shrinking,” sticks closer to Pasadena. The bench on which Paul (Harrison Ford) chats with Alice (Lukita Maxwell) stands in the park next to the iconic Castle Green, hikes are taken in Eaton Canyon and coffee is consumed at Copa Vida. The Rose Bowl makes an appearance as does the Colorado Street Bridge and City Hall.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo drives in Los Angeles in “The Lincoln Lawyer.”

(Netflix)

In the Michael Connelly universe, “The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix) and “Bosch” (Prime Video) are related by blood — defense attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and LAPD detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) are half brothers. So it makes sense that “The Lincoln Lawyer” is as big a hymn to the city as “Bosch.” Haller’s quest for justice takes him to locations well-known (the Bradbury Building, the Venice Beach Boardwalk) and more locally loved (LA Riverwalk, Resurrection Catholic Church in Boyle Heights, Langer’s Deli and the 6th Street Bridge).

HBO Max’s “Hacks” may be most closely associated with Las Vegas, but L.A. is where we first meet Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder); where Jimmy (Paul Downs), Kayla (Megan Stalter) and, later, Robby Hoffman’s Randi work; and where Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) has a “side mansion” — the Rand McNally house, which was destroyed in the Eaton fire. Throughout the series, viewers were treated to scenes in the Americana at Brand, the Fairfax District and the Elysian Theater in Echo Park. In the course of the series, Jimmy’s office moves from Century City — 1900 Avenue of the Stars — to the American Cement Building in MacArthur Park (and all that that implies).

L.A. is still more than capable of standing in for just about anywhere, but these series, and many others, are an important reminder that the stories of this city remain a bottomless resource.

Here’s hoping the “Nobody Wants This” tour jump-starts a trend — yes, L.A. is the rare city where the mountains are often visible from the beaches, but it’s full of as many iconic neighborhoods as New York, each deserving its own series and a tour.