A slew of new series showcasing the many facets of Los Angeles provide a tangible reminder of why Hollywood became, and should remain, the capital of the entertainment business.
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 toLowering 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 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. Mara Brock Akil’s adaptation of the 1975 YA novel follows a pair of Los Angeles teenagers, played by Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr., as they fall in love.
“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. 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,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 seekingAccording 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. Seth Rogen and Catherine O’Hara in “The Studio,” which is among a slew of new series showcasing the many facets of Los Angeles.
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 , 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 chats with Alice 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.
In the Michael Connelly universe, “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “Bosch” are related by blood — defense attorney Mickey Haller and LAPD detective Harry Bosch 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 and more locally loved ; where Jimmy , Kayla and, later, Robby Hoffman’s Randi work; and where Deborah Vance has a “side mansion” — thein 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 . 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. Mary McNamara is a culture columnist and critic for the Los Angeles Times. Previously she was assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment following a 12-year stint as television critic and senior culture editor.
A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing. She is the author of the Hollywood mysteries “Oscar Season” and “The Starlet. ” She lives in La Crescenta with her husband and two dogs.
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