# Minimal Amount Of Sets On A TV Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525 "2009-11-30T21:54:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/41 "2009-12-02T14:26:02Z")
Most of _Head of the Class_ took place in the classroom. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/42 "2009-12-02T14:38:07Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Yes, that’s not an unusual layout for a Brooklyn brownstone, which I believe the Cosby’s house was meant to be. Watch out for the window on the stairway sometime - impossible, given that the exteriors show their house in the middle of a row. When you think about it, even the new big expensive shows don’t always have a lot of sets. Seems like for a while there every season of House added a hospital set - remember when the balcony suddenly appeared and was in every episode? But besides people’s apartments, which kind of look all alike, and places they go to outside the hospital, there’s just House’s office with the big table, one patient room that looks different and sometimes it’s a clean room, Wilson’s office, Cuddy’s office, the clinic which seems to be actually next to the atrium with the elevators and all, and some hallway. And a fake-ass lab and MRI. Considering how fancy the show is, it’s not really much. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/43 "2009-12-02T14:41:11Z")
_Lost in Space_ didn’t have many: _Jupiter 2_ exterior, _Jupiter 2_ interior main deck, planet surface (repeatedly redressed and reused). The _Jupiter 2_ lower deck and stuff like the Chariot and Pod interiors were used so infrequently, I have a hard time believing they kept them as standing sets. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/44 "2009-12-02T15:19:55Z")
For a short time back in the 90s, Comedy Central had a sketch show called “Limboland” that had no sets. All the sketches were done on a white background. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/45 "2009-12-02T21:08:06Z")
Seems to me that 90% of Married With Children was the Bundy living room and maybe the shoe store and occasionally Marcy’s house. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/46 "2009-12-02T21:19:51Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > _Sanford and Son_ seemed to only have two sets, the living room and the kitchen. I’ve only ever seen one episode of _Sanford and Son_, but it (a) was just a few days ago and (b) featured Lamont getting an item appraised by an antique dealer (at the dealer’s shop) before putting it up for auction (at an upscale auction house). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/47 "2009-12-02T21:31:43Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Watch out for the window on the stairway sometime - impossible, given that the exteriors show their house in the middle of a row. They bought the house next door and had it torn down. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/48 "2009-12-02T22:04:11Z")
Three’s Company: The apartment, The Roper’s/Mr. Furley’s apartment and The Regal Beagle. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/49 "2009-12-02T22:55:40Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Watch out for the window on the stairway sometime - impossible, given that the exteriors show their house in the middle of a row… I have a book of “blueprints” for famous sitcom homes. The creator tried to come of with floorplans based on what we saw on TV. They don’t reconcile well with reality. For example based on the stairway it seems that the entire second floor of the Cunninghams’ house ( **Happy Days** is actually located over their backyard instead of above the first floor. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/50 "2009-12-02T23:02:45Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Three’s Company: The apartment, The Roper’s/Mr. Furley’s apartment and The Regal Beagle. The exterior of the building - specifically the stairs. Jack’s Bistro was a common set at the end. Before that, Angelino’s. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/51 "2009-12-03T01:26:36Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > _Newsradio_ used a handful of sets over the years, but most episodes were done entirely in one set (or three- elevator/newsroom/Dave’s office, which for all I know were contiguous). I forgot the break room set, so it couldn’t have all been contiguous, as the break room would be downstage of the elevator. ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/52 "2009-12-03T16:50:40Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Three’s Company: The apartment, The Roper’s/Mr. Furley’s apartment and The Regal Beagle. I recall seeing Larry’s apartment a few times. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/53 "2009-12-03T16:58:35Z")
Didn’t Mystery Science Theater 3000 only have 2 sets? The theater lobby where Joel and the bots talked, and the theater with the screen? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/54 "2009-12-03T17:01:46Z")
“The Office” seems to mainly take place in, well, the office. I assume from lack of studio audience that they just built an office somewhere and it’s all one set. [Here’s a virtual tour that’s kinda neat.](http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/justforfun/set_tour/) Has video clips if you click on stuff like the fridge or microwave. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/55 "2009-12-03T17:34:41Z")
> [@Mooch](#): > > I recall seeing Larry’s apartment a few times. Not to mention that “the apartment” set was at least 3 sets: the living room, the bathroom, one or the other of the bedrooms (maybe both, I don’t remember well). And I think I remember that sometimes there was a dining room and a kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/56 "2009-12-04T18:56:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Didn’t Mystery Science Theater 3000 only have 2 sets? The theater lobby where Joel and the bots talked, and the theater with the screen? They also had a set or three for whichever mad scientist was controlling Joel or Mike that season. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525/57 "2009-12-04T19:29:45Z")
In later seasons there were many more sets on MST3K. The ape world, the Roman world, Castle Forester and lots more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-amount-of-sets-on-a-tv-show/519525.md?page=2)