# Movies/TV shows set in a location you know well, but obviously not filmed there, or just gets something wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, movies\ **Created:** [September 21, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003 "2022-09-21T21:26:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/41 "2022-09-23T20:41:54Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’m not sure that’s true. According to Wikipedia, the Super class of ferries (_Hyak_, _Kaleetan_, _Yakima_, and _Elwha_) were built at a shipyard in San Diego in the late '60s. I’m not sure what special planning or precautions are done to travel up the Pacific coast, but apparently it can, and has, been done. > > [Super-class ferry - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super-class_ferry) True, the Hyak for example was sailed along the Pacific coast to its eventual home. But it took several days to do that. (I’m not sure how long exactly, but it set sail in June 1967 and didn’t arrive until July 4.) I originally read what Cervaise wrote as a description of a passenger route, which would be insane. Riding a ferry is like riding a giant bus, with seats and tables to eat at, but no accommodations to make things comfortable for a long trip. On a second read, though, it seems like it’s a journal of the original trip from its construction site in California to be delivered to Seattle, which we do have documented as a historical fact. By the way, I rode the Hyak many times over the years. (I used to commute from Bremerton to Seattle daily for years and that was a boat on that route.) I just found that it was retired in 2019. That makes me a bit sad. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2022, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/42 "2022-09-23T21:24:17Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I originally read what Cervaise wrote as a description of a passenger route, which would be insane. Riding a ferry is like riding a giant bus, with seats and tables to eat at, but no accommodations to make things comfortable for a long trip. On a second read, though, it seems like it’s a journal of the original trip from its construction site in California to be delivered to Seattle, which we do have documented as a historical fact. I think there are car ferries in other parts of the world that are designed for multi-day, or at least overnight trips. Not luxurious, from the pictures I’ve seen, but there are cabins and beds for the passengers. And I took a ferry to Vancouver Island a few decades ago that had large doors that closed over the bow and stern, so it was a little more protected from the weather than the ferries in Washington. I wonder what a trip from San Diego was like on one of those Super ferries. There must be some kind of accommodation for the crew that’s taken out before the boat goes into regular service. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/43 "2022-09-23T21:25:46Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Riding a ferry is like riding a giant bus, with seats and tables to eat at, but no accommodations to make things comfortable for a long trip. While I’m sure that’s true for those particular ferries, it’s not necessarily true for all ferries in general. I’ve been on ferries where the journey was overnight, and you could book a cabin with sleeping accommodations for the night. And with a full on cafeteria selling hot meals. While it was no cruise ship it was definitely meant for longer trips. Specifically, that was Athens to Chania. And while the Helsinki - Tallinn trip is only ~4 hours, that ship had similar accommodations and obviously got used for longer trips as well. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/44 "2022-09-23T21:32:51Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > While I’m sure that’s true for those particular ferries, it’s not necessarily true for all ferries in general. Absolutely, but I’m specifically talking about the Puget Sound ferries. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/45 "2022-09-23T21:52:49Z")
I think the question about building codes was about whether a four story building was required to have an elevator in the '70s. If it wasn’t, that’s what I’m asking ( if you know) ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/46 "2022-09-24T17:21:01Z")
I don’t know for certain, but I would infer that it was by the fact that there are very few buildings taller than three stories in Indianapolis, unless they are much taller, with the exception of some 4 & 5 story office buildings in wealthy neighborhoods, and that seems to be the case even when the buildings are pretty old. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/47 "2022-09-24T18:00:30Z")
Pretty much every show or movie set in Portland takes ridiculous liberties with the terrain, flora and geography (looking at YOU, _Stumptown,_ there are no palm trees in Beaverton!) with the notable exception of _Grimm,_ which does take a lot of pains to present the city in a more or less realistic manner, barring the supernatural _wesen_ inhabitants, of course. Though I’m starting to wonder if they weren’t just a bit ahead of themselves because some parts of the city are looking pretty animal these days. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/48 "2022-09-24T18:12:44Z")
If you ignore all the constant transition shots of New York City, it’s fairly obvious that **CSI:NY** is filmed in Los Angeles. Even the interiors look like L.A. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2022, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/49 "2022-09-24T18:35:09Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > _The Last of Us Part 2_ is set mostly in and around Seattle. _Watch Dogs 2_, set in the San Francisco Bay Area, includes the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, but not Richmond or San Rafael. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/50 "2022-09-25T21:54:52Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > The TV show Step by Step takes place in Port Washington, Wisconsin. I grew up in West Bend about 13 miles away. When I was a teen we’d go to Port in the summer to cruise chicks. There is no freaking roller coaster on the shore of Lake Michigan. In my head, keeping in mind I was 11 when this show started, I always assumed they were supposed to be at Great America (in Gurnee). That would be a perfectly reasonable day trip considering it’s only about 90 minutes from Port Washington and they had the American Eagle roller coaster which is [similar looking](https://rcdb.com/aaacnpa) to the one in the intro ([1:44 in this clip](https://youtu.be/hUDjsYpfkPQ?t=104)), mostly due to them both being wooden coasters. Granted, I’m aware it’s not on the lake, but my 11 year old mind still assumed that was supposed to be the case. However, it always bugged me because you can tell the location is fake, regardless of where it actually is, because at the end, when they zoom out, you can see the lake shifting a bit. Looking up the actual coaster they were on, it was actually a Great America, just that it was in California. For my hometown, there’s not a whole lot of moves that take place in Milwaukee but weren’t also filmed, at least in part (beyond B Roll type stuff) in Milwaukee. Parts of Bridesmaids was set in Milwaukee. I see a handful of other movies set in, but not filmed in, Milwaukee. For TV Shows, Step By Stem (as mentioned) as well as Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, That 70’s Show and a few others were also set in or around Milwaukee, but not filmed here (at least I don’t think they were). I’m actually, currently (as in, paused right now to type this) watching the new Dahmer miniseries which is set in Milwaukee, but presumably not filmed here. But the locations they mention are real. The bar he used to hang out at is still standing (no longer a bar, but still there none the less, with the same address). They mentioned his home address and I could drive there in a few minutes. IOW, these are real address, not whatever the location equivalent of a 555 phone number would be. [Sarcasm] I’m sure the owners of these places are thrilled about the renewed attention[/sarcasm]. His place of employment, Ambrosia Chocolate, while long gone, was a real place that, even before he made it famous, everyone knew about it since. You could see a it (or maybe a sign for it) from the freeway. In A League Of Their Own, one of the other teams was the Racine Belles. I used to drive past the field where they played, but I don’t think anything was filmed in or around Racine. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/51 "2022-09-25T22:26:31Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > > There is no place in Sacramento that looks like that from which you can see the bridge. > > Sort of like how the view of the Space Needle out Frasier’s window suggests his apartment is hovering six stories above the middle of Elliott Bay. Never been to Seattle but it’s an upstairs apartment in a building called the Elliott Bay Towers, so hovering six stories above the bay makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/52 "2022-09-25T22:30:05Z")
Pretty much any movie/TV show that supposedly takes place in Alaska… ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/53 "2022-09-25T23:19:06Z")
You Seattle fans should be aware of the TV show True Justice, written and starring Steven Seagal where supposedly it’s supposed to be set in Seattle with Seagal a member of the Seattle Police, but production for season 1 was primarily shot in Vancouver British Columbia, and for Season 2 was additionally shot around NEW ORLEANS. As you can imagine, for some reason there’s a lot of swamps and Cajun fishermen in Seattle in the episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/54 "2022-09-26T00:43:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m sure the owners of these places are thrilled about the renewed attention I’ve been looking to buy a house for a while, and I found a listing for one that mentions it was just used as a location for a movie that hasn’t been released yet. If I wind up buying it, I wonder if that will turn out to be a plus or a minus. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Never been to Seattle but it’s an upstairs apartment in a building called the Elliott Bay Towers, so hovering six stories above the bay makes sense. I used to live in Seattle. I’d have to take a better look, but I always thought the view out Frasier’s window was taken from the south slope of Queen Anne Hill. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/55 "2022-09-26T00:43:37Z")
I think he/she means literally “above” the Bay, i.e., “over water.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/56 "2022-09-26T01:27:23Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve been looking to buy a house for a while, and I found a listing for one that mentions it was just used as a location for a movie that hasn’t been released yet. I would guess it won’t mean a thing until you’re ready to sell it. You might be able to bump the price for it based on that. OTOH, you could end up having to install a fence around the property and have to get Vince Gilligan to plead with people to get them to stop throwing pizza on your roof. Unless you live in an area where this is common, you could search local media for mentions of it. If it was some big budget movie with a giant film crew, surely it would one or two articles (or facebook posts) about it. If it was a film student movie or porn, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/57 "2022-09-26T02:47:24Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I would guess it won’t mean a thing until you’re ready to sell it. You might be able to bump the price for it based on that. OTOH, you could end up having to install a fence around the property and have to get Vince Gilligan to plead with people to get them to stop throwing pizza on your roof. I was thinking it will depend on how well the movie does. It could lay an egg, and no one would care one way or the other; or maybe it becomes a cult hit and people go out of their way to find it. To be honest, I can’t remember if it’s a movie or a miniseries. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/58 "2022-09-26T03:30:59Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I used to live in Seattle. I’d have to take a better look, but I always thought the view out Frasier’s window was taken from the south slope of Queen Anne Hill. Yup. I recall the photo used was taken with a pretty long telephoto lenses from Kerry Park on the south side of Queen Anne. A quick flyby in Google Earth confirms that from there the various buildings in the background are arranged properly relative to the Space Needle. No need to be hovering over the bay. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/59 "2022-09-26T03:32:54Z")
How about right place, wrong season? Corner Gas was filmed locally, so the location shots were good. I’ve driven some of those highways. But they had one show set at Grey Cup 2003 in Regina, and it was clearly filmed in the summer, not late November. The sky was all wrong for one of the highway shots. I watched it first and said, “They filmed it in the summer”, and then later on found that was correct. It just had the wrong feel in all the exterior shots. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003/60 "2022-09-26T03:42:55Z")
The Maya Rudolph movie _Away We Go_ has a scene set in Montreal. It was filmed in Vermont. Anyone who has been there can tell you that Vermont looks nothing, absolutely nothing, like Montreal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-set-in-a-location-you-know-well-but-obviously-not-filmed-there-or-just-gets-something-wrong/972003.md?page=4)