# Why doesn't the sun ever shine in LA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555 "2003-12-12T08:19:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/1 "2003-12-12T08:19:17Z")
For reasons not to be divulged at the present time, I’ve been watching a lot of both _Baywatch_ and _Beverly Hills 90210_ recently. In both shows, they spend a lot of time on the beach, bathing, lying around in the sand apparently trying to get a tan, but the sun doesn’t ever shine. No shadows betray the presence of direct sunlight. It’s always darkish and dingy and we never see a patch of blue sky. I understand Kelly’s eggshell complexion but I don’t know where Mitch gets his tan. Anywho… why is this? Is it something TV-specific (in _Beverly Hills Cop III_, seen by me last night (I lead a varied and interesting life), the sun did shine on the beach of Santa Monica)? Is it the smog? What’s it like there in real life? ---
**Author:** ![dangergene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@dangergene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangergene)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/2 "2003-12-12T08:35:10Z")
I believe they shoot a lot of beach stuff during the winter, because the crowds are smaller and it’s easier to get a manageable set-up in shot. During summer (and genuine ‘sunny days’ the beach is too crowded and it’s difficult to film without some pimply kid in the background leering at Kelly and taking idle potshots at David ‘Nick Fury’ Hasslehoff). However, being on the other side of the world and not being part of the LA TV machine, I couldn’t tell you for sure. This is a supposition based on an article I read once when there were plans to shift Batewatch to filming on the northern beaches of Sydney (where they also do lots of winter filming). Mayhaps one of the incognito tv stars lurking on the board could assist? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/3 "2003-12-12T09:18:21Z")
I guess A-Ha was wrong… the sun _doesn’t_ always shine on TV. The need to shoot while the beach is less crowded makes sense, but wouldn’t they be able to use a private beach, or get a permit to close off part of the beach and fill it with extras? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/4 "2003-12-12T13:02:58Z")
The sun never shines. It is too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/5 "2003-12-12T13:35:27Z")
It looks better if you shoot in overcast. Harsh shadows are distracting. When it’s overcast, you get good, even lighting that looks good on TV. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/6 "2003-12-12T18:13:49Z")
You want to see the Andersen-Lee frankenboobs in direct sunlight? Watch V.I.P. instead of Baywatch. ---
**Author:** ![quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quinn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/7 "2003-12-13T04:47:45Z")
Near the beach, especially late in the afternoon, it can get cloudy. We get breezes from the ocean which bring in fog and other grayness. But i guess that doesn’t explain Beverly Hills 90210, unless they don’t really film it in Beverly Hills (which is probably true) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/8 "2003-12-13T06:08:18Z")
Marine layer. While there are certainly too many sunny days in L.A. (the main reason I wanted to move away – and finally did after losing my job), there is often a morning and afternoon layer of clouds over the coast. “Late night and early morning low clouds”, as the weather readers say. Also, L.A. beaches are subject to “June Gloom” which is common in the late spring and early summer and can persist all day long. Common terms heard in L.A. weather forecasts: Marine Layer Late night and early morning low clouds June Gloom Coastal eddie ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-sun-ever-shine-in-la/218555/9 "2003-12-13T09:07:42Z")
Beverly Hills is close enough to the ocean to get socked in by a nice thick marine layer.