I've been surprised this season by how often shows are using the studio backlots instead of going on location. The familiar Warner Brothers backlot, and studio office buildings, show up frequently on TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES and THE MENTALIST. I haven't seen this much backlot shooting since the days of MANNIX and IT TAKES A THIEF. I wonder if this has something to do with the studio mandated budget cuts that are being impossed on showrunners. Then again, it can be cheaper sometimes to shoot on a city street than pay the studio overhead to use the backlot…
I’ve noticed a lot of the WB backlot on Pushing Daisies as well…
I worked on that WB backlot quite bit in the late ’90s. More on location though, by double at least.
Unfortunately there are rich portions of the back lots (like Warner Bros.) that have been built over. Gone is the jungle area that was the set for everything from Robin Hood (with Errol Flynn) to Walton Mountain, as well as the western set used for the later Maverick series (and many others).
Posts like this are why I send newbie authors over here every time they ask if it’s okay to self-publish.
Although ‘Ghost Whisperer’ began life in Old Town Orange (pilot) it quickly revamped the town Square at Universal. Since the fire they have been filming at Warners. Although we all will pick out different sets that are recognizable to us (for different reasons) it is the fire station on the Warners lot set that now has a faux bronze plaque on it for ‘Grandview Fire Department’ (set town for GW). I only mention this as it has appeared in ‘The Eleventh Hour’ and the ‘Mentalist’ but has yet to be used this season on the series the plaque was made up for. Interesting.
Not having been on the Warners lot I am not sure what the brick fire station was originally built for.