10 Iconic NYC Neighborhoods & The Best TV Shows Set There

The most-filmed location in the world is reportedly New York City’s Central Park – featured in hundreds of movies and TV series, and often used as a backdrop to stand in for other cities, too. It’s no surprise that the Big Apple gets so much screentime, of course, but it’s not just the green space at the heart of the city that gets the attention.

Because of their unique look and feel, New York’s neighborhoods end up becoming almost as important as the characters themselves and are remembered as one of the most memorable aspects of the entire show. Some series, like Friends, have made NYC so famous that they’ve inspired people from around the globe to visit and see where their favorite shows took place.

10 Hell’s Kitchen – Daredevil & Jessica Jones

Hell’s Kitchen is located directly next to Times Square. It was once one of Manhattan’s roughest neighborhoods, although it has since become a safe and popular tourist destination. Hell’s Kitchen’s gritty past made it a great setting for the popular superhero shows Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The two companion series utilize the area’s dark history to create an excellent noir-styled atmosphere filled with both intense action and compelling characters. Both series reference each other often and have shared characters, including Jeri Hogarth, who was played by Carrie-Anne Moss. The series was filmed throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

9 Upper East Side – Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl introduced viewers to Manhattan’s luxurious Upper East Side. The neighborhood is renowned for its wealthy residents, competitive prep schools, and multi-million dollar apartments. Both the original series from 2007 and the new HBO Max reboot utilize many Upper East Side locations for filming, including The Met, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, and the Park Avenue Armory.

However, most notable are the prep schools: Constance Billard School for Girls and St. Jude School for Boys. While neither school is real, they’re heavily based on real private schools in the neighborhood that are notoriously competitive, including the Dalton School, Loyola, Marymount, and more.

8 The Village – Friends

Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan was once a haven for artists, but in recent decades has become a highly gentrified and luxurious neighborhood. The high cost of living has led to many debates as to how Monica and Rachel afforded their apartment at 90 West Bedford St. in Friends. While much of the show was filmed in an LA studio, it was based in Greenwich Village. Other famous filming locations from the show include Chandler’s office, which is in the Solow Building, a modern skyscraper that faces Central Park, and of course, Central Park (though the park scenes were all also recreated in Los Angeles).

7 Upper West Side – Only Murders in the Building

Throughout the years, the Upper West Side has been the setting for numerous shows, most famous being Seinfeld, which turned places like Tom’s Restaurant into a world-renowned tourist destination.

However, it’s Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building that truly turns the UWS into an absolute spectacle. The show centers around a murder that takes place in a massive, maze-like Manhattan apartment complex. Called the Arconia in the show, the real apartment is the stunning and historic Belnord building, which takes up an entire city block at 86th and Broadway. Units are currently priced between $4 – $11 million each.

6 Prospect Heights – Living Single

Prospect Heights is a historic neighborhood in Brooklyn that’s recently started undergoing a massive renaissance. Thanks to its proximity to the gorgeous Prospect Park, it’s become a high-demand locale within the city. A year before Friends hit the air, another show about a group of friends in New York premiered first: Living Single. Not only was this one of the first major roles for Queen Latifah, but it was loved by audiences and critics. The series followed a group of friends who were navigating life in NYC, all while sharing a Brooklyn brownstone in Prospect Heights. For many, the apartment and neighborhood were one of the show’s highlights.

5 Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn was historically a neighborhood for immigrants, however, for the last 20 years it’s been known as a hipster hangout. In the hit show Younger, Liza moves into her friend Maggie’s Williamsburg apartment. The featured apartment really is in Williamsburg and is located right next to the famous Nighthawk Cinema on Metropolitan Ave.

Aside from the apartment, the series did a great job of actually filming many scenes in Williamsburg, with characters visiting Brooklyn Flea and numerous scenes taking place on Bedford Ave., which is the busiest street in Williamsburg, filled with vintage shops, cafes, bookstores, and more.

4 Rego Park – The King of Queens

In 1998, an unexpecting neighborhood in Queens was about to become world-famous when The King of Queens premiered on CBS. The series became a rating success and told the story of a working-class couple in Rego Park, Queens. Audiences loved the dynamic between stars Kevin James and Leah Remini, as well as the more factual portrayal of New Yorkers. Whereas shows like Sex and the City focused on the lives of the wealthy and glamorous, The King of Queens offered a portrayal that aligned much closer with how a majority of New Yorkers live.

3 Midtown – 30 Rock

Midtown is the business hub of New York City. Skyscrapers like the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building are recognized around the globe and large corporations in every sector from finance to editorial are headquartered there.

Most notable is 30 Rockefeller Plaza, which is the actual home of NBC. Inside those walls, shows like SNL and Late Night with Seth Meyers are filmed. But it also served as the titular home for Tina Fey’s 30 Rock. The entire series was a parody of life at NBC and also featured various scenes filmed on the streets of New York, including everywhere from hot dog stands to Liz Lemon’s apartment on Riverside Drive (the same street that Tina Fey actually lives on).

2 Harlem – Pose

POSE centers around ball culture from the early ’90s, which historically was anchored in the LGBTQ+ and POC community. The biggest inspiration for the series was the documentary Paris is Burning, which focused on a ballroom in Harlem. While the documentary and show feature various neighborhoods of New York City, it’s the Harlem ballroom where the real action goes down. During a competition, competing houses must outdo each other in extravagant shows of dance and fashion. The series has even given rise to many trans actors and actresses, including Mj Rodriguez, who became the first trans person nominated for an Emmy for a lead role.

1 East Village & Alphabet City – NYPD Blue

The East Village and Alphabet City used to be one of Manhattan’s most dangerous areas. It was filled with illegal squatters, drugs, murders, and gang violence. This made it the perfect setting for the hit cop drama, NYPD Blue.

The series was set at NYPD’s 9th precinct, which is located on E. 5th Street. When it premiered in 1993, NYPD Blue was controversial, compelling, and unafraid to push boundaries. Many exterior shots for the show were filmed in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the 9th precinct station was later also used for the reboot of Kojak.

About The Author

Keith Langston
(156 Articles Published)

Keith Langston is a writer for ScreenRant, as well as Travel Channel and Passport Magazine. He holds a deep passion for film, travel, and adventure. He fully believes that ‘The Faculty’ is the greatest movie ever made.

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