The first stop on any tour of Manhattan television locations has to be NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Such classic programs as “Howdy Doody” and “Texaco Star Theater” with Milton Berle broadcast from there. “Saturday Night Live” has been proclaiming itself “Live from New York!” from Studio 8H since 1975. NBC conducts regular tours of the studios. But some shows cannot be separated from their Manhattan locations, which can be toured in a weekend by foot or subway.
Sights of "Seinfeld"
- "Seinfeld,” created by New York comedians Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with Seinfeld as a New York comedian, called itself “a show about nothing” and it made obscure Manhattan places famous. “The Soup Nazi” was a walk-up soup stand on West 55th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue -- in real life it was called Soup Kitchen International. It changed to The Original Soup Man to capitalize on "Seinfeld" without using the word “Nazi.” On 112th St and Broadway sits Tom’s Restaurant, called “Monk’s” in the show, where the "Seinfeld" gang met in almost every episode. Seinfeld’s apartment building, 129 W. 81st St., though a real address, was not the location seen on the show, but an homage to where the real Seinfeld lived before he became famous.
Where the Mad Men Dwell
- Like "Seinfeld," the critically acclaimed “Mad Men” is filmed in L.A., but rooted in New York. Much has changed since the 1960s, when the period piece takes place, but many “Mad Men” locations still exist. The offices of Sterling Cooper, the fictional ad agency that first employs anti-hero Don Draper, is at the corner of 48th Street and Madison Avenue. In Season 3, Draper and colleagues start their own firm out of an apartment in the toney Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue and 61st Street. The Waldorf-Astoria, where Don meets hotel tycoon Conrad Hilton, still hosts presidents and dignitaries from its palatial Park Avenue location at 50th Street. In a Season 1 episode, when Don gets his colleague Roger Sterling drunk in front of a client, it takes place at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station, which looks today much as it does in the 1962-set episode.
Bringing "Sex and the City" Back
- HBO’s long-running “Sex and the City” was historic for its blushingly frank sexual dialogue -- but also for its celebration of the posh, hyper-consumer New York lifestyle. The show sparked a national cupcake craze with frequent stops at Magnolia Bakery, 401 Bleecker St. Carrie Bradshaw whipped out her credit card to buy shoes at Manolo Blahnik, 31 W. 54th St., and many outfits at Century 21, a discount fashion emporium at 22 Cortland St. in the Financial District. The restaurants where the "Sex and the City" characters dined are countless, but included such upscale spots as the Blue Water Grill in Union Square, the pricey Pan-Asian eatery Tao at 42 E. 58th St. and the exclusive, legendary 21 Club at 21 W. 52nd.
More For TV Fans
- Though "Glee" is set in Ohio, its cast declared “I Love New York,” singing the iconic jingle at the Lincoln Center fountains at 70th Street and Broadway. Turning to somber realism, Louis C.K. emerges from the West Fourth Street subway station in the opening credits to his comedy “Louie.” From there, he strolls to The Comedy Cellar just around the corner at 117 MacDougal St. in Greenwich Village. Finally, no TV history buff can overlook the Ed Sullivan Theater at 53rd and Broadway. It has been home to "The Late Show with David Letterman" since 1993; from 1953 to 1971 its occupant was "The Ed Sullivan Show." On Feb. 9, 1964, it was where the Beatles made their first American appearance.
