Get off the couch, visit the scene of your favorite TV show

In this story: From the 'Wings' Seeing 'Blue' T.V.'s capital RELATED SITES

By Jennifer Merin
Tribune Media Services

(Tribune Media Services) -- Word has it that "reality" television has tourists trekking off for wild adventures on remote islands and in other untamed places. But you don't have to go far afield to prove your mettle as a fan of most TV shows.

If you want to track down spots seen on a show -- past or present -- simply contact viewer relations at the station that airs the show or at the network. Or visit the show's Web site for the lowdown on accessible locations.

For starters, here are some goodies:

QUICKVOTE Which TV scene would you most like to visit? Cheers Law & Order Mad About You Baywatch View Results     MESSAGE BOARD Where in the world do you want to travel?

Set in Boston, "Cheers'' was inspired by a neighborhood bar called the Bull & Finch Pub, located in a basement at 84 Beacon St., near the Public Garden. The producers used the pub's exterior, adding the "Cheers'' and "Melville's Fine Seafoods'' signs. The weekly series was actually shot in Hollywood, but fans consider the Bull & Finch to be "Cheers''' real home.

Adding Boston flavor, local politicos and sports celebs, including Tip O'Neill, Michael Dukakis, Kevin McHale and Wade Boggs appeared in cameo roles. The Bull & Finch's interior doesn't really look like the "Cheers'' set, but it's still a big hit with fans who stop by for a brew and pub food. Regular hours are 11 to 2 a.m. daily.

Upstairs, the Library Grill, where "Melville's Fine Seafoods'' was located on the show, offers Sunday jazz brunches from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and is open for special events. The Bull & Finch also sells "Cheers'' souvenirs in shops at Faneuil Hall, Logan International Airport and throughout Boston.

Also set in New England, on charming Nantucket Island, "Wings'' was created by three former "Cheers'' producers. The show's Tom Nevers Field was actually Nantucket Airport. Other island sites were used in exterior shots.

"Tom Nevers'' is in reality the name of a Nantucket residential neighborhood, and some residence exteriors were seen on the show. The episode in which Lowell and Joe climb a church steeple was shot at Nantucket's Unitarian Universalist Church, with stand-ins for the actors.

Locals will point out the church, as well as the video store, eateries and Sankaty Head Light House, all of which were pictured on "Wings.''

Of the many shows located and shot in New York City, "Law & Order,'' "Mad About You'' and "NYPD Blue'' are stand outs. "Law & Order'' is almost entirely filmed in New York, with exteriors (and some interiors) shot at the Tweed Courthouse (52 Chambers St.) and other locations city-wide. Many episodes are based on New York's news stories.

"Mad About You'' was shot in Hollywood, but several regularly shown Manhattan locations included an apartment building on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 12th Street (supposedly the home of Paul and Jamie) and Old Town Bar & Restaurant (45 East 18th St.; open daily for lunch and dinner), a landmark eatery that appeared as a bar on "Mad'' and has also been used as a location by David Letterman.

"NYPD Blue'' is shot primarily in Los Angeles but features Big Apple exterior footage and some New York location work. The police station at 321 E. 5th St. serves as the Fifteenth Precinct building on the show. The New York Supreme Court Building (60 Centre St.) has been used for filming, and Room 452 at the courthouse was reproduced on the "NYPD Blue'' set in LA.

Based in Philadelphia, "Amen'' used the gray granite facade of Mount Pisgah African Methodist Church (Spring Garden Street, corner of 41st) as the show's First Community Church, but the show's church interior was very different from that of the actual church, where all are welcome at Sunday services, 11 a.m.

Mount Airy, North Carolina, claims to be the model for Mayberry, the fictional town depicted on "The Andy Griffith Show.'' Many of the city's street names -- Rockford, Spring, Haymore and Main -- were used on the show. City shops and townsfolk were also familiar to viewers.

Snappy Lunch (125 N. Main St.), dating back to 1923 and still open for breakfast and lunch, was mentioned on the show and displays photos of Mayberry on the wall. Next door, Floyd's City Barber Shop (129 N. Main St.), formerly Main Street Barber Shop (the name was changed in the '80s to honor Floyd Lawson's place on the show), offers straight-razor shaves and sells souvenirs.

Visitors can pose for snapshots in the barber chairs. At Rockford and Haymore streets, the school crossing mentioned on the show was the actual school crossing used by Griffith during his childhood in Mount Airy.

The University of Iowa at Iowa City was the scene of exterior shots for the sitcom "Coach.'' Students heading to class were often shown outside Hillcrest Dormitory, a co-ed dorm that appeared as Coach Hayden Fox's office. The Field House served as the show's classroom setting. Outdoor scenes were shot on the football field in Kinnich Stadium.

Greater Los Angeles, the nation's capital of television studio production, has been the backdrop for "Baywatch,'' "Beverly Hills 90210,'' "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' and other shows. Head to Santa Monica and visit the Will Rogers State Beach (Pacific Coast Highway at Temescal Canyon) to see the lifeguard station used on "Baywatch,'' which also filmed at nearby Santa Monica State Beach and other strips of white sand along the California coast from Orange to Ventura Counties.

90210 is indeed the zip code for Beverly Hills, and some of the show's exterior scenes were filmed at Roxbury Park, Beverly Hills Civic Center and other spots around town.

But most regular locations were in other neighborhoods: in 91001, the private residence at 1675 E. Altadena Dr. (off Lake Avenue), Altadena, served as the Walshes' house; in 90510, Torrence High School (2200 W. Carson St., Torrence) was seen as West Beverly High School; in 91401, Grant High School (13000 Oxnard St., Van Nuys) provided classroom interiors for 90210 (and for "The Wonder Years,'' "Life Goes On'' and other shows).

"Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,'' which supposedly took place in Colorado, was shot at Paramount Ranch (Cornell Road, Kanan exit off the Ventura Freeway) in Agoura, California, on a western town movie set built during the 1950s. The ranch, used for filming since the 1920s, was owned by Paramount Studios until 1981, when it was sold to the National Park Service. "Bat Masterson,'' "MacGyver'' and other shows were also filmed at the ranch, which is open to the public from 8 a.m. to sunset daily.

(C) 2001, Jennifer Merin. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

The Original 'Cheers' Web Site
'The Andy Griffith Show' Rerun Watchers Club Official Web Site
'Beverly Hills 90210' Shrine
'Mad About You'
'Baywatch Hawaii'
'NYPD Blue'
Beverly Hills
Greater Boston Tourism Council

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