So says Architectural Digest"The 26 Most Iconic TV Interiors of the Past 100 Years"

A neat trick, since television broadcasting itself hasn't been around for 100 years.

This list is far too heavy on shows from the 1980s and 1990s. Worse, there are some dubious choices, and some glaring omissions:

  • the 12th Precinct squadroom and the captain's office from Barney Miller
  • Hill Street Station from Hill Street Blues
  • the Emergency Department at County General Hospital from ER
  • 704 Houser Street from All in the Family
  • St. Eligius Hospital from St. Elsewhere
  • Jim Phelps's apartment from Mission: Impossible
  • Jim Rockford's trailer from The Rockford Files
  • The huts from Gilligan's Island
  • The Batcave from Batman

That's off the top of my head. 

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  • When I saw The Most Iconic TV Interiors. I thought "That'll be American TV Interiors, won't it?"  I wasn't entirely correct, as Architectural Digest's list does include Downton Abbey.  But that's it.  They even include the US remake of The Office rather than Ricky Gervais's original British series.

    A few other interiors from British TV shows that might be thought worthy of inclusion:

    • The yard from Steptoe and Son (original for Sanford and Son).
    • Fletcher's cell from Porridge (UK original).
    • Ivy's cafe from Last of the Summer Wine (the longest-running sitcom in the world, which ran for 37 years and 295 episodes, every one of was by the same writer, Roy Clarke).
    • The various versions of the Tardis control room in Dr Who.
  • I would have included:

    • the Cunningham home from Happy Days
    • the Jupiter II from Lost In Space
    • the Hatch from LOST
    • 1313 Mockingbird Lane from The Munsters
    • the mansion from The Adams Family
    • the Hall of Justice from The Super Friends
    • the Robin Masters' Estate from Magnum, P.I.
    • the Ingalls home from Little House on the Prairie
    • the beach house from The Monkees
    • Stalag 13 from Hogan's Heroes
  • Other iconic TV interiors I would include:

    • Jim West's luxury train car from The Wild Wild West
    • the 27th Precinct squadroom and the New York Supreme Court* courtroom from original Law & Order
    • the Clampett mansion from The Beverly Hillbillies
    • Mel's Diner from Alice
    • the inside of Jeannie's bottle from I Dream of Jeannie
    • the sheriff's office and jail from The Andy Griffith Show


    * In New York State, the court at the trial level is called "Supreme Court." The highest court in New York State, what most other states call "Supreme Court,"** is called the "New York Court of Appeals."

    ** In the state of Maryland, the trial level is District Court. Appeals are in the "Court of Special Appeals, and the highest court is called the "Court of Appeals."

  • I have never watched Friends, and never will, but I have involuntarily learned a lot about the show from the unending stream of stories about it. But I assume the apartment they all hung around in and the coffee shop (which had a punny name I don't remember) would count.

    Also, Seinfeld's apartment and his coffee shop would probably count.

  • * In New York State, the court at the trial level is called "Supreme Court." The highest court in New York State, what most other states call "Supreme Court,"** is called the "New York Court of Appeals."

    ** In the state of Maryland, the trial level is District Court. Appeals are in the "Court of Special Appeals, and the highest court is called the "Court of Appeals."

    In California the local trial court is called Superior Court. Several years ago, the Municipal Courts and Justice Courts (Justice of the Peace), that previously handled lawsuits and misdemeanors, were all converted to Superior Courts.

  • The coffee shop from Friends is called "Central Perk". 

    I forgot to add 

    • the Swamp from M*A*S*H*
    • the depot from Taxi
    • the Daily Planet office from The Adventures of Superman
    • the wax museum from Monster Squad
    • the bridge from Star Trek: the Next Generation
  • Captain Comics said:

    I have never watched Friends, and never will, but I have involuntarily learned a lot about the show from the unending stream of stories about it. But I assume the apartment they all hung around in and the coffee shop (which had a punny name I don't remember) would count.

    Also, Seinfeld's apartment and his coffee shop would probably count.

    Those actually are on the Architectural Digest list.

    But you know what else isn't on their list? 

    • Fred Sanford's home from Sanford and Son
    • Maxwell Smart's apartment from Get Smart
    • Station 51 from Emergency!
    • The Evans family apartment from Good Times
    • The Petries' home from The Dick Van Dyke Show

    They don't even have Shedon's and Leonard's apartment, the broken elevator and the staircase from The Big Bang Theory!

  • How about the Brady home from Brady Bunch?

    Or the Cunningham home from Happy Days? There was a diner too, I think.

    How about the Kent farm on Smallville? That was recently re-used on Supergirl. Also, the Daily Planet was memorable on Smallville -- so much so that I recognized the elevator on some other show (that I don't remember).

  • I'm actually working up my own article, because seeing what they did, I know I could have done a better job. I may not know architecture, but I know TV trivia. 

    Wish me luck.

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