Who doesn’t love New York City? There's so much content and atmosphere to work with in the city that never sleeps. However, many of your favorite TV shows known for being about NYC are not necessarily filmed there. Shows like Seinfeld, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and even the majority of NYPD Blue were filmed in Los Angeles. So what about those shows that actually do use NYC as the setting as well as the set? To be fair, it is not exactly easy to film in NYC, but it is possible. There is a healthy list of shows that accomplished it well. Here are 15 such examples.

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The Law & Order Franchise (1990-Present)

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Image via NBC

It’s hard to not mention the Law & Order franchise when it comes to shows set and filmed in New York. Since its debut back in 1990, the franchise has been a New York staple. The original series spawned a bunch of spinoffs including SVU, Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury, True Crime, Organized Crime, and Law & Order: Los Angeles. SVU has been the most successful as it is still running since its premiere in 1999. Law & Order is also a great show to watch to see your favorite Broadway actors as they pop up plenty in a New York based show that seems to shoot right down the street from your favorite theaters.

Smash (2012-2013)

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Image Via NBC

And speaking of Broadway, a show like Smash which is about writing and producing a Broadway musical, it’d be pretty hard to film it anywhere else. Smash was short-lived, but sure gained a cult follower especially in the theater community. The show starred Debra Messing and Angelica Houston, but was also filled with Broadway stars such as Christian Borle, Leslie Odom, Jr, Jeremy Jordan, Will Chase, Megan Hilty, Brain d’Arcy James, and Krysta Rodriguez just to name a few. The show was so popular the cast even performed a reunion concert of Bombshell the show within the show. It was so successful that it has long been rumored that it will soon be a feature length stage show on the Great White Way.

Sex and the City (1998-2004) & And Just Like That (2021-Present)

The Darren Star mega-hit about four women thriving in New York City is just about as New York as you can get. The original starred Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie, a New York based writer who is famous for her sex column and her three best friends Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte, (Kristin Davis) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall). The revival And Just Like That, began last year at HBO Max with all the cast coming back except Cattrall. The entire cast informed style trends for the entirety of its run.

30 Rock (2006-2013)

A woman is happy and throwing her hand in the air

When you title your show after a famous building in New York, it’s pretty obvious you’re going to have to film there. 30 Rock is a nickname for 30 Rockefeller Center where Saturday Night Live and many talk shows are filmed. Also, when your creator is a long-time New Yorker like Tina Fey, it’s a done deal. This hilarious comedy about the behind the scenes antics of a Saturday Night Live type show written by one of SNL most famous alumni is one of the best sitcoms of all time. With Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Alec Baldwin, and Jack McBrayer, it has produced countless memes and catchphrases that have entered our lexicon forever.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020)

Another Tina Fey creation, another show filmed in New York. Playing off a famous headline of a bunch of girls who were found in a bunker after many years, the show introduces Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) being introduced to the modern world and learning how to navigate her new life. She immediately teams up with the incomparable Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess), her new boss Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski), and her landlady Lillian (Carol Kane) in this silly, yet hysterical comedy. Fey's most recent show Girls 5Eva is also filmed and set in New York City.

Third Watch (1999-2005)

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Image via NBC

If it is a show about New York first responders, it would be insulting to film it in another location. Third Watch was a hit show about paramedics, firefighters, and cops in New York during the 3pm-11pm shift otherwise known as the third watch. It also launched the careers of such actors as Bobby Cannavale, Molly Price, and Kim Raver. The show was in the middle of its run when 9/11 occurred. The series filmed a two part special episode, one taking place on the morning of the attack and one a week later afterwards. They dedicated it to the first responders of New York City.

Gotham (2014-2019)

David Mazouz and Ben Mckenzie in Gotham
Image via Fox

When a fictional city is modeled after New York City, there’s really only one place to host the production. With its five seasons, Gotham took a look at the Batman world about ten years earlier with Ben McKenzie as a young James Gordon. A young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) who has just lost his parents, falls under the care of Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee) as he navigates his way into being the eventual caped crusader. Gordon also gets to encounter a bunch of future villains such as Catwoman (Camren Bicondova), The Riddler (Cory Michael Smith), and Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), just to name a few as we the audience get to enjoy their origin stories.

Flight of the Conchords (2007-2010)

The story about two New Zealanders who just want to become successful in the US was a surprise hit. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement won over everybody with their unique brand of comedy and their original songs as they along with their manager Murray (Rhys Darby) and their number one fan, Mel (Kristen Schaal) took to the streets of New York to try and make a name for themselves once and for all.

Jessica Jones (2015-2019), Luke Cage (2016-2018), & Iron Fist (2017-2018)

Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones in Jessica Jones
Image via Netflix

Before launching their Disney+ shows, Marvel launched these darker projects on Netflix. They were all set (and filmed) in New York, and they were all very gritty. Jessica Jones (Kristin Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Danny Rand aka the Iron Fist (Finn Jones) all had their own TV shows years before there was a thought about WandaVision. None lasted more than two seasons, but they are very well done and gone way too soon.

Gossip Girl (2007-2012)

Chace Crawford as Nate Archibald
Image Via Max

Hey, Upper East Siders, Gossip Girl is back - it actually is with a reboot on HBO Max in 2021. But the OG version starring Blake Lively as the dream girl Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf was a smash hit. It made all of us envy their style, their school, their clicks, and their lifestyles in Manhattan as the mysterious Gossip Girl reported on their every waking moment. Back lots on studios are well done, but there’s no way you can replicate the Upper East Side. Xoxo.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-Present)

When a housewife stumbles into the world of standup comedy in the late 1950s on the Upper West Side, New York comes alive once again. Rachel Brosnahan gives a brilliant performance as Midge and the show about her life as a woman comedian in a male-dominated industry has been littered with awards during its run. The show is also filled with guest spots from Broadway stars, comedians and plenty of Gilmore Girls alums as the show is created by Amy Sherman Palladino. It will end its run next season, but its lasting impression as a New York stalwart will last forever.

The Following (2013-2015)

An oft overlooked stellar performance by Kevin Bacon as Ryan Hardy, an FBI agent who discovers that a serial killer (James Purefoy) he helped capture has escaped. Shot all around New York, the story is a fascinating story of a cult with many twists and turns. The show only lasted for three seasons, but ironically enough, gained a cult following. It's a great binge-watch if you're in need of a good thriller with some good jump scares.

Broad City (2014-2019)

Abbi and Ilana walking down the street in Broad City.

When two friends move to the big city to follow their dreams, many comedic hijinks follow. Starting with a web series, Broad City premiered on Comedy Central and starred Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Together, the two comedians walk us through life in New York and what you have to do to try and “make it” in the Big Apple. Glazer has since gone on to star in the Apple+ show The Afterparty while Jacobson is currently created and is starring in Amazon Prime Video's A League of Their Own.

Only Murders in the Building (2021-Present)

Charles, Mabel, and Oliver peeking through a doorframe in Only Murders In The Building.
Image via Hulu

The unlikely, but wonderful, comedy threesome of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez become true-crime podcast detectives as they discover a murder in their Upper West Side apartment complex. The New York setting is perfect for the variety of personalities they encounter in their building where everyone looks guilty at all times. It is a lovely ode to old New York as well as some thrilling unsolved mysteries and Selena Gomez' remarkable coat collection.

Girls (2012-2017)

A story about a group of girls living in Brooklyn is filmed in, well, Brooklyn. Lena Dunham created and starred in Girls as the lead character Hannah. It’s a story of her and her pals Marnie (Allison Williams), Jessa (Jemima Kirke), and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) as they figure out their lives post-college. Girls was an honest and unapologetic look at how girls in their 20s act and live. It also introduces a young Adam Driver to the world, and for that, we will forever be grateful.