Best New York Based Television Shows

The greatest city in the world is New York; there’s no other place that could come close. As a film and culture junkie, some of my favorite films (and the greatest films of all time) take place in this great city. As someone who also lived and worked in this amazing city, I can confirm how it offers a variety of life, and every train ride in makes the new day feel like an adventure, even the grumpiest of Mondays somehow get better when I see the skyline as my train passes through the Meadowlands of New Jersey.

Another way to experience New York secondhand is immersing yourself into a NY-based television show. It’s the easiest way to experience New York City without having to deal with New Jersey Transit, or tourists around some of the best parts of the city. It’s also interesting dating the setting. For example, Mad Men would be a lot different than Seinfeld, which would be a lot different than Mr. Robot.

Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite shows that do an amazing job at offering a look at New York, each with different characters to interact with the concrete jungle. There are so many amazing New York based TV shows, it is hard to pick out some of the best.

Mad Men

Set in the 1960s on Madison Avenue, viewers follow creative director Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and newly hired secretary Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) as she begins her job at a major ad agency, Sterling Cooper. There is an eclectic cast of characters that Peggy and Don interact with, as they all experience the many changes America faced during the 1960, along with the day-to-day life of an ad agency. There will never be as good or as smart of a show out there like Mad Men, as the amount of detail and thought went into every episode makes me appreciate everything even more each re-watch.

WHY IS IT SO NEW YORK? The style, the historical events happening in the 1960s, along with the distinct characteristics between New York and LA once the show went bi-coastal make it stand out. Viewers also got a look at the personal lives of many characters throughout the show, from Peggy’s eventual apartment in Brooklyn to the suburban Westchester life Don Draper lives with his seemingly cookie-cutter family. The skyscraper views we also get from the office windows at Sterling Cooper remind us of the location, even though the Madison Avenue life is a world of its own.

Seinfeld

In this award-winning series, Jerry Seinfeld stars as a fictional version of himself, in a “show about nothing”. Its cast includes Jason Alexander, Julia Louis Dreyfus, and Michael Richards, and fixate on the minutiae of their lives. There are so many iconic lines and the lexicon that came from this television show, like “yada-yada-yada” and “no soup for you!”.

WHY IS IT SO NEW YORK? The better question is how isn't it so New York? George Costanza works for the New York Yankees for a while. How about Tom’s Restaurant on 112th Street and Broadway, where so many opening shots are taken? You can even take a self-guided tour around New York that centers around the TV show!

How I Met Your Mother

Nothing infuriated me more than the series finale of HIMYM with its many contradictions, from a whole series point-of-view (I also cried a lot). Nonetheless, one of the smartest comedies out there always loops back to previous episodes. Even though it does not require a chronological viewing, it is highly suggested to do so for the full effect. The characters are distinct and relatable. The protagonist, architect Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) falls in and out of love, searching for “the one” while experiencing other growing pains with his best friends, Marshal and Barney (Jason Segal and Neil Patrick Harris, respectively). The story is narrated by America’s dad, Bob Saget, as the show is told in flashback to his kids. The unique structure of this show makes it hard to miss, and its cult following proves how great it is.

WHY IS IT SO NEW YORK? Anyone who’s taken the drunk train can definitely relate to Barney’s tales of the last train out of Grand Central. The gang also constantly meets up in the bar MacClaren’s (based on McGee’s bar on W 55th) and participates in New York City-centric events (New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, etc).

Friends

Any major 90s junkie will know the show well, and be able to quote it. An eclectic group of friends in their 20s live in New York, as they further. This sitcom offers many moments of fun and levity, and we all know that we aren’t alone when it’s time to start adulting.

WHY IS IT SO NEW YORK? A good portion of the shows take place in a coffee shop called Central Perk. Can we also mention the unrealistic apartment goals, considering the career paths everyone is pursuing? I’m lucky if I can get a shoebox less than $2000 in midtown, let alone a spacious kitchen like Monica’s. Plus, I think we can all relate to having that one neighbor who doesn't own a single privacy shade for their windows.

Sex and the City

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Davis star as the iconic girlfriends who remain inseparable in the ever-changing world that is New York. Parker narrates as Carrie Bradshaw, a writer whose column is the same name of the show. The four distinct personalities have become ways girlfriends and fans alike will describe themselves as, and aspire to be. As an aspiring writer hoping to live the glamorous life in New York, I can definitely understand the trials and tribulations one must go through to get there.

WHY IS IT SO NEW YORK? The city has been considered the fifth main character of the television show, as New York offers such a variety of life. Anyone fashion-obsessed has major wardrobe envy of the main characters. There are also self-guided tours you can take to take the same steps as Carrie Bradshaw.

The Nanny

The theme song explains the show the best. After her fiance breaks up with her and she loses her job at a bridal dress shop, Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) stumbles upon an interview for a nanny position for Max Sheffeld (Charles Shaughnessy), a Broadway producer. By a stroke of luck, Fran becomes the Nanny and takes care of the family. The show is screwball comedy in nature, and not a line is wasted.

WHY IS IT SO NEW YORK? One of the brilliant things about The Nanny was its ability to use Mr. Sheffield’s job as a Broadway producer to its full advantage. There were so many cameos with celebrities as themselves, as Marvin Hamlisch would casually play the piano in the Sheffield’s living room, and Jay Leno would need a dogsitter. I also get major whitestone envy, as the beautiful Sheffield home is too perfect.

I Love Lucy

Regarded as one of the most influential sitcoms in history, I Love Lucy is about Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) and her reputation for getting herself into trouble whenever she tries to make it into show business. It takes place in her New York City apartment building, and her ambition is admirable and funny. I Love Lucy was the first sitcom to use three cameras, and the first American television show shot in front of a live studio audience. From this show, we also get the iconic best friend duo we all strive to be, Lucy and Ethel (Vivian Vance).

WHY IS IT SO NEW YORK? The show takes place in her apartment building, where you befriend your neighbors and landlords. The situational comedy there is relatable to anyone who has ever had to share a living space. The show is immortalized at a museum in Jamestown, New York, where you can walk through a replica of the Ricardo household and experience all the Love.