Television Tours and Tapings
Television Tours and Tapings
NBC Television Studio Tour (818) 840-3537
3000 W. Alameda Ave
Burbank, CA 91523
Adults - $6.00, Children (5-12) - $3.75, Under 5 free.
Tickets go on sale at this address at 9:00 a.m. on a first come, first served basis for all tours that day. You must then come back at your assigned tour time. Tours are often sold out by noon. No reservations are taken over the phone.
I don't recommend taking young children to television tapings. Remember that, unlike most other activities, they are doing you a favor by letting you watch them work. They don't have time to deal with your children.
Studio audience tickets are free but are in no way a guarantee of getting a seat. If you think airlines overbook seats, wait till you see this setup! Personal guests of anyone with any power on the production get first priority. Then comes the VIP guests who know anyone at the studio. Next come the people on tour buses or who have been rounded up at Mann's Chinese Theater and bussed over to the studio. After all these people are seated, they start letting in the people standing in line with their free tickets.
The Tonight Show is probably the most popular for audience tickets. Generally the biggest names are on at the end of the week and seats are scarcest then. It really is a treat to watch. The production is top notch. Jay Leno usually comes out to talk to the audience before the show then they go straight through the program in one take. If you are a jazz buff, the band alone is worth all the hassle.
Situation comedies are a bit different. There is usually a very funny, very friendly 'warm-up' person to pump up the audience. He also acts as the tour guide explaining the production goings-on during the many interruptions to change sets or reshoot scenes. First season series are the worst. I went to an early Roseanne taping which took 3 hours for a half hour program. The jokes were funny the first time but we deserved actors' wages for laughing on the fourth take.
Write to 'NBC Tickets' at the address above. Specify the show name, number of tickets, and dates desired. Be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
You can also get tickets at the box office (same address) or at City Walk next to Universal Studios.
Write to 'CBS Tickets' at the above address. Follow the same instructions as for NBC.
The box office is open from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. Monday through Friday. The taping schedule for about two months is available at (213) 852-2458.
The box office is open 8:30 to 6:00 (M-F) and 12:00 to 5:00 on Weekends
Recorded ticket information is available at (818) 506-0067.
Jeopardy information is at (310) 280-8855.
Wheel of Fortune information is at (213) 852-2458.
If you are in Universal Studios Tour ask about tickets to their productions.
Get free television tickets through the Internet.
L.A. County Museum of Art is at 5905 Wilshire between downtown and Century City (213) 857-6000. Next door is the La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum containing the remains of the Ice Age animals trapped in the tar.
The new Getty Center ((310) 440-7300 ) is not only the home of one of the largest art collections in the country but has a 270 degree view of the Pacific to downtown. There are multiple viewpoints as well as picnic areas. Admission is free but parking is $5 and requires advanced reservations. Alternatively you can park at UCLA and take a public 561 bus from the corner of Hilgard and Sunset for $1.35 each way or take a taxi for about $8.50 from Westwood.
J. Paul Getty Museum (17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu) is closed until 2001. This reproduction of a 1st-century Herculaneum villa will be the home of the antiquities collection. You must call (310) 458-2003 in advance to get parking reservations.
A very complete listing of museums, art galleries, and performing arts is available at Art Direct.
Ticketmaster has its schedule online.
My personal favorite is the Comedy page.
For discount tickets to L.A. plays, concerts, and other events call M.O.T.H.E.R. at (310) 399-1044. This is a division of On The House, a membership outlet for free tickets to Los Angeles residents.
Since the entertainment is always changing, you may want to go to a library to find a copy of the L.A. Times Sunday Calendar section for an extensive selection of entertainment options including clubs, concerts, plays, and ticket scalping agencies.
If you have comments about this page or would like to suggest additional picks or pans of interest to visitors to Southern California, we would be happy to hear from you.
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