Sit Ubu, sit. (or: Help me be in a Live Studio Audience.)

November 19, 2008 4:21 PM

What sitcoms still film in front of an audience? Bonus points for NYC.

Are there any sitcoms that still film before a live audience? Or is the "filmed before a live studio audience" credits announcement a relic of the 80s? I grew up watching Growing Pains, Family Ties, Perfect Strangers, The Cosby Show, etc., and I've always wanted to see one in action.

I'm in NYC, so if there's anything here, I would be super excited to put myself on a waiting list for 2009 or something. I know all about the talk/game shows (some tape a couple short miles from me here in Queens!) Also, I totally gawked at some CSI filming in Riverside Park a couple weeks ago, and Ugly Betty regularly films on the blocks surrounding me. I'm want a "show up, sit in a studio and laugh when you're supposed to, and the cast will come out and wave at us after taping" experience.

I'm looking for sitcoms/non-reality shows, and I don't care how good or bad they are.

posted by AlisonM to media & arts (12 comments total)

er..."I want," not "I'm want." Yay grammar!
posted by AlisonM at 4:32 PM on November 19, 2008

This site offers ticket info for Rules of Engagement (CBS), Til Death (FOX), Surviving Suburbia (CW), and Rita Rocks (Lifetime), but all film in Los Angeles.
posted by Knappster at 4:36 PM on November 19, 2008

From the same site: "Though many sitcoms are set in New York, very few actually tape there. Currently there are no available TV tickets to any sitcoms in New York because there are no sitcoms filming there at this time. The most recent sitcom that filmed in NY was Hope & Faith which was canceled in 2006."
posted by Knappster at 4:38 PM on November 19, 2008

http://www.ocatv.com/

http://www.nytix.com/

http://www.studioaudiences.com/
posted by legotech at 4:40 PM on November 19, 2008

Oh, lame with the non NY stuff! Well, I guess if I can't have NYC-taping sitcoms, wherever will do, and my plans will have to be more intricate. This is one of my dreams/goals. (And yes, it's a frivolous goal...but a goal nonetheless.)
posted by AlisonM at 4:46 PM on November 19, 2008

tvtickets.com, which seems to be the site of the actual company booking audiences. It's a fun thing to do if you're visiting LA. The lead times for sitcome are less than you might expect. You can see them tape Big Bang Theory next Tuesday if you want.
posted by smackfu at 4:47 PM on November 19, 2008

Not a sitcom, but Conan or the Daily Show or Colbert will fulfill the "show up, sit in a studio and laugh when you're supposed to, and the cast will come out and wave at us after taping" experience.
posted by nitsuj at 4:48 PM on November 19, 2008

nitsuj - thanks...but I've done 2 out of the 3! Fun and awesome and recommended....but, as you said, not a sitcom.

(My silly crush on Jon Stewart increased by about a million after seeing The Daily Show live.)
posted by AlisonM at 4:51 PM on November 19, 2008

Also not exactly what you're looking for, but Letterman tapes at around 3 PM, and there's a ticket lottery earlier in the day. If you really want to ensure that you make it in, go on a Wednesday, when all the tourists are in Broadway matinees.
posted by lemonwheel at 5:20 PM on November 19, 2008

Man, I can't remember the last sitcom to tape in NY. I think Spin City and Cosby were the last two.
posted by any major dude at 5:28 PM on November 19, 2008

want a "show up, sit in a studio and laugh when you're supposed to, and the cast will come out and wave at us after taping" experience...and I don't care how good or bad they are.

Not a sitcom, but SNL fits that descriptions purrrrrfectly. Maybe not last week's because Paul Rudd and Justin Timberlake made it awesome.
posted by spec80 at 9:19 PM on November 19, 2008

The only sitcom currently filming in NY is 30 Rock, which, unlike sitcoms of the past, is not filmed "in front of a live studio audience." Before that, the last was Hope and Faith (the one with Kelly Ripa and whosis from Murphy Brown) which ended a couple of years ago. NY is all about the talk shows (including Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart as well as the Comedy Central stuff and the late nighters) and SNL.
posted by Dreama at 10:12 PM on November 19, 2008