Ever wonder how to attend a TV taping? I’ve had the chance to attend many tapings over the years, and I’m going to give you some hints and tips here.
Researching the Options
One of the first steps on how to attend a TV taping is to research the options. If you are planning a trip, a quick Google search should help you determine if there’s any TV tapings. The most common cities are Los Angeles/Hollywood and New York City, but things occasionally pop up in places like Atlanta, Nashville, and Miami as well.
Common types of shows are sitcoms, game shows, and talk shows. You may also occasionally see options for things like awards shows, special concerts, and movie premieres as well.
Getting the Tickets
Once you determine what is happening in a city, your next step is to get tickets. Sometimes shows distribute their own tickets on their websites, but often they use an audience coordination company. The two contracted companies that handle most of the audiences are 1iota and On Camera Audiences.
Obtaining tickets varies a lot depending on the show. Some simply allow you to sign up and get confirmed tickets. Others have you submit a request and then you may be assigned tickets. And some very high-demand shows may operate a lottery. SNL is famous for this. You need to email them in the month of August, and out of the hundreds of thousands of entries, a lucky few are selected to attend either a dress rehearsal or a live show.
Arriving at the Studio
Your ticket will give you instructions for arriving at the studio. In Hollywood, some studios have parking options. Warner Bros. has a large parking garage across the street from the studio that is used for audience parking. Radford Studio Center has a parking garage as well, but I’ve also attended tapings there where they had us park at a nearby garage and take a shuttle to the studio.
In New York City, most TV tapings take place in midtown Manhattan, so there’s no parking available at the studios. Fortunately it’s very easy to get around by subways, buses, and taxis. You may get lucky and find some street parking, but it’s a risk.
Checking In
Once you’ve made your way to the studio, you’ll be directed on where to wait or form a queue. It may also depend on the type of ticket you have. There’s generally three types of tickets:
Priority – for VIPs and guests of the cast and crew. A limited number of these tickets may be distributed to the public, especially if there aren’t many VIPs at a taping.
Standard – these tickets are generally distributed to the public. A standard ticket doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get into the taping, but usually they don’t give out more tickets than what the studio capacity can hold.
Standby – these tickets are meant to help fill the seats in case other ticket holders don’t show up. Standby tickets can be risky, as they will distribute many more tickets than necessary. Some popular shows will have people lining up hours before the taping, trying to maximize their chance of getting in. I know when I attended a taping of The Big Bang Theory, there were standby ticket holders that had been there since 6am.
Eventually a staff member will come around to check your tickets and give you any info you may need. They might also distribute wrist bands if they are used.
At some point during the process, you will likely have to go through security. This is similar to airport security, where you’ll empty your pockets and go through a metal detector. In the past, it was common for cell phones and cameras to be banned from the studio. They don’t allow videos or pictures, and also don’t want phones to ring and disrupt the filming. Recently though, I’ve noticed more filmings are allowing you to keep your phone. They’ll just ask you to silence it and not use it during the taping. The only show I’ve attended that allowed photos is Live with Kelly and Ryan. The Talk did allow us to take photos before the show, but not during.
What to Expect During the Taping
When it’s time to start, you’ll be escorted into the studio. Priority ticket holders would be the first to go in, and be assigned the best seats. Then the general ticket holders would follow. If there’s any spare seats, they’ll start to let the standby ticket holders in. On the way in, you may be presented with a program for the episode. I’ve been to some shows that do this, but others do not.
You’ll be shown where to sit, and then a warm-up comedian will come out to get everyone pumped up. They’ll be your host for the duration of the show, explaining what is happening and also entertain the audience during down times.
For game shows and talk shows, the filming is pretty close to what you see on TV. They don’t need a lot of extra time to set things up, and they usually finish up in a reasonable amount of time. The host of the show often comes out before the taping to welcome the audience, and then goes backstage for their official entrance as part of the show.
For sitcoms, the process can be longer. Each scene is filmed several times, and sometimes the writers even come up with alternate jokes and lines on the spot. It can also take time to move between sets, as crew needs to move cameras and equipment, and the cast may need to do costume changes. Because of this, you can often be there for hours. In my experience, sitcom tapings take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. I wouldn’t make any plans for right after, as I’ve heard of some shows that can go even longer. Due to the length of the tapings, you’ll often be given a meal. It’s usually a sandwich or a cold slice of pizza. Nothing gourmet, but it is nice to have something to munch on while you sit there for hours.
While most of the action happens in front of the audience, some sets can be off to the sides. In case you can’t see the scene in front of you, there are screens hanging from the ceiling. You’ll be able to watch everything on those screens.
One the taping ends, you’ll be guided to the exit, and out you go. There generally isn’t an opportunity for photos or autographs. If you are at a taping in Hollywood, I would recommend heading over to Bob’s Big Boy for a bite to eat. It’s a well-known hangout for post-taping celebrations, and I’ve seen a number of actors there.
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