Where in New York is Television Filming?

Spotted: Blair Waldorf and her entourage lounging on the steps of the Met, snacking on yogurt and plotting Jenny Humphrey’s downfall. Betty Suarez enjoying a block party in her Queens neighborhood. Liz Lemon clutching a bag of Sabor de Soledad and running frantically through Rockefeller Center.

One of the greatest things about New York is the possibility of walking down a street and spotting the trailers, lighting fixtures, and craft-services tables that indicate a TV or movie shoot is taking place. At the moment, there are at least a dozen series taping all around the city—and if you’re a savvy TV fan, you’ve got a good chance of getting to see one of them in action, as long as you know where to look.

Start by staking out Central Park, especially the area around Bethesda Fountain. The 843-acre oasis is one of the best places in the city to find murder victims, if you’re in an episode of Law & Order or one of its spinoffs. The park’s also been the site of shoots for shows like 30 Rock, Project Runway, and Saturday Night Live (remember “Lazy Sunday?”).

Next, venture over the Williamsburg Bridge and into Brooklyn. The borough is housing the newest Real World cast, and the cooks competing in Season Five of Top Chef are also reportedly living there (and shopping at Whole Foods outlets around the city). Brooklyn’s also home to the Packer Collegiate Institute, which stands in for the fictional Constance Billard and St. Jude’s schools on Gossip Girl.

If you’re really serious about TV-star spotting, make the trek to Long Island City, Queens. That’s where you’ll find Silvercup Studios, home of interior sets for 30 Rock, Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty, and the new Fox thriller Fringe. Another big Long Island City locale is Broadway Stages, the studio where scenes for Lipstick Jungle, Rescue Me, and Third Watch are shot.

Too lazy to run around the city in search of TV shoots? Don’t worry—you might get lucky and run into cameras right here in Morningside Heights. Just a few weeks ago, Gossip Girl filmed scenes right on campus—as a fill-in for Yale, but still, it’s progress. Columbia is the alma mater of illustrious fictional characters like Marshall on How I Met Your Mother, Jessie Spano of Saved By the Bell, and both Will and Grace. Barnard even served as the backdrop to the short-lived 2006 series The Bedford Diaries. Considering all that, it can’t be long before the Low Steps become a location for another TV show. Wouldn’t Lost’s time-traveling fifth season greatly benefit from including a scene of Jack Shephard, Columbia grad, hanging out in his freshman dorm? We’re guessing he lived in John Jay.