The 10 Most Iconic TV Locations, From Saul Goodman’s Office to ‘The Office’
Location, location, location. There are many things that can help make a TV show memorable, and having iconic spots that have a big impact on the narrative or are simply a ton of fun to hang out in is a big factor.
There are countless TV locations ingrained in popular culture, from the elegant yet ominous super meth lab of Breaking Badto the gigantic and mysterious tropical island of Lost. For whatever reason, these places have a magical appeal that causes audiences to be fascinated by them.
Downton Abbey from ‘Downton Abbey’ (2010-2015)
The titular estate of Downton Abbey, formerly a clerical property, is the sprawling home of the Crawley family and their servants. The ITV period soap opera mostly examines the relationships between the members of this aristocratic dynasty developing in the estate.
The show is enveloping and absorbing, with riveting characters and phenomenal technical qualities. Yet the most important part of the series’ attractiveness may be the setting, which soon becomes a character in itself.
The Red Room from ‘Twin Peaks’ (1990-1991) and ‘Twin
Cerebral, mysterious, and as impenetrably surrealistic as you’d expect a work of David Lynch to be, Twin Peaks follows an FBI agent investigating a young woman’s murder in an odd town. Connected to a grove in this town was a bizarre extradimensional space in the form of an alluring red room.
The Batcave from ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992-1995)
In fiction, few locations are as iconic as Batman’s den, the Batcave. One of its most famous and memorable iterations can be found in the classic Batman: The Animated Series.
The Batcave is full of the Caped Crusader’s vehicles and gadgets, housing the Batcomputer, some Batsuits, and even trophies acquired by Batman in his fights against crime, such as a giant animatronic dinosaur and a giant penny that Two-Face once used.
The Superlab from ‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013) and ‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-2022)
First appearing in the third season of Breaking Bad, the superlab was a huge meth lab fitted with state-of-the-art technology, built by Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) under an industrial laundry business.
In Breaking Bad, it was an impressive but sinister place with a constant sense of tragedy hanging over it. With the incredible backstory it got in Better Call Saul, it became one of the most narratively rich locations in either show, an embodiment of inhumanity with literal dead bodies as its foundation.
BoJack’s House from ‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014-2020)
In all of animated television, few images are as instantly recognizable as BoJack’s house from BoJack Horseman, a show about a horse (voiced by Will Arnett) who was the star of a very famous TV show back in the ’90s but has slowly been nearing rock bottom.
Aside from having a realistic but unique and unforgettable appearance, BoJack’s cliffside home is where many of the show’s most pivotal moments take place. It’s the place that sees the protagonist’s highest highs and lowest lows.
King’s Landing from ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019) and ‘House of the Dragon’ (2022-)
The capital and largest city of the vast Six Kingdoms of the Game of Thrones universe, King’s Landing is the home of the Iron Throne and the Red Keep and arguably one of the most crucial locales in the whole story.
It’s a warm, overpopulated, and problematic place. It’s luxurious for those with enough luck and resources but often very dangerous for those in the slums. It’s visually impressive, and it truly feels like a metropolis that is sprawling and busy and lived-in, making it perhaps the most entertaining spot in all of Westeros.
Saul’s Office from ‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013) and ‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-2022)
Watching only Breaking Bad, the office of Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) is an almost humorous place: The nest of the show’s comic relief character, the elegant and portentous working place of a man who often seems too pathetic for it.
One of the many things that Better Call Saul masterfully recontextualizes is the underlying meaning beneath Saul’s office. It’s an almost perfect façade for the fragmented man who sits at the desk; it’s big, but it feels empty, the writing on the walls is but an afterthought to Saul, and even the pillars seemingly holding the roof fall with surprising ease.
The Island from ‘Lost’ (2004-2010)
Though it lost some fans as it progressed and became increasingly contrived, it’s undeniable that the setting of Lost, a large island full of unexplainable mysteries, was absolutely riveting from start to finish.
As the series’ complexity grew and more elements began to be introduced, the island became all the more fascinating and rich. Even though no one can honestly say that they fully understand everything that was going on there throughout the events of Lost, that doesn’t mean it was any less intriguing a location.
The Scranton Branch of Dunder Mifflin — ‘The Office’ (2005-2013)
One of the most beloved sitcoms in all of television, the US version of The Office is a mockumentary show following events in the daily work life of a paper company office with rather… unconventionally colorful characters.
Central Perk from ‘Friends’ (1994-2004)
If someone went to the fictional Central Perk coffeehouse in New York, they’d probably have trouble finding a good seat because the central spot is always taken up by the six main characters of Friends, unarguably one of the biggest sitcoms ever to hit TV.
Although the titular friends’ apartments are also incredibly iconic TV locations, Central Perk may be the most popular not just of the whole show but all of television. It’s colorful, dynamic, instantly recognizable, and a lovely place to hang out with the characters.
