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I Visited The black-ish Set At ABC Studios!! Check Out The Tour

I visited the black-ish set and have so many pictures to share with you from behind the scenes. Are you a fan of the show? It is hilarious! I am OBSESSED with set visits.

Blackish Set Visit

Where Is black-ish filmed?

Before I get into the whole set visit, I am sure you want to know where blackish is filmed! Well, all interior shots are filmed on location inside ABC Studios. You will be able to see LOTS of those photos in my post.

However, the exterior of the Johnson family house is located at 4175, Stansbury Avenue in Sherman Oaks. But I will tell you, they’ve recreated the majority of that in the studio as well. I walked through the front door and stood in their backyard. All those shots are done in the studio as well. The crew knows how to play with lighting.

I Visited The black-ish Set At ABC Studios!! Check Out The Tour

Right after I had my first child, I decided that I would start doing “extra work” in NYC on TV shows and movies. I wanted to get a look at the behind the scenes action of my favorite shows.

It all started when I found out that Sex and the City was going off the air. What? NO! I had to be a part of it in some way. People thought I was crazy, but I figured out how to make it happen and it happened. Then I just kept going.

One set after the other. Movies like Hitch, The Day After Tomorrow, Tadpole, and even The Sopranos… Bill and I walked in the background. I was always so curious about how it all worked. I LOVED the finished product. But what’s under the hood? I needed to know!

When ABC and Disney invited me to LA to visit the set of black-ish, you know I jumped. Another peek behind the curtain!! And I can have this peek without having to sit around for 3 hours waiting for my turn to walk 5 steps just to sit back down for another 3 hours. (Yes, extra work was super glamorous!)

Off to LA I went alongside 25 other mom bloggers from around the country. Maxine Shepard,  black-ish Production Designer was kind enough to walk us around and show us the full set.  Here are my photos from that afternoon.

Inside The black-ish House

Blackish Set Visit

First off — know this. Those steps lead to nowhere. BOOM! First secret. I LOVE IT. The house is all on a set. It’s not real. And the floors are actually both on the first level. So the stairs give the illusion that it’s a real house, but it’s NOT. I can’t get over it!

I always thought they just rented a HOUSE. The entire thing is FAKE. It’s all in a stage. The windows have paintings outside to look like there is greenery outside.

When they need to film outdoor scenes, they have a place they go to – of course. But the VAST majority of their filming takes place on SET at the ABC STUDIOS. Blew my mind…. BLEW MY MIND!

It makes sense though – this way they can film whenever they want and control cost. Imagine having to rent someone’s house to shoot for an entire season. Cha-CHING.

RELATED: My Exclusive Interview with the black-ish CAST

Blackish Set Visit

Secondly – most of the accessory pieces you will find on set can be found at your local stores. This is not a family that comes from old money who would have lots of heirloom pieces.

So, the prop coordinators shop where you and I shop – think IKEA. But of course, they have much better taste than me.

Everyone was asking questions about the show and in my head I was like, “now what color paint is this? And where did you get those curtains? How much would you cost to come my house and… do ALL OF THIS??????” INSANE.

You can see a patio right outside of the dining room doors – that is real. You will get a glance at that in a bit.

Blackish Set Visit

The master bedroom was filled with cool tones and soft fabrics. I loved how they really paid attention to detail here. Like leaving the lotion on the nightstand. It FELT LIVED IN. But as I was standing admiring the bedding, I felt something calling me to the right. I didn’t understand the sensation.

Blackish Set Visit

I just knew that I had to go where my body was pulling me. It felt like home. It felt right. It was…. the biggest walk-in closet I have ever seen. Are you kidding me? I almost cried the ugly cry when I saw the whole thing. Clearly, I don’t own enough shoes. 

The twins’ room was adorable and throughout the house, you would find fun family photos of the group. I mentioned in my interview post about them that the cast already FELT like family. So, seeing these shots actually made me really smile. I love this group. I really do.

As you can see, they built out a real patio outside of the mock home. They lined it with fake trees and then pull a large paper background around the entire corner when they shoot that has a drawing of a backyard. The magic of TV!

Screen Shot 2014-11-18 at 8.38.45 AM

This Week’s Episode:

“Oedipal Triangle”- Dre’s mother, Ruby (guest star Jenifer Lewis), comes for a visit, and she smothers her pork chops with gravy, Dre with love, and would like to flat out smother Bow, who feels the same way about her.

Dre tries to find a way to get the two most important women in his life to get along, on “black-ish,” WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19 (9:31-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
(ABC/Kelsey McNeal) MARSAI MARTIN, JENIFER LEWIS

Will you tune in to watch?? I hope so because this ABC Comedy is one not to miss!

* Disney and ABC flew me out to LA to interview the cast of black-ish and take part in this set visit. All opinions are my own.

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