(WHTM) — Pennsylvania has been used as a production location for many famous films and popular TV shows have been based in Pennsylvania, but what TV shows used the Commonwealth as a filming location?
Here’s abc27’s list of some TV shows that were filmed in Pennsylvania!
The Goldbergs (2013-2023)
abc’s The Goldbergs is a sitcom based in the 1980s told through the video camera of an 11-year-old boy. The show is based in (not filmed in) Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, however a popular Midstate attraction makes an appearance in the show’s sixth season.
“Hersheypark,” is the title of season six episode four, and features the Goldberg family having fun at Pennsylvania’s largest amusement park!
A t-shirt that says “I survived the SooperDooperLooper” even makes an appearance on one of the show’s characters.
Justified (2010-2015)
Justified follows Deputy Raylan Givens and his “wild-west” methods of catching criminals with the United States Marshal Service. Despite the show being based in Kentucky, a large portion of filming for Justified was done in Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh, Kittanning, and Washington, Pennsylvania are all listed as filming locations.
Mindhunter (2017-2019)
This Netflix show tells the story of FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they try to decode the minds and psyches of serial killers. The show’s first season takes place across the United States, and the second season features murders in Atlanta in the 1970s and 80s.
A majority of Mindhunter was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but other Pennsylvania locations were used such as Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, and Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
Banshee (2013-2016)
Set in Banshee, Pennsylvania, a fictional Amish country town, Banshee follows an ex-con who takes over the identity of the town’s murdered sheriff to hide from a crime lord. Despite the show taking place in Pennsylvania Amish country, only season four was filmed in Pittsburgh and Vandergrift, Pennsylvania.
The show was filmed in North Carolina for the first three seasons but then moved to film in Pennsylvania after the North Carolina legislature ended tax incentives for filming TV shows and movies.
Dance Moms (2011-2019)
Dance Moms is a reality TV show about moms and their kids who are trying to become dancing stars. Because of various dance competitions throughout the country, Dance Moms filmed in many locations. Pittsburgh and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania are both listed as filming locations for the show.
Married at First Sight (2014-Present)
Married at First Sight is a reality TV show in which people agree to be matched with and legally married to a stranger based on survey results reviewed by various experts. Filming for season eight took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Amazing Race (2001-Present)
If you are familiar with The Amazing Race it’s probably not a surprise that they have filmed in Pennsylvania. With over 20 years on the air it might be easier to make a list of places they haven’t filmed (I’m serious, look at this list of filming locations).
Since 2001, Pennsylvania has appeared several times on The Amazing Race:
- Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Brubaker Farms in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Rohrer Family Farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- The Haines Shoe House in York, Pennsylvania
- Washington Crossing Historic Park in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
WWE Raw (1993-Present)
WWE Raw has been running for 30 years and has over 1,500 episodes. WWE legends like The Undertaker and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin have appeared on WWE Raw throughout its history. WWE Raw has been filmed in Pennsylvania film five times in Pittsburgh, Hershey, Philadelphia, State College, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
WWE Smackdown! (1999-Present)
Another popular WWE show, WWE Smackdown!, has also used Pennsylvania as a filming location. Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena and Philadelphia’s First Union Center have both been used to film the show.
Cops (1989-2022)
Cops was a fan-favorite reality TV show that ran for 34 seasons featuring police officers and sheriffs across the United States as they conduct police work and get in hectic and sometimes funny situations. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were featured on the show when it was still running.
Queer Eye (2018-Present)
More than ten years after the original Queer Eye went off the air, Netflix rebooted the concept under the same name with a new “Fab Five.” The show is about the Fab Five and their journeys with men and women who need a lifestyle makeover.
Each member of the Fab Five has an area of expertise: food/eating habits, interior design, grooming, fashion, and culture. Philadelphia was used as a filming location for season five of Netflix’s Queer Eye.
Tanked (2011-2018)
Who doesn’t love to look at exotic fish? Tanked is a show about two brothers-in-law who build exciting and lavish fish tanks/aquariums. In season three, episode three, the Tanked team helped the owners of Sweet Spot, a Caribbean-American restaurant in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, install a new aquarium with an interactive submarine game inside the tank.
The episode aired on Aug. 25, 2012. Sweet Spot has since closed permanently.
A League of Their Own (2022)
Originally a 1992 movie starring Tom Hanks and Madonna, A League of Their Own (2022) streamed on Amazon Prime Video as a limited series that tells the story of women playing professional baseball during World War II while all the men were overseas. Filming for the 2022 reboot series took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Boyce Park in Pittsburgh.
Servant (2019-2023)
This M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller is about a Philadelphia couple in mourning after a tragic loss lets a mysterious force enter their home. Shyamalan is notorious for filming in Philadelphia and this show is no different. Filming for Servant took place in Philadelphia and Bethel Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Hotel Hell (2012-2016)
Gordon Ramsay has many TV shows, and in Hotel Hell he travels to different hotels, lodges, inns, and bed and breakfasts to help owners make their hospitality service as good as it can be. Ramsay is in a different hotel every episode, and in one episode he helped the owners at the River Rock Inn in Milford, Pennsylvania. The episode aired on Sept. 3, 2012. The River Rock Inn has since closed.
Ramsay also visited Newtown’s Brick Hotel in a Hotel Hell episode that aired on June 28, 2016
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of TV shows filmed in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has been used as a filming location in lots of TV shows throughout history. All information for this article was sourced from IMDb.
