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Where Was Based on a True Story Filmed? How to See the Real Landmarks from the Show
Peacock's series Based On A True Story relies on real-life diners, clubs, and landmarks to tell its story. Learn more about the filming locations.
Rolling hills, palm trees, and plenty of sunshine! That's what you see while watching Peacock’s series Based On A True Story, which features Los Angeles-based characters who are struggling to make their dreams come true. But was it actually filmed in L.A.?
Here's what to know about the show's location and how you can visit the landmarks on Based on a True Story.
Where Was Based on a True Story Filmed?
Based on a True Story was indeed filmed in Los Angeles, California.
Featuring several SoCal landmarks like the Griffith Observatory as well as stunning beaches, the show takes viewers through warm, affluent scenery, only to horrify moments later with blood and gore.
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Los Angeles is so entwined in Based On A True Story’s plot, it became almost its own character.
“Our Los Angeles setting — the city where everybody wants to be famous — became a vivid backdrop to our story of fame, ambition, aspiration and murder,” executive producer and writer Craig Rosenberg told Deadline.
The character of Nathan Bartlett, played by Chris Messina, spends most of his time as a tennis star-turned-coach at a club, which is The Griffin Club in L.A. Although we mainly see the tennis courts, the towering three-story club is also prominently featured during clandestine conversations between Bartlett and his wife, played by Kaley Cuoco, as well as serial killer Matt Pierce, played by Tom Bateman.
But the Griffin Club is much more than what’s shown in the series. It’s the only private club in L.A. with two outdoor recreational pools — one for families and one for adults — and includes cabanas as well as spas, according to its website.
Using the club in the series immediately sets the tone for Bartlett's clients as the rich and famous, juxtaposed with his character's struggle to make money and stay employed.
The Griffin Club started as the Westside Tennis Club for actors and entertainers back in 1926, according to its website, and was a gathering place for famous actors including Humphrey Bogart, Caesar Romero, and Joan Bennett.
If you’re trying to get a sneak peek inside: good luck. Membership is “by invitation only and subject to approval by the Club’s Board of Directors,” according to its website.
That’s not the only SoCal mainstay used in the show. The market where Matt shops in Episode 2 is actually Fields Market in the West Hill, according to Dirt. The market is frequently used to film everything from commercials to television shows to movies, according to its Facebook page.
Is the Based on a True Story Diner the Same One From Pulp Fiction?
Many fans of Based On A True Story did a double take when the characters Matt, Nathan, and Ava met in a diner to hash out the podcast at the center of the show. But is the diner seen in the show the same as from the movie Pulp Fiction?
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Although they look similar, no, according to MixedArticle.com.
The diner where Pumpkin and Bunny meet in Pulp Fiction is the Hawthorne Grill, according to L.A. Magazine. It was closed and abandoned during the filming of the movie.
The historic Pann’s restaurant along LaTijera Boulevard in Westchester is the diner where the characters meet in Based On A True Story, reports Dirt. It’s been open since 1958, and serves cheeseburgers, chicken, and waffles, French toast, club sandwiches — everything you could dream up, according to its Instagram.
Where Is the Luxury Mansion Seen on Based on a True Story?
One of the show’s most memorable locations is the stunning mansion which serves as multiple settings, including the place where the podcast is recorded as well as the home of characters Ruby Gale and her husband, Simon.
The Encino, California mansion is located in the upscale Royal Oaks neighborhood and is brand new. It was built in the year 2022, and is more than 21-thousand square feet, with eight bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, and a guest house, Dirt reported.
A development company bought the original home in January 2020 for $5.4 million, according to the outlet, and replaced it with the mansion seen in the show, where it sold in April 2022 for $17.5 million to a tech titan.
Those luxury cars seen in Based On A True Story? Extremely realistic. The buyer of the home in real life is a known car enthusiast, and the home has a 5,000-square foot, 14-car garage — which is where the group eventually settles down to record podcasts on the show, according to Dirt.
The rest of the house outside of the garage is better known to Based On A True Story viewers as the mega-mansion belonging to Ava’s wealthy best friend Ruby.
The backyard of the mansion was featured in Episode 6’s charity auction and showcased the basketball court and infinity pool — as well as the guest house in one disturbing scene.
The mansion actually was used in a third setting during Episode 7, with the meditation room appearing in a home Ava showed to her client, Ryan, according to Dirt.
Watch episodes of Based On A True Story streaming now on Peacock.
