{"id":897,"date":"2026-05-28T17:37:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897"},"modified":"2026-05-28T17:37:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:37:25","slug":"l-a-plays-itself-but-not-all-of-it-in-comedies-like-hacks-nobody-wants-this-the-studio-and-shrinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897","title":{"rendered":"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a cheat, but one of my biggest applause lines these days while moderating an industry panel is when I point out that a show shoots in Los Angeles. It\u2019s an easy way to get a cheer from a Hollywood crowd looking for any good news.<\/p>\n

Read more UTA Signs Outdoor Lifestyle Influencer Steven Rinella and His Company MeatEater<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tSo here\u2019s some positive spin. Despite the very real concerns about runaway production and the scarcity of Hollywood shoots, there actually have been quite a few right now on the comedy side: \u201cHacks,\u201d \u201cShrinking,\u201d \u201cThe Studio,\u201d \u201cNobody Wants This,\u201d \u201cPlatonic,\u201d \u201cI Love L.A.,\u201d \u201cRunning Point\u201d and others.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot only have those series chosen to film in Los Angeles, but they\u2019ve done an amazing job showcasing cool pockets in and around the city. L.A. used to almost always play itself, but lately it feels like Vancouver or Atlanta is scrubbing in as the City of Angels. Los Angeles is having a rough go of it, but at least on TV, it\u2019s still looking shiny and vibrant.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut is that too much of a disconnect from the malaise we\u2019re actually feeling here? I knew the right person to ask: TV writer-producer Hayes Davenport, who is also an activist, has worked in L.A. city government and recently co-founded the local news site L.A. Material.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think the tension in some of these shows is that, by definition, a TV show is about people doing things,\u201d he tells me. \u201cAnd one of the biggest concerns that people have in L.A. right now is a reduction in the amount of activity in the city. Vacant businesses, population decline, affordability issues sending people out of the city and state, the loss of entire neighborhoods from the fires \u2014 all of it has led to, I think, a sense in the last few years of just a less vibrant city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut the creators of the series mentioned above live and set their shows in Los Angeles neighborhoods that still feel dynamic: Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Atwater Village, Silver Lake. \u201cThese neighborhoods that they\u2019re showing are neighborhoods that have retained their activity,\u201d Davenport notes. \u201cThese are not shows that are necessarily reflecting the drawdown in activity that we\u2019re seeing across the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOther parts of the city haven\u2019t been so lucky. The disastrous ICE raids have turned portions of downtown, like the Flower District or Santee Alley, into ghost towns. The fires, the housing crisis \u2026 why isn\u2019t any of that depicted in TV\u2019s L.A. stories? That\u2019s partly due to the time it takes to get shows made in the streaming era, Davenport notes.<\/p>\n

Read more Media Access Awards Relaunches as Easterseals Disability Arts & Culture Awards<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey\u2019re trying to do things that are a bit more evergreen, stories about people that live in the city, but maybe not stories about the city itself as much,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause the city is changing so rapidly, you risk making an outdated show if you\u2019re trying to reflect the city as it exists right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt cuts both ways: Neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades and Altadena are chilling to see right now, unrecognizable after last year\u2019s fires. But on the flip side, areas around Wilshire and Fairfax are gaining new life as the Metro\u2019s D line starts service and the new LACMA building opens.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou have activity increasing here in ways that it hasn\u2019t for decades, and like the nodes of activity in the city are shifting around pretty quickly,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to anticipate how that movement is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDavenport says shows about the entertainment biz, like \u201cHacks,\u201d \u201cThe Comeback\u201d and \u201cThe Studio,\u201d are perhaps the most authentic in portraying Los Angeles at the moment, since they\u2019re tackling some of the real issues that come with the industry\u2019s downturn and how L.A. is changing because of it.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso missing in Hollywood\u2019s depiction of Los Angeles is a nonwhite perspective. A decade ago, shows like \u201cInsecure,\u201d \u201cBlack-ish\u201d and \u201cVida\u201d celebrated a diverse city \u2014 and that representation is strikingly missing from the current crop of L.A.-set series. Davenport blames it on the business\u2019s contraction. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf you have fewer people making shows and movies now, you are going to see fewer experiences reflected,\u201d he says. \u201cThat applies to neighborhoods too. The coverage is going to shift to the places where people working in the entertainment industry live \u2014 and there are fewer people working in entertainment than there were just a few years ago.\u201d No applause there.<\/p>\n

Read more Fox Creator Studio Sets Content Development Deal With Comedian Tom Segura\u2019s YMH Studios<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Awards Circuit Column: L.A. is shown a certain way in comedies Like ‘Running Point,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Nobody Wants This’ and ‘Shrinking.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[908,220,909],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-awards-circuit-column","tag-emmys","tag-running-point"],"yoast_head":"\nL.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019 - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Awards Circuit Column: L.A. is shown a certain way in comedies Like 'Running Point,' 'Hacks,' 'Nobody Wants This' and 'Shrinking.'\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T17:37:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"headline\":\"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T17:37:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897\"},\"wordCount\":810,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Awards Circuit Column,\",\"Emmys,\",\"Running Point\"],\"articleSection\":[\"TV\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897\",\"name\":\"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019 - Relocation Observer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T17:37:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=897#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Observer\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019 - Relocation Observer","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019 - Relocation Observer","og_description":"Awards Circuit Column: L.A. is shown a certain way in comedies Like 'Running Point,' 'Hacks,' 'Nobody Wants This' and 'Shrinking.'","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897","og_site_name":"Relocation Observer","article_published_time":"2026-05-28T17:37:25+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"headline":"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019","datePublished":"2026-05-28T17:37:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897"},"wordCount":810,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp","keywords":["Awards Circuit Column,","Emmys,","Running Point"],"articleSection":["TV"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897","name":"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019 - Relocation Observer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-28T17:37:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b9952cf3679be852c212f4b4d301b7bc.webp","width":1000,"height":563},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=897#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"L.A. Plays Itself \u2014 But Not All of It \u2014 In Comedies Like \u2018Hacks,\u2019 \u2018Nobody Wants This,\u2019 \u2018The Studio\u2019 and \u2018Shrinking\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/","name":"Relocation Observer","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationobserver.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}