I've been thinking about the convention that 'filming moved to Vancouver but the show continued to be set in Los Angeles'. Well, sort of. I don't think LA was mentioned at all during the Vancouver years. Although of course they had lots and lots of settings in the Pacific Northwest.

Then I realized... I don't really think that there have been any references to LA area locations in the LA years. The places in DOA: MacGyver are apparently fictional. Or is there a mention or any specific visual clue in seasons 1, 2 and 7 that is LA? It's clear from the locations if you know the city, but none of them really scream LA.

So if not, perhaps it could also be assumed to be a nondescript city?

Good question.

I'm sure there was, but can't for the life of me think which episode.

Anyway I know the police cars and officers were LA police even in the Vancouver years - as witnessed by this scene from Season 3's Blowout episode.



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I think the only episodes that mention L.A. is D.O.A. MacGyver where Mac clearly says the Phoenix Foundation is in Los Angeles and in Blood Brothers when Spider's henchman mentions it in his line: '... like they do in L.A.' Other than that I don't think L.A. is ever mentioned but it's indeed just set in L.A. Also in The Wish Child he mentions Paul Chan is a kid from Santa Monica and he goes to Chinatown in L.A. Not really sure but I think the police squad in Deadly Dreams was LAPD and the mental institute where Cross and Zito were being held said it was located in Los Angeles.

Other than that, I do have an L.A. feel in seasons 1, 2 and 7 more than in the other seasons. The surroundings and the obvious better weather. Much more sunshine and opportunity to leave your jacket at home.

In Phoenix Under Siege, the whole episode is built around Harry's special visit from Minnesota to see Gretzky and the Oilers play the Los Angeles Kings. We don't know exactly the distance from the Phoenix Foundation office building to The Great Western Forum, the LA Kings arena at the time, but we can conclude that it must be quite close given that nightfall has already occurred & together with Mac's continued reassurances that they can still make the opening faceoff.

Ah, those are good examples. The Kings and Santa Monica are the vague L.A.ish things that I had in mind. It is an interesting flavor of TV Los Angeles: The references are there, so it is L.A., but they are rare and subtle enough that it isn't Hey-Look-L.A.

You never see the typical L.A. skyline that's for sure.

And Murdoc never chased MacGyver through that concrete drain.

Huh?

LoL!


For the uninitiated:


LA River

In the Partners flashback MacGyver says that Jack is in the hospital because he skated off the Santa Monica pier looking at a blond. And in Nightmares I think San Pedro harbor is mentioned at some point or else there's a caption in the beginning.

Yes indeed. Can't get more L.A. than that.

In some 1 season episodes where we see exterior shot for example from Federal Building, sometimes there was text in below the screen saying: Los Angeles, California.

In season 3, episode Murder's Sky, when the episode starts from night scene in harbour, we get the text to screen saying: Los Angeles Harbour

And in some episode from season 3 or 4 there was aerial shot from Phoenix Foundation, and the text saying: Los Angeles, CA , and I remember when I was thinking sarcastically that "Yeah, that is LA for sure"

Yeah, bunch of liars. It doesn't rain in L.A. that much let alone it snows there.

It was the very northern part of LA. lol Where all the snow and rain goes to so the rest of the area stays warm and sunny. Disney did it.

It's all true, I swear... I read it somewhere online.

Today's shows have it easier to make Vancouver look like L.A. with a brighter color palette.

And somehow stills from a stage scene from Vancouver always throw me off, I always think it can't be Vancouver because of the colors (colours?).

Des Couleurs! Actually either will do, color more than colour @ that end of the country.

It took me forever to realize that it was supposed to be based in Los Angeles. Don't ask me why, but for the longest time I thought it was set in Seattle.