Go On Location: Locations from the Primetime Emmy Awards

"Mad Men" Season 6 cast
Photo courtesy of "Mad Men," Facebook

The Primetime Emmy Awards are presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in primetime television programming. The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2014 through May 31, 2015, are taking place on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 at the Microsoft Theater L.A. LIVE in Downtown L.A. Actor Andy Samberg is hosting the ceremony for the first time.

From historic landmarks to world-class entertainment venues, Los Angeles continues to be a favorite filming location for Emmy-nominated TV shows. Fans of these popular and critically-acclaimed programs can go set jetting and explore L.A.’s primetime TV locations with our exclusive guide.

Don Draper and Pete Campbell at Canter's Deli | Photo courtesy of "Mad Men," Facebook

Mad Men - Canter's Deli



The seventh and final season of AMC’s Mad Men features 14 episodes divided into two, seven-episode parts. The first half, titled "The Beginning," premiered April 13, 2014; the second half, titled "The End of an Era," premiered April 5, 2015. Widely regarded as one of the best television dramas of all time, the critically-acclaimed Mad Men was the first basic cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, winning it in each of its first four seasons from 2008 to 2011. In 2015, Mad Men received 11 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor for Jon Hamm, Outstanding Lead Actress for Elisabeth Moss and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Christina Hendricks. The series also received multiple nominations for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Production Design, Outstanding Casting, Outstanding Hairstyling and Outstanding Makeup.

The seventh and final season of Mad Men features 14 episodes divided into two, seven-episode parts. In a scene from the Season 7 premiere episode, Time Zones, Don Draper meets with Pete Campbell, who has embraced the West Coast lifestyle. They have lunch at Canter’s Deli, where everyone from Elvis to Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammad Ali and Led Zeppelin have noshed. Don and Pete both order the Brooklyn Avenue, a pastrami sandwich topped with coleslaw. For more L.A. Mad Men locations, read our exclusive guide.

Mitchell and Claire in line for an iPad at The Grove | Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Modern Family - The Grove



The sixth season of ABC’s Modern Family premiered on Sept. 24, 2014. The comedy series, which revolves around three families living in Los Angeles, has won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series five years in a row, from 2010 to 2014. In 2015, Modern Family was once again nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. Other nominations include Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series; Outstanding Supporting Actor for Ty Burrell; Outstanding Supporting Actress for Julie Bowen; and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Elizabeth Banks.

Filmed in a documentary style, the sitcom often shoots on location throughout Los Angeles. Among the frequently used locations are the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, the Intercontinental Los Angeles Century City Hotel, and the Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. In the Season One episode, Game Changer, Phil Dunphy’s birthday coincides with the launch of the new Apple iPad. Phil’s wife Claire tries to get her “early adopter” husband an iPad - instead, she and her younger brother Mitchell get thrown out of the line for fighting. The memorable scene was filmed at the Apple Store at The Grove, another frequent filming location for the series and one of the most popular shopping centers in L.A.

California Institute of Technology

The Big Bang Theory - Caltech



The Big Bang Theory premiered its eighth season on Sept. 22, 2014. The CBS sitcom centers on five main characters: four Caltech employees and their neighbor, a waitress and aspiring actress. Although The Big Bang Theory is set in Pasadena, the episodes are filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. Emmy nominations in 2015 include Outstanding Supporting Actress for Mayim Bialik, Outstanding Guest Actress for Christine Baranski, and Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less).

The four male lead characters work at the California Institute of Technology, a world-renowned private research university that boasts 32 Nobel Prizes among its faculty and alumni. Founded in 1891, Caltech is one of Pasadena’s Hidden Gems - its 128-acre campus has a rich architectural heritage that includes 18 buildings that were built before World War II.

Pasadena City Hall at dusk | Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

PARKS AND RECREATION - PASADENA CITY HALL



The final season of Parks and Recreation premiered on Jan. 13, 2015. The NBC sitcom stars Amy Poehler as Deputy Parks Director Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. During its seven-year run, Parks and Recreation garnered critical praise - in its 2012 year-end issue, TIME magazine named Parks and Recreation the number one TV series, describing it as a “full-hearted, brilliant civil-servant sitcom.” In 2015, Parks and Recreation was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series and Poehler received her sixth Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress.

Standing in for Pawnee’s city hall is the landmark Pasadena City Hall, built in 1927 and a significant example of the “City Beautiful” architecture and urban planning movement of the 1920s. The Civic Center District - including Pasadena City Hall - was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Pasadena City Hall is a longtime favorite location of filmmakers, appearing in movies such as Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and more recently in the 1995 film, A Walk in the Clouds. The famous dome can be seen through the window of the main characters’ apartment building in The Big Bang Theory.

The Oscars - Dolby Theatre



Located at Hollywood & Highland, the Dolby Theatre is a world-class live entertainment venue and a showcase for the latest innovations in Dolby entertainment technology. Guided tours of the Dolby Theatre run every day from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours depart every half hour and last approximately 30 minutes. The 87th annual Academy Awards ceremony took place Feb. 22, 2015 at the Dolby Theatre. The Oscars live broadcast received eight Emmy nominations in 2015, including Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for Hamish Hamilton, Outstanding Special Class Program and Outstanding Production Design.

Taylor Swift and Jimmy Kimmel on Hollywood Boulevard | Photo courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Facebook

Jimmy Kimmel Live - El Capitan Entertainment Centre



The El Capitan Entertainment Centre is adjacent to the El Capitan Theatre and located across the street from the Dolby Theatre. The Neoclassical building opened in 1921 as the Hollywood Masonic Temple and was designed by John C. Austin, the architect who also designed iconic L.A. buildings such as City Hall, the Griffith Observatory and the Shrine Auditorium. The Hollywood Masonic Temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. After an extensive renovation, Disney reopened the Hollywood Masonic Temple as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre in 2002.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is taped at a studio inside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre. Tickets to attend a taping can be requested online, or by calling (866) JIMMY TIX weekdays from 1-4 p.m. In 2015, Jimmy Kimmel Live! received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Series.

Geffen Playhouse

Mel Brooks Live at the Geffen - Geffen Playhouse



In an HBO special that first aired Jan. 31, 2015, legendary comedian Mel Brooks appears onstage at the Geffen Playhouse before a live audience, sharing stories of his childhood in Brooklyn, his rise in television, his courtship and marriage to actress Anne Bancroft, and his illustrious film career as writer-director of The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and other comedy classics. Brooks later performs several tunes he’s composed and/or authored, including Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety, and fields questions from the audience (including a surprise special guest). Mel Brooks Live at the Geffen received two Emmy nominations - Outstanding Variety Special and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.

Housed in a historic 1929 building in Westwood, Geffen Playhouse has been an integral part of Los Angeles theater since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its commitment to the development of new plays, Geffen Playhouse continues to present a body of work that garners national recognition.