Castle pairs a roguish mystery novelist with a no-nonsense NYPD detective, and its New York is convincing – the precinct, the loft, the Manhattan skyline. But the show was made on the other coast, on the soundstages and streets of Los Angeles, with only its establishing shots coming from the city it’s set in.
Where was Castle filmed?
Castle was shot in Los Angeles, based at Raleigh Studios on Melrose Avenue, with LA locations standing in for New York. As with many “New York” network dramas, the Manhattan you see is mostly second-unit establishing shots, while the actual filming happened in California.
Every Castle location, explained
Raleigh Studios, Hollywood – the soundstages
The 12th Precinct, Castle’s loft and the show’s many interiors were built at Raleigh Studios on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, one of the oldest continuously operating studios in Hollywood.
Los Angeles as New York
Exterior scenes used LA locations dressed to pass for Manhattan, with Los Angeles City Hall – a favourite civic stand-in – among the buildings pressed into service. New York itself supplied establishing aerials to sell the setting.
Planning a visit
Raleigh Studios in Hollywood is a working lot best admired from the outside, but it sits in the heart of the Los Angeles film district near Paramount and the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Fans chasing the “New York” of the show will find its true streets are Southern Californian.
