While I was in LA I decided I wanted to try and do some of the quintessential touristy kind of things... perhaps my definition of this is different than others but what I came up with was that I wanted to go wander on Hollywood Boulevard, tour one of the studios and see something being filmed. Now my LA friends might say that none of this is quintessential LA which is why they are actual LA people and I'm just the silly tourist :) I'm okay with that!
I had no idea what to expect when it came to the show taping. I googled online and found several places that offer free tickets to tapings. You do have to reserve them and print them out. The site I used only allow 1 per person so if you plan to go with a friend they will have to get their own. I was super excited to find out that one of my new absolute favorite shows films in front of a live studio audience. "Two Broke Girls" is a fairly new show that is absolutely HILARIOUS! I have never not laughed while watching it! The comedy is sarcastic and a little off-color sometimes which is exactly why I love it. One of the main characters is named Max and I am convinced that if Max were a real person her and I would absolutely be besties!
I showed up early like the ticket said to do. For example taping started at 5 but they said to arrive no later than 4 so I did. Clearly some people had shown up much earlier to get front row seating however. (I instead spent my "extra" time before that having a drink with my buddy Matt which I think was a much better use of my time!) They lead you into the studio but you must leave all phones and cameras in your car so sadly I got no pictures of this fabulous experience. Prior to taping starting they show some episodes on overhead TVs so you can get a feel for the show given that many of the people who come to a taping have never seen the show before.
I had no idea what to expect in general so when I realized that it's almost like a party I was totally jazzed! They have a "warmer" who is a comedian and keeps the crowd entertained and energetic. There's also a DJ - bottom line they want to make sure that in between takes you are having a good time because if you are having fun then when it comes time to engage in the comedy you are prepped and ready to go! So in between takes we laughed, danced, sang and had a blast! And this fun all started before the taping even began! Prior to the taping they bring out the whole cast and introduce them as well. Once they start taping obviously you have to be quiet while they are taping but they want you to react to the show as you naturally would (except for the talking to the TV sort of thing!) even when they do the same scene multiple times. To be honest I found it very easy to continue to laugh even if they were running the same lines multiple times because they are such funny lines and delivered so well that you almost don't realize that you are hearing them multiple times! Sometimes the writers will get a different idea as they are taping and will have the actors try different lines to see if they work better. Sometimes yes and sometimes no - but always funny!
The sets are much smaller than you might think when you watch them on TV. I suppose this is to be expected given limited space on a soundstage. (Of course if you've ever been to the Press Room at the White House you would be astounded at how tiny it is in comparison to what it looks like on TV!) I thought it was so neat to see the inner workings of a taping - there are so many people required to make it all happen. Talk about teamwork!
I HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting the LA area to go and see a taping. Be sure you've got an entire evening though. I was there for a bit over 5 hours and all but an hour of that was actual taping (well the process of with some breaks in it obviously.) They did give us some food and drinks along the way as well. I had an absolute blast with this and was lucky enough to take home some swag - a "Two Broke Girls" t-shirt. Who says being the peppy ex-cheerleader doesn't pay off!?! Also worth noting - to make sure that they have a full studio audience they give out more tickets than there are seats (because let's face it some people just won't show up especially since the tickets are free) so if you want to guarantee your seat make sure to get there on time or early.
The episode I got to see being taped is on tonight! Here are some photos and a trailer for it http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/photos/1000153/-and-just-plane-magic-/34666/
I can't wait to watch it tonight with Ken knowing how it all came together!
Enjoy folks! And I hope I get you addicted to the show... it is epicly funny and I wish them millions and millions more viewers!
Oh and Kat Dennings - you are one of the funniest women alive!
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