As one grows intimate with a TV series, it’s common that many lingering questions may arise. Has Breaking Bad’s Walter White ever experimented with boxers? How often does Bates have to sit down because his leg hurts? And most famously, how can Carrie Bradshaw afford her fabulous Upper East Side apartment on the salary of a weekly relationship columnist? Some television quandaries may never be answered. But fortunately—with the help of Shark Tank real-estate expert Barbara Corcoran—those of residential verisimilitude can. Herewith, a thorough analysis of television’s most ambiguously priced homes to put your renter’s insecurities to rest.
Sex and the City (1998–2004)
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The unicorn of New York City real estate, Carrie Bradshaw’s fantastic one-bed/one-bath brownstone apartment at 245 East 73rd Street on the Upper East Side continues to baffle the many writerly folk sharing lofts in Brooklyn (see also: Girls). Rival only to Rachel Green and Monica Geller’s monstrous downtown digs, the Bradshaw palace is actually located at 66 Perry Street in the West Village. According to Corcoran, the rent for the fictional chez Bradshaw would be around $2,800 a month. But would she live there? “No way,” says Corcoran. “All those gals look at the Upper East Side as bad as moving to Connecticut.” Though the actual location of the apartment is a more realistic fit for our fashionista, there’s still the issue of cost. Says Corcoran: “66 Perry Street is now on the market for $9,650,000—hardly something a newspaper columnist could even afford to sit on, never mind own.”
The Jeffersons (1975–85)
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As the sitcom’s catchy mid-70s theme song so memorably states, the Jefferson family was movin’ on up—specifically from a working-class neighborhood in Queens to a deluxe Manhattan apartment referred to as “Colby East.” In reality, their sky-high home was located in apartment 12D at the Park Lane, a 35-story, 442-unit residential building at 185 East 85th Street, where Corcoran has previously brokered rentals. “In 1975, rent on that apartment was between $600 and $800 in real life,” says Corcoran. “But today, all these years later, you would pay [that] on a monthly parking spot in that building—in the garage!” Though the Jeffersons might have been able to afford the rent in the 70s, other forces might’ve prevented them from ascending to Manhattan’s elite. “I was a rental agent then, and the buildings on the Upper East Side wouldn’t rent to a black family,” Corcoran says. “There were a couple that would, but very few.” Thankfully, landlords’ prejudices have faded, but spiked prices have not: the couple’s Upper East Side spot would go for about $3,600 today, according to Corcoran. No word on whether the funky blue-flame-stitched wallpaper in George and Weezie’s living room (recycled from the Young and the Restless set) would be grounds for bargaining that price down.
The Cosby Show (1984–92)
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Under Bill Cosby’s insistence that his eponymous sitcom be filmed in New York over Los Angeles, the producers chose 10 Leroy Street in the West Village to stand in for his boisterous family’s Brooklyn Heights abode. It was on Leroy Street that a brass plaque reading “Clifford Huxtable, M.D.” was placed, but in real life the town house was split up into separate apartments. In 1984, a Brooklyn Heights brownstone like that would have been worth around $700,000—well in the affordable range for an obstetrician and his attorney wife. The same property today might drain the reserves a bit more: now a Brooklyn Heights town house would cost $5–$7 million, according to Corcoran. And that’s not including Bill’s carefully knit, signature sweaters.
The Golden Girls (1985–92)
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With its palm-tree prints and soothing lavender-peach decor, the four-bedroom nest that housed the widows, divorcées, and grannies of The Golden Girls may have seemed the perfect Miami bachelorette pad for over-the-hill gentlewomen. But it’s unclear how the foursome could’ve afforded it. According to Corcoran, a house like theirs was selling for around $90,000 in 1985, and currently goes for about $2 million. “Miami is a perfect stomping ground for sassy older babes, but could retirees really foot that price tag?” asks Corcoran. “Probably not.” It turns out, however, that the girls’ beloved 6151 Richmond Street house was actually located at the even pricier 245 North Saltair Avenue in Brentwood, Los Angeles (near a country club and a Souplantation). Disney later replicated the residence in Orlando—but then subsequently ripped it down in 2003. So much for living the hot retiree’s dream in Florida!
30 Rock (2003–present)
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Liz Lemon’s poorly furnished lady sanctuary at 160 Riverside Drive is actually located at —surprise!—160 Riverside Drive. (In season five, she moves to 168 Riverside Drive, but we’ll just ignore that.) Though the actual apartment complex is exactly where Lemon claims it to be, it’s not nearly as shoddy as she puts on: according to Corcoran, Liz is forking over about $2,000 a month for her Upper West Side digs, which she smartly expands to the neighboring apartment in later seasons. “She may not be a decorator, but she’s savvy with property values,” says Corcoran. Not to mention, she’s also sharing her semi-fictitious neighborhood with characters from You’ve Got Mail, Mad Men, and Will & Grace.
Desperate Housewives (2004–present)
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For all the murder, secrets, and lies that take place on Wisteria Lane, you’d think its exact location might be somewhere more dubious than an indoor Universal Studios set called Colonial Street. But if it were real, Corcoran estimates a home in the mostly pleasant community would cost between $450,000 and $750,000. The faux neighborhood has also been used to film TV classics like The Munsters, Leave It to Beaver, Gremlins, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “I think it would make [the creator of] Leave It to Beaver roll over in his grave,” says Corcoran. “How could they film two things on that same street that are so vastly different?” We agree that it’s hard to image Carlos and Gaby Solis inhabiting the same mansion as Herman and Lily Munster—but what can’t be fixed with some major redecorating?
Mad Men (2007–present)
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Though Don Draper’s man cave in season four is now but a faint pre-“Zou Bisou Bisou”-ian memory, it’s still worth pointing out that Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was not necessarily meticulous in the bachelor’s temporary relocation. The bleak apartment at 106 Waverly Place (which many fans believe is actually located at 136 Waverly Place, right near Washington Square Park) would have probably rented for a couple hundred dollars circa 1964—just the kind of setup for which a directionless ad man would’ve opted. The only problem: Don’s neighborhood might not have been so welcoming. “If he was really living there, he would have at least been robbed or mugged,” says Corcoran. “You know what else? He’s a drop-dead-gorgeous dresser. Anybody with that kind of cash for a well-cut suit ain’t gonna pick that pad.” If it were 2012, however, Don might reconsider: a one-bedroom at 136 Waverly these days will cost you upward of $800,000, according to Corcoran.
Breaking Bad (2008–present)
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Perhaps the most valuable haunt of Walter White’s diminishing life in New Mexico, the 1986 Fleetwood Bounder trailer functions as both a mobile meth lab and an excuse to get Bryan Cranston down to nothing but his signature Malcolm in the Middle tighty-whities. In the pilot, Walter purchases the R.V. for $7,000 (his life savings) and fills it with a bounty of vials and flasks stolen from the high school chemistry department where he teaches. “I think Walt was ripped off, paying $7,000 for an R.V.,” Corcoran says. “He could have gotten $5,000 on eBay, and his was a dump!” According to executive producer Vince Gilligan, the R.V. was built in 1983 and previously owned by a nice couple who drove it across America before selling it to the Breaking Bad crew. Let’s hope they gave Gilligan a better deal.
Modern Family (2009–present)
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If there ever was a good argument for a hot Colombian to shack up with the man who formerly played Al Bundy, the home used as the Pritchett residence in Modern Family would be it. Jay and Gloria’s monstrous and modern Southern California kingdom was built in 1992 by Abramson Teiger architects and is located in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Co-creator Steve Levitan first noticed the home because he lives down the street from it. “I would drive past it every day, and it looked like the modern house that so many rich, divorced older guys seem to end up in,” he told the Los Angeles Times. According to Corcoran, 121 South Clifford Avenue last sold in 1997 for $2,695,000, but due to California’s housing bubble, it’s worth about half that now. “That neighborhood is loaded with self-made Masters of the Universe with no taste and trophy wives,” says Corcoran. “There are a lot of young, pretty women walking dogs around the neighborhood, tennis rackets in their hands.”
Downton Abbey (2010–present)
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Though it may seem like a fantasy world at times, the Downton Abbey Yorkshire estate is as real as Sybil’s rebellious pants. Built by Parliament architect Charles Barry, Highclere Castle in Hampshire is used for both interior and exterior shots on the show. According to Corcoran, the castle’s market price today would be around £150 million, around $240 million in U.S. currency. That excludes the cost of servants and upkeep. “The most expensive hobby a rich man could have is a boat, and the second most expensive hobby he could have is a very old house,” Corcoran says. The 1,000-plus-acre estate is so large that the Carnarvon family—which has resided on the estate since 1679—is able to live on part of the premises while ITV films. “I suppose if you know how many rooms you’ve got, you haven’t got a very big house,” Highclere Castle’s current occupant, Fiona, the eighth countess of Carnarvon, told The Daily Telegraph. We hope Violet Crawley is taking notes.
2 Broke Girls (2011–present)
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In the long and trying road to opening their own cupcake shop, at least Max Black and Caroline Channing can take solace in the fact that they live in a suspiciously awesome Greenpoint, Brooklyn, apartment. Signs of inaccurately lavish digs: 1. There is enough square footage in their living room to host a small ballet. 2. Their backyard is big enough to for their horse, Chestnut. 3. They have a backyard. All in a quirky day’s life of a struggling millennial, right? Wrong: “The typical rent for a one-bedroom in Greenpoint right now runs [at] $2,600 a month,” Corcoran says. “If you add a garden out back, it brings the rent up between $2,800 and $3,000 a month. They’re not fancy-restaurant waitresses; they may want to consider a third girl—maybe a fourth.” As for Chestnut? “Are you kidding me?” asks Corcoran. “The neighbors would have them out of the apartment in the second week. Animal-rights people would be picketing out front. The health department would have notices on their door, and the eviction notice would be posted all over the front of the building.” Good thing the sitcom is actually filmed on a set in L.A.
Girls (2012–present)
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Much like her film Tiny Furniture, show-runner Lena Dunham’s new HBO series dissects twentysomethings’ sex lives, aspirations, and money problems with brutal honesty. So it’s no surprise that the program’s main character, Hannah (Dunham), must move into her best friend’s humble Greenpoint apartment (which Corcoran values at around $2,800 a month) after her parents force her to live on her own. Unlike the 2 Broke Girls apartment, Hannah and Marnie’s is gloomy, modestly furnished, and—to the best of our knowledge—does not house a pony. Later, in a job interview, Hannah mentions a big difference between Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents, implying the former to be better. Corcoran disagrees: “It’s not as nice. The only people who feel that way are the people who can’t afford the rent in Williamsburg.” But studies do show that most Greenpoint garage bands are 15 percent less well known than those in Williamsburg.
Source
Sex and the City (1998–2004)
The unicorn of New York City real estate, Carrie Bradshaw’s fantastic one-bed/one-bath brownstone apartment at 245 East 73rd Street on the Upper East Side continues to baffle the many writerly folk sharing lofts in Brooklyn (see also: Girls). Rival only to Rachel Green and Monica Geller’s monstrous downtown digs, the Bradshaw palace is actually located at 66 Perry Street in the West Village. According to Corcoran, the rent for the fictional chez Bradshaw would be around $2,800 a month. But would she live there? “No way,” says Corcoran. “All those gals look at the Upper East Side as bad as moving to Connecticut.” Though the actual location of the apartment is a more realistic fit for our fashionista, there’s still the issue of cost. Says Corcoran: “66 Perry Street is now on the market for $9,650,000—hardly something a newspaper columnist could even afford to sit on, never mind own.”
The Jeffersons (1975–85)
As the sitcom’s catchy mid-70s theme song so memorably states, the Jefferson family was movin’ on up—specifically from a working-class neighborhood in Queens to a deluxe Manhattan apartment referred to as “Colby East.” In reality, their sky-high home was located in apartment 12D at the Park Lane, a 35-story, 442-unit residential building at 185 East 85th Street, where Corcoran has previously brokered rentals. “In 1975, rent on that apartment was between $600 and $800 in real life,” says Corcoran. “But today, all these years later, you would pay [that] on a monthly parking spot in that building—in the garage!” Though the Jeffersons might have been able to afford the rent in the 70s, other forces might’ve prevented them from ascending to Manhattan’s elite. “I was a rental agent then, and the buildings on the Upper East Side wouldn’t rent to a black family,” Corcoran says. “There were a couple that would, but very few.” Thankfully, landlords’ prejudices have faded, but spiked prices have not: the couple’s Upper East Side spot would go for about $3,600 today, according to Corcoran. No word on whether the funky blue-flame-stitched wallpaper in George and Weezie’s living room (recycled from the Young and the Restless set) would be grounds for bargaining that price down.
The Cosby Show (1984–92)
Under Bill Cosby’s insistence that his eponymous sitcom be filmed in New York over Los Angeles, the producers chose 10 Leroy Street in the West Village to stand in for his boisterous family’s Brooklyn Heights abode. It was on Leroy Street that a brass plaque reading “Clifford Huxtable, M.D.” was placed, but in real life the town house was split up into separate apartments. In 1984, a Brooklyn Heights brownstone like that would have been worth around $700,000—well in the affordable range for an obstetrician and his attorney wife. The same property today might drain the reserves a bit more: now a Brooklyn Heights town house would cost $5–$7 million, according to Corcoran. And that’s not including Bill’s carefully knit, signature sweaters.
The Golden Girls (1985–92)
With its palm-tree prints and soothing lavender-peach decor, the four-bedroom nest that housed the widows, divorcées, and grannies of The Golden Girls may have seemed the perfect Miami bachelorette pad for over-the-hill gentlewomen. But it’s unclear how the foursome could’ve afforded it. According to Corcoran, a house like theirs was selling for around $90,000 in 1985, and currently goes for about $2 million. “Miami is a perfect stomping ground for sassy older babes, but could retirees really foot that price tag?” asks Corcoran. “Probably not.” It turns out, however, that the girls’ beloved 6151 Richmond Street house was actually located at the even pricier 245 North Saltair Avenue in Brentwood, Los Angeles (near a country club and a Souplantation). Disney later replicated the residence in Orlando—but then subsequently ripped it down in 2003. So much for living the hot retiree’s dream in Florida!
30 Rock (2003–present)
Liz Lemon’s poorly furnished lady sanctuary at 160 Riverside Drive is actually located at —surprise!—160 Riverside Drive. (In season five, she moves to 168 Riverside Drive, but we’ll just ignore that.) Though the actual apartment complex is exactly where Lemon claims it to be, it’s not nearly as shoddy as she puts on: according to Corcoran, Liz is forking over about $2,000 a month for her Upper West Side digs, which she smartly expands to the neighboring apartment in later seasons. “She may not be a decorator, but she’s savvy with property values,” says Corcoran. Not to mention, she’s also sharing her semi-fictitious neighborhood with characters from You’ve Got Mail, Mad Men, and Will & Grace.
Desperate Housewives (2004–present)
For all the murder, secrets, and lies that take place on Wisteria Lane, you’d think its exact location might be somewhere more dubious than an indoor Universal Studios set called Colonial Street. But if it were real, Corcoran estimates a home in the mostly pleasant community would cost between $450,000 and $750,000. The faux neighborhood has also been used to film TV classics like The Munsters, Leave It to Beaver, Gremlins, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “I think it would make [the creator of] Leave It to Beaver roll over in his grave,” says Corcoran. “How could they film two things on that same street that are so vastly different?” We agree that it’s hard to image Carlos and Gaby Solis inhabiting the same mansion as Herman and Lily Munster—but what can’t be fixed with some major redecorating?
Mad Men (2007–present)
Though Don Draper’s man cave in season four is now but a faint pre-“Zou Bisou Bisou”-ian memory, it’s still worth pointing out that Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was not necessarily meticulous in the bachelor’s temporary relocation. The bleak apartment at 106 Waverly Place (which many fans believe is actually located at 136 Waverly Place, right near Washington Square Park) would have probably rented for a couple hundred dollars circa 1964—just the kind of setup for which a directionless ad man would’ve opted. The only problem: Don’s neighborhood might not have been so welcoming. “If he was really living there, he would have at least been robbed or mugged,” says Corcoran. “You know what else? He’s a drop-dead-gorgeous dresser. Anybody with that kind of cash for a well-cut suit ain’t gonna pick that pad.” If it were 2012, however, Don might reconsider: a one-bedroom at 136 Waverly these days will cost you upward of $800,000, according to Corcoran.
Breaking Bad (2008–present)
Perhaps the most valuable haunt of Walter White’s diminishing life in New Mexico, the 1986 Fleetwood Bounder trailer functions as both a mobile meth lab and an excuse to get Bryan Cranston down to nothing but his signature Malcolm in the Middle tighty-whities. In the pilot, Walter purchases the R.V. for $7,000 (his life savings) and fills it with a bounty of vials and flasks stolen from the high school chemistry department where he teaches. “I think Walt was ripped off, paying $7,000 for an R.V.,” Corcoran says. “He could have gotten $5,000 on eBay, and his was a dump!” According to executive producer Vince Gilligan, the R.V. was built in 1983 and previously owned by a nice couple who drove it across America before selling it to the Breaking Bad crew. Let’s hope they gave Gilligan a better deal.
Modern Family (2009–present)
If there ever was a good argument for a hot Colombian to shack up with the man who formerly played Al Bundy, the home used as the Pritchett residence in Modern Family would be it. Jay and Gloria’s monstrous and modern Southern California kingdom was built in 1992 by Abramson Teiger architects and is located in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Co-creator Steve Levitan first noticed the home because he lives down the street from it. “I would drive past it every day, and it looked like the modern house that so many rich, divorced older guys seem to end up in,” he told the Los Angeles Times. According to Corcoran, 121 South Clifford Avenue last sold in 1997 for $2,695,000, but due to California’s housing bubble, it’s worth about half that now. “That neighborhood is loaded with self-made Masters of the Universe with no taste and trophy wives,” says Corcoran. “There are a lot of young, pretty women walking dogs around the neighborhood, tennis rackets in their hands.”
Downton Abbey (2010–present)
Though it may seem like a fantasy world at times, the Downton Abbey Yorkshire estate is as real as Sybil’s rebellious pants. Built by Parliament architect Charles Barry, Highclere Castle in Hampshire is used for both interior and exterior shots on the show. According to Corcoran, the castle’s market price today would be around £150 million, around $240 million in U.S. currency. That excludes the cost of servants and upkeep. “The most expensive hobby a rich man could have is a boat, and the second most expensive hobby he could have is a very old house,” Corcoran says. The 1,000-plus-acre estate is so large that the Carnarvon family—which has resided on the estate since 1679—is able to live on part of the premises while ITV films. “I suppose if you know how many rooms you’ve got, you haven’t got a very big house,” Highclere Castle’s current occupant, Fiona, the eighth countess of Carnarvon, told The Daily Telegraph. We hope Violet Crawley is taking notes.
2 Broke Girls (2011–present)
In the long and trying road to opening their own cupcake shop, at least Max Black and Caroline Channing can take solace in the fact that they live in a suspiciously awesome Greenpoint, Brooklyn, apartment. Signs of inaccurately lavish digs: 1. There is enough square footage in their living room to host a small ballet. 2. Their backyard is big enough to for their horse, Chestnut. 3. They have a backyard. All in a quirky day’s life of a struggling millennial, right? Wrong: “The typical rent for a one-bedroom in Greenpoint right now runs [at] $2,600 a month,” Corcoran says. “If you add a garden out back, it brings the rent up between $2,800 and $3,000 a month. They’re not fancy-restaurant waitresses; they may want to consider a third girl—maybe a fourth.” As for Chestnut? “Are you kidding me?” asks Corcoran. “The neighbors would have them out of the apartment in the second week. Animal-rights people would be picketing out front. The health department would have notices on their door, and the eviction notice would be posted all over the front of the building.” Good thing the sitcom is actually filmed on a set in L.A.
Girls (2012–present)
Much like her film Tiny Furniture, show-runner Lena Dunham’s new HBO series dissects twentysomethings’ sex lives, aspirations, and money problems with brutal honesty. So it’s no surprise that the program’s main character, Hannah (Dunham), must move into her best friend’s humble Greenpoint apartment (which Corcoran values at around $2,800 a month) after her parents force her to live on her own. Unlike the 2 Broke Girls apartment, Hannah and Marnie’s is gloomy, modestly furnished, and—to the best of our knowledge—does not house a pony. Later, in a job interview, Hannah mentions a big difference between Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents, implying the former to be better. Corcoran disagrees: “It’s not as nice. The only people who feel that way are the people who can’t afford the rent in Williamsburg.” But studies do show that most Greenpoint garage bands are 15 percent less well known than those in Williamsburg.
Source