Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is Top 10 TV Hangout Spots!
Close Calls
Cafe Nervosa - Frasier
The Pizza Bowl - Laverne & Shirley
Mario's - Taxi
Riff's is on this list for one reason and one reason only: Ursula. Before she played Phoebe on Friends, Lisa Kudrow was known as the ditzy and frustrating waitress at Riff's in a recurring role. Why Paul and Jamie kept going back to this place, I'll never know, but it was great especially when they connected the worlds of Friends and Mad About You with the two characters.
9. Molly's - Chicago Fire, Chicago PD & Chicago Med
Molly's is a pretty typical hangout spot for a show but what makes it fun is it's the spot that unites the three different shows from NBC's hit One Chicago lineup. The world of the three shows intersects a lot but the only "common ground" really is Molly's.
8. Phil's - Murphy Brown
Phil's was a great spot for the FYI gang thanks to its jolly owner who also had the buzz of all the DC elites. It was a classy establishment that seems fitting for the upper class people who frequented the spot. And of course it was always too darn bright when they opened the door.
7. MacLarens Pub - How I Met Your Mother
A very common location in How I Met Your Mother, MacLarens was most notable for the booth where the main characters hung out. Many hilarious moments happened at the booth or the bar, things like "have you met Ted?" and many other recurring jokes.
6. Luke's - Gilmore Girls
One of the most iconic establishments in Star's Hollow, Luke's was the location of much fast talking between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore as the owner and namesake reluctantly served coffee and rolled his eyes. If Star's Hollow was a real town, Luke's would certainly be a place to stop by on your way through.
I wasn't thinking of this as a "hangout" spot as I first compiled this list but it really is. As the kids in the 50s were going to places like Arnold's, this is a type of place the adults (or at least the well-off adults) hung out. It's too bad that we don't really have the equivalent of clubs like this now. What a classy way to spend an evening out.
4. Eric's Basement - That 70s Show
This is the only place on the list that's part of someone's home but when you think of hangout spots, Eric's basement has to be on the list. Whether they were watching Classic TV, trading zingers and insults, or (of course) getting high, Eric's basement was the heart of That 70s Show from a setting standpoint.
3. Arnold's - Happy Days
I have had a fascination with malt shops since I started watching Happy Days on Nick at Nite as a kid. The quintessential TV malt shop is on the quintessential 50s sitcom. There's the burgers & fries, the jukebox, the dancing, the stylings. It's all there and an iconic hangout spot.
2. Central Perk - Friends
Sure, there probably aren't many coffee shops like Central Perk in Manhattan and definitely not one where the best seats would always be available. But on Friends, it was always there. It was partly responsible for the rise of coffee shop culture and the setting for great moments from beginning to end of the series.
Of course. Could there be anything else for #1? The place where everybody knows your name was the main setting for most of the episodes during an 11 year run. They never ran out of stories to tell and they used one major set most of the time because they populated the entire bar with great characters all along the way. There's no other TV hangout spot in history that could seriously challenge this one.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at 1980s flop Women in Prison!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 Fictional TV Towns!
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