The Best California TV Shows

2 years ago 511

California Today

Watch a mentation of your beingness reflected backmost connected the tiny screen.

Soumya Karlamangla

Dec. 1, 2021, 8:36 a.m. ET

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“City of Ghosts” (2021)
Credit...Netflix

A fewer weeks ago, I wrote astir the rise of a definite benignant of Los Angeles tv show.

Instead of exclusively depicting L.A.’s affluent and famous, this newer harvest of shows reflects a majority-minority city, wherever the median yearly income is beneath $30,000 and, for astir people, beingness isn’t each that glamorous.

For me, an Angeleno who lives acold from the formation and knows fewer radical who enactment successful Hollywood, the joyousness of these shows is seeing a mentation of my beingness reflected back.

Many of you wrote to maine astir TV shows that consciousness existent to your acquisition of California. Some uncover the grittier broadside of San Diego, oregon showcase reliably stunning views of the Central Coast.

I’ve shared your recommendations below, which see productions spanning astir fractional a century:

The Rockford Files” (1974), Los Angeles

“Rockford whitethorn person lived successful a trailer connected the formation successful Malibu, but helium spent astir of his clip successful little rarefied parts of L.A. As a kid successful Aptos, Ventura Boulevard and downtown L.A. (long earlier lofts!) defined L.A. for me. Even now, erstwhile I’m successful immoderate of the much workaday sections of the Southland, thing I spot triggers the ‘Rockford Files’ taxable euphony successful my head.” — Ryan Ver Berkmoes, Monte Rio

Lou Grant” (1977), Los Angeles

“The amusement portrayed each sections of Los Angeles, from downtown, to the beach, to Bel-Air, to like, y’know, the Valley and stuff, and to the scruffier sections successful the eastbound and south. I archetypal watched the amusement erstwhile I lived backmost east, and was thrilled to sojourn galore of those locations aft I moved to Southern California successful the aboriginal ’80s.

Recently, I picked up respective DVD box-sets of ‘Lou Grant,’ and was amazed astatine however good the amusement holds up aft each these years. One episode, archetypal broadcast successful 1979, dealt with undocumented immigrants. Forty-two years old, and it easy could person been written 42 minutes ago.” — Bob Haus, Oakland

Nash Bridges” (1996), San Francisco

“I utilized to ticker ‘Nash Bridges’ successful portion arsenic a scavenger hunt trying to find precisely wherever successful San Francisco the scenes were filmed. I adjacent saw the crews successful enactment astir town. There’s thing peculiar astir seeing the existent places you cognize amusement up onscreen.” — Mark Jones, Sacramento

Monk” (2002), San Francisco

“The opening of the amusement with Monk walking to his flat astatine the apical of 1 of San Francisco’s galore steep hills is priceless!” — Chick Harrity, Calistoga

Terriers” (2010), San Diego

“Not lone was it a precise bully amusement with intricate plotting, crackling dialog and large acting, it besides shone a airy connected a spot of a seedy underbelly of the San Diego formation towns. If I callback correctly it took spot successful Ocean Beach.

I had ne'er seen a amusement that took distant the amusive and prima of San Diego formation civilization and alternatively replaced it with the scrappy day-to-day (or arsenic was often the lawsuit connected this show, night-to-night) surviving successful a portion of California astir radical see idyllic.” — Dan Hess, Los Angeles

Bosch” (2014), Los Angeles

“My hubby and I were immense fans of ‘Bosch.’ Sadly, my hubby died successful March, and months aboriginal I yet got astir to watching the past season. In the past episode, Bosch’s girl is sitting extracurricular Du-Par’s.

I person spent the past fewer months moving from Connecticut to Los Angeles. I present unrecorded a mile distant from determination — rounded the country 1 time aft archetypal moving present and determination it was.” — Marlene Cavagnuolo, Los Angeles

Lucifer” (2016), Los Angeles

“My favourite is ‘Lucifer’ due to the fact that it shows the L.A. I retrieve astir from 11 years lived there: the benignant of morally amorphous metropolis the devil would surely take to unrecorded in.” — Ney M. Fonseca Jr., Teresópolis, Brazil

Big Little Lies” (2017), Monterey

“I was calved and raised connected Monterey Bay. I spent overmuch of my big beingness surviving and moving there, though not since 2005. One of my family’s top joys was Sunday drives astir the region.

I adored ‘Big Little Lies’ for each the iconic Central Coast, Monterey peninsula and Big Sur locations that were beautifully showcased.” — Rhoda Flint, Bellingham, Wash.

The Rookie” (2018), Los Angeles

“The prima of the amusement is Los Angeles. It’s a well-done constabulary procedural with a bully formed and fantabulous plot. It stays absorbing occurrence to episode.

Being a erstwhile Southern California girl, I person developed a emotion for SoCal that I didn’t person for the archetypal 20 years of my life.

I was blown distant by the elaborate street-to-street detail, and the antithetic downtown L.A. neighborhoods. The formed are each precise likable and tough. Plus the diverseness of the formed is what it should be, with Black and Hispanic actors making up the main characters.” — Iris Buckley-Jacobson, Atascadero

City of Ghosts” (2021), Los Angeles

“‘City of Ghosts’ connected Netflix is simply a small occurrence of a amusement — humane portraits of L.A. neighborhoods extracurricular the ones we’ve seen for years, naturalistic performances and a delightful creation absorption and animation style. Super large for adults AND kids! Hope you similar it.” — Paul Kimball, Campbell

For more:


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Credit...Joao Silva/The New York Times

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Credit...Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

  • Vaccine mandate: San Diego’s metropolis employees indispensable present amusement impervious of vaccination oregon petition an exemption, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

  • A trial for the “great antheral theory”: U.S.C. has a new shot coach.

  • Ski areas opening: Despite a adust fall, the Bear Mountain and Snow Summit skis areas volition unfastened this week, The Associated Press reports.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

  • Mural removed: A Fresno pastor ordered a mural depicting residents who person died from unit to beryllium removed from his church’s building, The Fresno Bee reports.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

  • Shrinking snowpacks: The snowpack successful California’s Sierra Nevada could vanish successful 25 years, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

  • Computer maven: Jim Warren, an influential fig successful the assemblage that sprung up successful the Bay Area astir the emerging idiosyncratic machine industry, has died astatine 85.


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Credit...Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Chocolate cheesecake with graham cracker crunch.


Today’s question extremity comes from Jacqueline Leventhal:

“The Lafayette h2o retention reservoir is simply a 975-acre tract located connected the westbound extremity of Lafayette successful Northern California’s East Bay. It is the cleanable spot to locomotion each twelvemonth long. Birds, wildlife, picnic areas, benches and bathrooms are scattered throughout.

There are 2 trails. The fashionable 2.8-mile way is casual and flowing astir the reservoir. The four-plus-mile unpaved rim way is bully for the much hearty and offers large views.

It is simply a small oasis successful the mediate of municipality life. You tin locomotion the ‘rez’ immoderate clip of time — with strollers, dogs. It’s astir an hr astir and you volition permission refreshed and inspired by this gorgeous earthy setting.”

Tell america astir your favourite places to sojourn successful California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We’ll beryllium sharing much successful upcoming editions of the newsletter.


Has your kid been vaccinated against Covid-19?

Share stories of your children receiving their coronavirus shots and however it has affected your vacation plans. Please see your child’s name, property and metropolis of residence — and adjacent a photograph, if you’d like.

Email maine astatine CAtoday@nytimes.com and your submission whitethorn beryllium included successful a aboriginal newsletter.


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Credit...Nathan Frandino/Reuters

California has recovered an particularly cute mode to combat clime change: oversea otters.

Successful efforts to summation the animals’ numbers disconnected the California seashore person led to the maturation of kelp forests, which gobble up c from the atmosphere.

Read much from Wired.


Thanks for reading. I’ll beryllium backmost tomorrow. — Soumya

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Game for satellite champion Magnus Carlsen (5 letters).

Jack Kramer, Steven Moity, Mariel Wamsley and Jaevon Williams contributed to California Today. You tin scope the squad astatine CAtoday@nytimes.com.

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