Brooklyn Nine-Nine filming locations: Where was the procedural sitcom filmed? 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine isn’t just a sitcom, it is a full-blown comfort show in the form of an epic police procedural. From its unforgettable cold openings to its lovable cast of misfit detectives, the series has carved out a special place in pop culture. With its lovable chaos, razor-sharp wit, and a precinct that somehow always has the perfect lighting, the series built a world that feels so real, you’d thi9nk it was shot on the streets of the Big Apple. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

For a show that screams “New York’s finest” with every sarcastic Captain Holt stare and every Jake Peralta one-liner, the actual filming locations might just surprise you. Turns out, television has a few tricks up its sleeve, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine plays them like a pro.

In this article we will explore the real-world spots that brought the Brooklyn Nine-Nine plot to life. Some are iconic, some are blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, and some are surely going to surprise you. Ready to find out where your favorite detectives really clocked in? Let’s roll.

The 99th precinct’s true identity

Every episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine opens with that familiar shot: the iconic precinct building, American flag waving, NYC energy buzzing in the background. Fans might assume it’s just another TV set or a digital rendering. But surprise, it’s a real building. Nestled at 65 6th Avenue in Prospect Heights, this is actually the 78th Precinct of the NYPD. Yup. The real Nine-Nine is the Seventy-Eight.

The show’s creators, Dan Goor and Michael Schur, picked the 78th Precinct for a reason. First off, it just looks right. Built in 1925 in the Renaissance Revival style, it has those grand arches, red brick, and old-school municipal vibes that scream Brooklyn. They didn’t need to fake a thing. The aesthetic was all there, gritty, stoic, and effortlessly authentic.

Logistically, too, it was a win. Getting a few establishing shots on a real Brooklyn street? Way easier than trying to construct an entire city block in Los Angeles. So, they filmed the exterior early on and then reused it throughout the series for cold opens and transitions. It pops up in almost every episode, becoming part of the show’s DNA.

But go inside? That’s pure Hollywood.

None of the interiors, no bullpen chaos, no break room drama, no Captain Holt staring dead-eyed from behind his desk, were filmed at the 78th. Everything inside was built from scratch at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California. It is the ultimate illusion: Brooklyn on the outside, California on the inside.

Fans still swing by the 78th, hoping to spot Peralta or say hi to Rosa. The officers inside? Probably a little confused, but always polite. Because at this point, that unassuming building isn’t just a police station, it’s TV royalty. Nine-Nine forever, even if the ZIP code’s a lie.

Studio magic: Where most of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was filmed

Sure, the precinct feels like Brooklyn. In reality? It's inside Stage 12 at CBS Studio Center, tucked away on 4024 Radford Avenue in Studio City, California. From 2013 to 2021, every hallway rant, bullpen chaos, and break room meltdown happened inside that single soundstage.

Stage 12 was the beating heart of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Once the pilot got picked up (which used real locations in downtown Los Angeles), the team built the entire 99th precinct set from scratch inside the studio. And they went big. The design included the bullpen, Captain Holt’s office, the briefing room, holding cells, a copy room, and even fully functioning bathrooms, for realism, of course.

The bullpen was the star. Cluttered desks, paper piles, and coffee cups told their own stories. It was purposefully chaotic and maze-like, mimicking the cramped unpredictability of a real NYPD precinct. Holt’s office? Cool, measured, with a pride flag and a framed photo of Cheddar perched proudly. Every room reflected the characters, right down to the yogurt cups Terry left behind in the breakroom.

The set wasn’t static. Things evolved over eight seasons. The briefing room was redesigned after season one, the layout of the bullpen shifted, and props were constantly being redressed. Sometimes, the same hallway was cleverly reused in different episodes as storage, evidence lock-up, or a locker room, just with a quick tweak or lighting change.

Fun fact: The stage is now empty, but a plaque sits proudly on the exterior of Stage 12, marking it as the once-home of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Even Chelsea Peretti and Joel McKinnon Miller have posted nostalgic photos from it.

So while Brooklyn Nine-Nine might have looked like it belonged to Brooklyn, it was pure Hollywood magic, crafted with intention, humor, and just enough set chaos to make every cold open shine. Nine-Nine forever, preserved in studio walls and syndication dreams.

On-location shoots in Los Angeles

Sure, Brooklyn Nine-Nine talks the Brooklyn talk, but much of it actually walks the Los Angeles walk. Behind all the “cool cool cool” and siren-drenched montages, LA’s sunlit streets moonlight as gritty NYC corners. Call it television’s greatest identity theft.

Take Shaw’s Bar, the precinct’s unofficial headquarters after hours. Though it radiates East Coast dive energy, Shaw’s exterior was usually filmed on the New York Street backlot at CBS Studio Center, cleverly tweaked with aging bricks, fake graffiti, and a few yellow cabs. Its cozy interior? That lived just next door on Stage 10. No need to hop boroughs when Hollywood has backlot bars.

Other “Brooklyn” cameos? It's all LA. Alleys in North Hollywood doubled as suspect stakeout zones. Tree-lined streets in Studio City pretended to be brownstone-lined avenues. Even parks from Burbank to Pasadena stood in for local Brooklyn greens where Peralta dramatically face-planted or Boyle chased pigeons mid-case.

Episode-specific shoutouts include the ham exporter fiasco in Season 1, shot near Monte Carlo Deli in Burbank. Season 2’s countryside B&B? Not Pennsylvania, just Golden Oak Ranch in Santa Clarita. And that sleek airport from Season 5’s “Nutri-Boom” showdown? None other than the LA Convention Center in disguise.

To stitch LA into a believable Brooklyn, the crew for Brooklyn Nine-Nine relied on clever angles, moody lighting, and set-dressing wizardry. Palm trees were hidden, license plates swapped, and subway signs popped up like mirages. Even CGI pitched in, tossing in bridges, towers when needed.

So the next time Peralta’s dodging a perp behind a “Brooklyn” deli, just know: He is probably two blocks away from an LA juice bar. Because while the heart of the Nine-Nine beat New York, its streets are pure Hollywood illusions, and, honestly, that’s the kind of deception we can toast a Shaw’s beer to.

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In the world of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New York is more of a mood than a map. Whether it’s a soundstage maze or a sun-drenched LA alley in disguise, the show built Brooklyn from the ground up, with heart, humor, and a whole lot of cinematic magic. Every scene, from Shaw’s Bar brawls to precinct chaos, is a masterclass in make-believe. So the next time you rewatch Jake yelling “noice” on an NYC sidewalk, remember: it might just be Los Angeles in a very good wig. Brooklyn was never a place, it was always the energy. And the Nine-Nine? It nailed it.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is available to stream on Peacock