TV Tapings in New York City
Though it may seem odd to take time out of your vacation to do what you do at home—watch TV—it’s the behind-the-scenes elements that make the experience here: the scurrying grips and cameramen, the "warm-up act" before the show, and seeing what the host does when the camera isn’t on.
Attending tapings is a very popular activity, so it’s important that you request tickets far in advance. In fact, 6 months ahead of time is not too early. If you can’t plan that far ahead, or are rejected for an advance seat, all hope is not lost—stand-by seats are distributed for most shows. To snag one of these, you’ll need to get up early and do a lot of waiting around, but many people on the stand-by list do get in. One warning: Stand-by tickets are given out by person, not by couple, so if you’re traveling with someone else, both of you have to brave the line to attend the show.
Some shows to try and see:
- Good Morning America: https://1iota.com/Show/379/Good-Morning-America
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Go to lastweektickets.com (the ticket lottery takes place Tuesday at 3pm, with show tapings on Saturdays).
- Late Night with Seth Meyers: Sign up at 1iota.com/show/461/Late-Night-with-Seth-Meyers. A ticket calendar shows possible tapings for 6 weeks. Usually, applicants are notified 4 weeks in advance if they’ve gotten a ticket, but sometimes there are last-minute seats available. Tapings are at 2 and 4:30pm; the audience is asked to arrive an hour and 15 minutes earlier.
- Saturday Night Live: This is the most difficult show of the bunch to get seats for (1 out of every 10,000 people who applies gets one!). Send an email in August only to snltickets@nbcuni.com. The show will then let you know if you’ve won its lottery and gotten a seat for the date you requested. If you haven’t, you may be able to get in by going to NBC’s online reservations portal (nbc.com/tickets/pages/tickets-and-nbc-studio-tour) at 10am ET on the Thursday before the show you want to see; request tickets for either the dress rehearsal (8pm Saturday) or the live show (max. 4 tickets per request). If you get a reservation number, you and all members of your party (all attendees must be 16 or older) must check in to pick the tickets up, between 6 and 7pm on the Friday before the show day at the in-person standby line, located at the 49th Street NBC Studios marquee of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
- The Drew Barrymore Show: Go to 1iota.com/show/1217/the-drew-barrymore-show (tapings are generally Tues–Thurs at 11am).
- The Daily Show: Go to 1iota.com/show/1248/the-daily-show#t4. Shows are taped Monday–Thursday at 4:30pm.
- Live with Kelly & Mark (1iota.com/Show/385/The-View). For early birds! Shows tape at 7:45am and 10am, varying by date.
- The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: Go to fallon.1iota.com/show/353/the-tonight-show-starring-jimmy-fallon. Tapings are weekdays at 3:45pm; standby cards are distributed in the NBC Universal Store at Rockefeller Center 10am–2pm, but people often get there hours in advance, especially if Fallon has a popular guest scheduled.
- The View: Sign up at 1iota.com/Show/385/The-View. The show shoots live Monday–Thurs at 9:30am (Thurs a second taping at 12:15pm ET). The calendar will show you who the guest is.
To see the Today Show, simply get up at dawn and head over to Rockefeller Center. You’ll see where the crowds are that day.