Since 1973, iconic Hollywood studio Warner Bros. have been offering some form of a backlot tour to the general public. When it launched, tickets cost $3, and education about film and life on the set was the name of the game; a point of difference from the “ride the movies” approach of the iconic Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour, whose popularity no doubt inspired the experience in the first instance.

There have been a variety of changes to the tour over the years as demand grew, though it was the addition of the immersive “Stage 48: Script to Screen” exhibit in 2015, and its updated branding, that helped the experience become one of the best in Hollywood. What at first attracted 15,000 visitors a year in the 1970s, can now accommodate some 6,000 visitors a day.

Last year, I had the opportunity to take the tour for the third time – almost a decade since my last visit. And since those initial updates in 2015, even more has been added to the experience. The tour is now the most well-rounded trip through film history it’s ever been; bringing together photo opportunities and set visits with interactive experiences and the opportunity to get up close and personal with iconic film memorabilia and moments.

English language tours leave every ten minutes, with a massive gift shop and an introductory gallery to enjoy while you wait for your tour to be called. While I was on ground, there was a number of installations for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with props, sets and photo opportunities available for what was, at the time, WB’s hit film in cinemas.

Once they call your tour, you line up to sit in a cinema and watch a film that gives context to the history of the Studio, and the films and TV shows that have been shot there – much of which you’ll experience across the coming three-or-so hours.

We spent a little under two hours on the tram itself, which we shared with about 12 other people. The intimate nature of the tour helps ensure that the “education” of the backlot experience remains a central focus of the experience more than 50 years after it first debuted.

Your friendly and knowledgeable tour guide will answer any questions you might have, as they take you from the last remaining “jungle” set in Hollywood, through to the streets that housed exterior sets for shows like Gilmore Girls, The Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars, You and Friends. You’ll even see the police building used for Adam West’s Batman series, and where shows like Abbott Elementary and Night Court are still filmed today.

Our guide also hit us with plenty of fun facts – like how the street where Night Court is filmed currently, was once a Wild West set – used as such until the Wild Wild West music video was filmed in 1999. And he added in a note that Will Smith’s name is, in fact, Willard Smith II.

The more you know.

While you’ll be sitting in the tram for the majority of the tour, the best aspect of the experience is that they usually take you, on foot, through the streets, buildings and even a sound stage where so many of your favourite shows have been filmed.

We got to walk through Sookie’s house from Gilmore Girls – stripped bare – whose rear exterior was also used for Lorelai Gilmore’s house (pictured below). Showing that one building can be simultaneously used for a variety of settings. And (to add to the fun fact reel), we found out that Doja Cat recently filmed her video for “Demons” in this house. You might also see some of the buildings in the area in the upcoming Seth Rogan AppleTV+ series The Studio.

Along the journey, we spotted them filming The Pit, a new drama from the creators of ER, and also jumped off the tram to visit the active sound stage for the TV series All American – with most of the set pieces covered in plastic so as to save any details from our grimy hands.

You then leave your guide to visit the iconic Friends fountain, as well as the “Stage 48: Script to Screen” exhibit, which debuted as part of the 2015 update, and has continued to evolve since. There’s a functional Central Perk cafe here, where you can get yourself a coffee, before exploring film and TV set recreations. This includes Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and even the Lord of the Rings, where they show you how they made Gandalf look so tall next to those filthy hobbitses.

Elsewhere in the building, you can watch how they made sound for Gravity, and then you can do your own effect work for Harry Potter, The Matrix and more.

But this is no longer closes out the tour. In 2021, WB added a new finale, that takes advantage of props and exhibits that used to appear in a temporary space. When you leave Stage 48, you’ll head onto a new tram, to make your way to an interactive exhibit with the Harry Potter film series and the DC Cinematic Universe as its primary focus. You’ll find original props from both series, as well as plenty of photo opportunities – including a chance to be the boy who lived (under the stairs).

This excellent addition sits as the last stop before you pass through the gift shop on your way back out.

They’ve loaded this tour with so many experiences, that between Stage 48, and this new finale alone, you could spend a whole day here and still have missed something. And as the tour itself regularly changes based on what’s being filmed, and they’ve got some replay value going for them. Just one visit won’t be enough. And that’s not something you might have said prior to the updates that started a decade ago.

Having taken part in the tour a few times over the last two decades, I can safely say that Warner Bros. has improved, expanded and enhanced the Studio Tour so much that it’s now the best publicly available backlot experience in the city.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour runs 7 days a week, from 8.30am to 3.30pm, with the Studio Store open until 7pm.

Tickets start at $73 USD, with a variety of VIP options available for even more intimate experiences.

Head to https://www.wbstudiotour.com/ for tickets and more details.

The author visited as a guest of Warner Bros. While in Los Angeles we stayed at the Hoxton Downtown LA. While this article speaks to the experience of the author, some aspects of the WB Studio Tour change day-to-day due to filming. Photos by the author, except the header of the article which was provided by Warner Bros. 

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