“The Shards” Filmed at Real L.A. Hotspots That Have Barely Changed Since the ’80s

While many are watching Ryan Murphy’s latest FX thriller for cliffhangers galore, I’m tuning in to see the way The Shards (co-created with Bret Easton Ellis) captures the quintessential vibes of early 1980s Los Angeles. Based on Ellis’ semi-autobiographical novel, The Shards follows upper-echelon teens during their senior year at an LA prep school. And it seems that the series’ sets are just as dramatic as the plot that’s set to unfold this season.

Production designer Cat Smith told Elle Decor that her vision for the show is based on her own personal experience. She re-created the aesthetics and vibes of ’80s LA well because she also attended a local private school during that time. Using her own childhood memories and inspiration from her research, Smith and her team crafted scenes and sets that totally capture the transitional time of 1981.

In the opening scene, Bret (played by Igby Rigney) drives down Mulholland Drive on his way to see a matinee show of The Shining — which takes place at what is now the Westwood Village Theater, an iconic Spanish Mission-style landmark in LA. According to the Los Angeles Times, the production team used the Bruin Theater for exterior shots and shot interior scenes inside the Fox Theater, which is currently being renovated for a grand 2027 reopening to the public. Of course, The Shards team hid away many of the modern upgrades that occurred in the last four decades to re-create this magic.

The Taco Bell that’s across the street from the theater also got a vintage revamp into a Hamburger Hamlet, and its neighbors received vintage-style awnings for bygone restaurants, including Mario’s. 

The Sherman Oaks Galleria mall, which was redone in the 1990s, was co-author Ellis’ go-to hangout spot during his high school years. So, he wanted to re-create the mall based on his own personal memory — with one of the main features being a massive skylight and a set of escalators. The team found an almost perfect dupe of the old Sherman Oaks Galleria through the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, which is still open to the public these days. 

To really sell the early ’80s vibe, the production team laid red carpeting and installed vintage signage and storefronts. This included an Orange Julius juice bar, a Licorice Pizza record store, and a Pacific 4 Theaters, complete with the box office out front.

The real-life Buckley School is actually located in California’s Sherman Oaks, but The Shards’ production team decided to film inside Occidental College in Eagle Rock as the main set instead, according to FilmiFeed. Occidental College has been used as a filming location for many productions over the years (including 1995’s Clueless) and is a mainstay in Hollywood productions thanks to production having total control over the campus’ activity during off seasons. 

Plus, its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture helps to sell the high-class aesthetic of Ellis’ actual prep school experience. Students and visitors on Occidental’s campus traverse through historic archways, dozens of open-air verandas, and charming red-tiled roofs, all nestled into 120 acres that feature vibrant rose gardens and eucalyptus trees.

Smith told Elle Decor that production actually filmed in a 1940s Bel Air mansion as the backdrop for the character Debbie Schaffer’s house. It called for a full renovation of the mansion’s first floor to fit the “new and shiny” early ’80s aesthetic. And the house used as Bret’s main pad is a real mid-century-style home located on Mulholland Drive, tucked above the San Fernando Valley, which had just undergone a modernization that needed to be reversed. Other bedrooms featured in the show (including the one above!) ended up being constructed and shot on soundstages elsewhere in LA.

Even if you’re not a major horror fan, The Shards will have you falling in love with all of the architectural gems that are still found in LA today. The show premiered in early August, with two episodes dropping weekly; tune in to fall in love with the iconic retro Los Angeles aesthetic that inspired generations.