There’s no place like home. But for some square eyes there are some TV homes that are just, well, more like home than home.
The Waltons
Just think of The Walton house on top of Walton Mountain. It’s hard, if you’re a fan, not to be filled with nostalgia and a warm, fuzzy glow. Frankly, some TV homes are just more homely than your own bricks and mortar. And the Walton’s home has a cultural resonance that is still felt today.
A few years ago the house of the Hamners, the real family who inspired the Waltons, was auctioned off. The three-roomed place was frankly in need of a bit of redecorating, but that didn’t matter. It symbolised American values and was hailed as part of the country’s very cultural fabric – although it only sold for a snip at $123,000. Maybe if they’d put in a new kitchen?
Everybody needs good neighbours
Just as some TV homes seem more like home than your own pad, TV neighbours can be more neighbourly too. The majority of us don’t know who we live next door to. A nod in the street from a neighbour is considered the height of drama; forget the rampant affairs, comas and kidnappings. For many Brits, the residents half a world away in Australia’s Ramsay Street are far more familiar.
In fact, the families and friends who live in this Melbourne cul-de-sac are neighbours to viewers in 50 countries around the world.
Famous TV Homes
The fact TV homes are such a part of our culture says a lot about the importance of our houses. Even if they’re not as grand as, say the Dynasty mansions or as luxurious as the Californian beach homes in The O.C. We all like to make ourselves at home with them even if it is just for an hour a week in the comfort of our own homes.
Here’s a quick tour round some favourite TV homes…
The Carrington Mansion
Dynasty a family built on oil and shoulder pads. The Carrington mansion was built by tycoon Blake Carrington and his family lived there not so peacefully during the 1980s in this most dramatic of soaps. Set in Colorado, the house was actually in California.
The O.C. Mansion
The O.C is the modern day version of Dynasty for teenagers. The Cohen’s red-tile-roof mansion is supposed to be set in Newport Beach, although it is actually in Malibu and that fabulous pool house is a studio set. It’s not real you know!
Beverly Hills 90210 Home
The predecessor to The O.C, in this 1990’s series, the Walsh family lived in one of the nation’s most affluent ZIP codes 90210. But in reality the home is located in the 91001 ZIP code of Altadena, a town north of Pasadena.
The Osbourne’s MTV House
Just to confuse matters even more, you are sat in the comfort of your own home, watching a TV sitcom about somebody else’s home, which in fact turns out to be real! The Osborne’s was the first reality sitcom where we had the joy of watching other people’s pets doing their business on the carpet.