New York City serves as the setting for some of film's most iconic moments: King Kong climbing the Empire State Building, Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan)'s autumn stroll through Central Park in When Harry Met Sally..., or Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) running around the Plaza Hotel in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. But these are all passing scenes in an otherwise larger plotline.
When it comes to TV shows set in NYC, the city itself becomes a character. These shows tap into themes that are quintessential to the darker nature of city culture: corruption, crime, and money (to name a few). Whether it's period dramas like Mad Men, legal procedurals like Law & Order: SVU, or a closer look into the lives of the elite like Gossip Girl, these are the best TV dramas based in NYC, ranked.
10 'Gossip Girl' (2007-2012)
Created by Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage
Gossip Girl follows the extravagant lives of Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively), Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), and their peers through seasons of scandal and extravagance. Charity galas are a regular Wednesday night, living in hotels come with the lifestyle, and their interpersonal drama goes far beyond what one might consider "teenage problems."
Gossip Girl represents an otherwise unachievable vision of NYC living as a form of escapism for fans who wish that they, too, were a part of the Manhattan elite. In a time when cellphones and online blogs gained popularity, the driving force of the anonymous "Gossip Girl" becomes a reality check for the characters' debaucherous actions. A spin-off premiered in 2021 of the same name, but was canceled after just two seasons. Apparently, Gossip Girl's storylines have since aged poorly and the cultural phenomenon it became should stay in the 2000s.
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Gossip Girl
TV-14
Drama
Romance
Privileged teens living on the Upper East Side of New York can hide no secret from the ruthless blogger who is always watching.
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Release Date September 19, 2007
Cast Blake Lively , Leighton Meester , Penn Badgley , Chace Crawford , Ed Westwick , Kelly Rutherford , Matthew Settle , Taylor Momsen , Jessica Szohr , Zuzanna Szadkowski , Connor Paolo , Kaylee DeFer , Margaret Colin , Amanda Setton , Nicole Fiscella , Michelle Trachtenberg , Robert John Burke , Nan Zhang , Hugo Becker , Yin Chang , Alice Callahan , Sam Robards , Aaron Schwartz
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 6
Character(s) Serena van der Woodsen , Blair Waldorf , Dan Humphrey , Nate Archibald , Chuck Bass , Lily van der Woodsen , Rufus Humphrey , Jenny Humphrey , Vanessa Abrams , Dorota Kishlovsky , Eric van der Woodsen , Ivy Dickens , Eleanor Waldorf , Penelope Shafai , Isabel Coates , Georgina Sparks , Bart Bass , Kati Farkas , Louis Grimaldi , Nelly Yuki , Jessica Leitenberg , Howie The Captain Archibald , Vanya
Producers Stephanie Savage
YouTube Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhsV1gPVJMQ
Creator(s) Stephanie Savage , Josh Schwartz
Writers Joshua Safran
Network The CW
Streaming Service(s) M
Directors Mark Piznarski , Norman Buckley , Patrick R. Norris , Joe Lazarov , J. Miller Tobin , Tony Wharmby , Andrew McCarthy , Janice Cooke , Andy Wolk , Michael Fields , David Warren , John Stephens , Jean de Segonzac , Lee Shallat Chemel , Tate Donovan , Ron Fortunato , Bart Wenrich , Allison Liddi-Brown , Amy Heckerling , Jeremiah S. Chechik , Larry Shaw , Vincent Misiano , Cherie Nowlan , Darnell Martin
Showrunner Joshua Safran
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9 'Daredevil' (2015-2018)
Created by Drew Goddard
Canonically blind in the comics, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) must rely on his other senses to fight crime throughout NYC and, more specifically, his neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen. Because Daredevil is a Netflix series, it can portray the grittier nature of crime-fighting often found in the original comics. Yes, Daredevil is a vigilante. But he's also a 30-year-old lawyer living in NYC, navigating romantic relationships and living with roommates.
If it's based in NYC, Daredevil is there. Daredevil is part of the Netflix Marvel Universe (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist) and this interconnectivity culminated in the 2017 crossover miniseries, The Defenders. More recently, Matt Murdock appeared in other Disney Marvel productions like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Spider-Man: No Way Home as a toned-down version of himself. It appears that the Avengers are always in need of a lawyer (and, of course, a superhero).
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Daredevil
Action
Superhero
A blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night. Matt Murdock fights the crime of New York as Daredevil.
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Release Date April 10, 2015
Cast Charlie Cox , Rosario Dawson , Elden Henson , Vincent D'Onofrio , Deborah Ann Woll , Jon Bernthal
Rating
Seasons 3
Creator
8 'Law and Order: SVU' (1999-)
Created by Dick Wolf
A spin-off of the 1990s Law & Order series, this police procedural follows criminal activities primarily focusing on sexual crimes across NYC. Law & Order: SVU is Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Oliva Benson is Law & Order: SVU. Since its inception, Olivia has been an essential part of the Special Victims Unit as a detective known for taking on cases with compassion and tenacity.
The show succeeds in handling difficult topics involving sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence with sensitivity and respectability. Especially because, like its predecessor Law & Order, many of the storylines presented in the show are inspired by real-life cases taken from news headlines and NYPD reports. There is no shortage of criminal cases in NYC, and as a result, there is no sign of Law & Order: SVU ending anytime soon.
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Law & Order: SVU
This series follows the Special Victims Unit, a specially trained squad of detectives in the New York City Police Department that investigate sexually related crimes.
Genre Crime Drama
Number of Seasons 25
Debut Date September 20, 1999
Language English
Studio NBC, Wolf Entertainment
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7 'The Morning Show' (2019-)
Created by Jay Carson
When Alex Levy's (Jennifer Aniston) role as a news anchor on The Morning Show is threatened, she is also faced with a greater complication; allegations of sexual misconduct against her co-host, Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell). By chance or fate, the show's producers discover small-town reporter Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) and bring her on to replace Mitch.
Alex and Bradley's rivalry goes beyond who reports the news first; it highlights a larger theme in both the media and among women in general. Aside from their personal issues, The Morning Show successfully covers relevant topics like female rights, changing technology, and immigration. But it does so in a clever manner, almost satirizing the real New York talk shows which often stray from serious conversation. The Morning Show's third season recently ended, and as Alex and Bradley battle larger establishments and ideologies, their camaraderie and relationship continues to strengthen.
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The Morning Show
TV-MA
Drama
An inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning, exploring the unique challenges faced by the team.
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Release Date November 1, 2019
Cast Marcia Gay Harden , Holland Taylor , Bel Powley , Tom Irwin , Reese Witherspoon , Jack Davenport , Ruairi O'Connor , Greta Lee , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Hasan Minhaj , Desean Terry , Jennifer Aniston , Nestor Carbonell , Julianna Margulies , Valeria Golino , Mark Duplass , Janina Gavankar , Karen Pittman , Steve Carell , Billy Crudup , Tara Karsian
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 3
Creator(s) Jay Carson , Kerry Ehrin
Story By Kerry Ehrin
Writers Kerry Ehrin , Jay Carson
Streaming Service(s) AppleTV+
Directors Kerry Ehrin
Showrunner Kerry Ehrin
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6 'Suits' (2011-2019)
Created by Aaron Korsh
Close
Suits presents fans with a legal drama set in a prominent New York law firm. When the promising Mike Ross (Patrick J. Abrams) joins Pearson Hardman as an associate, he must hide the fact that he never actually graduated from law school, despite his talent. While there, he works with and learns from his team that includes Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht), Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle).
It's not all about law, though (that would get boring). Between cases, characters must deal with office relationships, interpersonal conflicts, and even their own legal issues. Although Suits premiered in 2011, the show achieved a record-breaking 57.7 billion minutes of viewing on Netflix in 2023 once it joined the streaming platform. Thanks to this recent popularity, a spin-off series, Suits: LA is now in the works.
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Suits
TV-14
Comedy
Drama
On the run from a drug deal gone bad, brilliant college dropout Mike Ross finds himself working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City's best lawyers.
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Release Date June 23, 2011
Creator
Cast Patrick J. Adams , Sarah Rafferty , Gabriel Macht , Meghan Markle , Rick Hoffman , Gina Torres , Amanda Schull , Dule Hill , Katherine Heigl
Seasons 9
Website
Studio
Creator(s) Aaron Korsh
Writers Aaron Korsh
Network USA
Streaming Service(s) Amazon Prime Video , Netflix , Peacock
Showrunner Aaron Korsh
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5 'Mr. Robot' (2015-2019)
Created by Sam Esmail
Mr. Robot challenges themes of wealth and status found in shows like Gossip Girl, Succession, and Suits (among others). Fans follow the antisocial Elliott Alderson (Rami Malek) and his uniform black hoodie through a hack that takes down one of the largest corporations in the world. He and his team at "fsociety" work out of a warehouse in NYC's Coney Island and other discrete locations filmed around NYC. These themes and settings reflect real-life concerns of the time, following the events of Occupy Wall Street in the early 2010s and a call for financial freedom.
Thanks to disconnected flashbacks and Elliott's role as an unreliable narrator, the show often left more questions unanswered. Mr. Robot gained high praise for that twist in its Season 1 finale, and drew fans and critics alike into Elliott's world that would only get darker as the show progressed. Mr. Robot received Golden Globe and Emmy Awards, along with a dedicated cult following.
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Mr. Robot
Drama
Crime
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Release Date June 24, 2015
Cast Christian Slater , Portia Doubleday , Rami Malek , Jas Anderson , Carly Chaikin , BD Wong , Michael Cristofer
Rating
Seasons 4
Character(s) Self - Mr. Robot , Self - Tyrell Wellick , Shayla Nico , Self - Elliot Alderson , Self - Creator , Self - Actor/Superfan/Founder - The Nerd Machine , Herself - Production Designer , Self - Darlene , Self - Writer/Technical Consultant , Self - Joanna Wellick , Self - Editor-in-Chief at The Verge , Dominique DiPierro , Whiterose , Irving , Phillip Price (voice) , Angela Moss (voice) , Harry , Bartender , Man , Angry Woman , Sharon Knowles , Scott Knowles , Doctor Rodensky , Dwight , Jeremy
Producers Chad Hamilton , Steve Golin , Christian Slater , Rami Malek , Margo Myers , David Iserson , Kyle Bradstreet
YouTube Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMK5e-FSro0
Story By Sam Esmail
Writers Sam Esmail
Network USA
Streaming Service(s) Prime Video
Directors Sam Esmail
Showrunner Sam Esmail
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4 'The Gilded Age' (2022-)
Created by Julian Fellowes
Close
How did NYC come to be? That is what HBO's historical drama, The Gilded Age, seeks to answer. The show follows affluent families who helped develop iconic landmarks and businesses in New York. While the series itself is fictional, The Gilded Age takes creative liberty by depicting prominent real families (The Astors and McAllistors were real, while the Russells are roughly based on the Vanderbilts). Most scenes were filmed around Newport and suburbs around New York, but it also gives a nod to the development of NYC itself from the prominent 5th Avenue to the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The late 1800s was defined by rapid innovation of economic prosperity for select individuals- the robber barons, industrialists, and the political elite. But with this comes a rivalry between new and old money as presented by opportunities in society. It's clear that shows based in NYC tend to follow similar themes revolving around personal growth, cultural changes, and money. The Gilded Age is no different.
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The Gilded Age
TV-MA
Drama
History
A wide-eyed young scion of a conservative family embarks on a mission to infiltrate the wealthy neighboring clan dominated by ruthless railroad tycoon George Russell, his rakish son, Larry, and his ambitious wife, Bertha.
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Release Date January 24, 2022
Creator
Cast Carrie Coon , Morgan Spector , Louisa Jacobson , Denée Benton , Taissa Farmiga , Harry Richardson , Blake Ritson , Christine Baranski , Cynthia Nixon
Seasons 1
Writers Julian Fellowes , Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Streaming Service(s) M
Directors Michael Engler , Julian Fellowes , Deborah Kampmeier
Showrunner Julian Fellowes
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3 'Nurse Jackie' (2009-2015)
Created by Liz Brixius, Evan Dunsky, and Linda Wallem
Every part of Jackie Peyton's (Edie Falco) life blurs the line between ethical and just. Nurse Jackie follows the titular character and her work as a head nurse at the fictional All Saint's Hospital in NYC. But outside the confines of the hospital, Nurse Jackie battles her own medical dilemma- a secret substance addiction which takes control of her personal life. What drives Jackie's addiction? Does this conflict with the care she provides for others?
A 2008 press release from Paramount once teased that the show, "will star Falco as a strong-willed, iconoclastic New York City nurse juggling the frenzied grind of an urban hospital." Falco's Emmy-winning performance transcends her previous role as Carmerla Soprano in The Sopranos; or, it only solidifies her range. And, like The Sopranos, her talent is best suited to characters in NYC and New Jersey. She has that headstrong attitude only found in these places.
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Nurse Jackie
Comedy
Drama
A drug-addicted nurse struggles to find a balance between the demands of her frenetic job at a New York City hospital and an array of personal dramas.
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Release Date June 8, 2009
Cast Merritt Wever , Dominic Fumusa , Edie Falco , Stephen Wallem , Anna Deavere Smith , Paul Schulze , Ruby Jerins
Rating
Seasons 7
Studio
Story By Liz Brixius
Writers Liz Brixius
Network Showtime
Streaming Service(s) Paramount Plus , AppleTV+ , Prime Video
Directors Michael Lehmann
Showrunner Liz Brixius
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2 'Succession' (2018-2023)
Created by Jesse Armstrong
No, they aren't the Murdauchs- they're the Roys. Under the leadership of patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), WayStar Royco holds significant power across the business, entertainment, and political spheres of NYC and the country in general. Many scenes were filmed on location, resulting in a legitimate depiction of the Roy's influence on the city.
In fact, these locations became the backdrop for numerous pivotal scenes in Succession. Logan was taken to Bellevue Hospital following his stroke in the first season. Kendall performed his iconic "L to the OG" song at a highrise in Chelsea. Season 4's emotional confrontation between Logan and his children took place at an underground Koreatown karaoke bar.
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Succession
Drama
Comedy
The Roy family is known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company in the world. However, their world changes when their father steps down from the company.
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Release Date June 3, 2018
Creator
Cast Hiam Abbass , Alan Ruck , Sarah Snook , Kieran Culkin , Natalie Gold , Nicholas Braun , J. Smith-Cameron , Matthew Macfadyen , Peter Friedman , Brian Cox , Arian Moayed , Jeremy Strong , Rob Yang , Dagmara Dominczyk
Rating
Seasons 4
Creator(s) Jesse Armstrong
Story By jesse armstrong
Writers Jesse Armstrong
Network HBO Max
Streaming Service(s) MAX
Directors Mark Mylod
Showrunner Jesse Armstrong
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1 'Mad Men' (2007-2015)
Created by Matthew Weiner
Close
The 1960s was an era of transformation. The nuclear family had started to shift. Political pursuits favored progress. Monetary security meant bigger markets. The award-winning AMC series, Mad Men, follows these changes in the heart of where it transpired: NYC. This is apparent from the very first episode, where it's clear that secretary Peggy Olsen (Eilzabeth Moss) should earn a spot on the male-dominated team of copywriters.
Who is Don Draper (John Hamm)? A family man? Advertising executive? Womanizer with a shady past? He could be considered all of these, and a fictional representation of the titular "Mad Man" popular during the 1960s; advertising executives who worked on Madison Avenue during the 1950s and 1960s (technically, the show inspired the term).
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Mad Men
TV-MA
Drama
A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
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Release Date July 19, 2007
Cast Jon Hamm , Elisabeth Moss , Vincent Kartheiser , January Jones , Christina Hendricks , Bryan Batt , Aaron Staton , Rich Sommer
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 7
Writers Matthew Weiner , Jonathan Igla
Network AMC
Streaming Service(s) AMC+
Showrunner Matthew Weiner
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NEXT: The 10 Best Sitcoms Based in NYC, Ranked