Things to do in NYC for less than $10 - Watch the taping of a TV show

One of my dreams is to work in television production, so this topic is of huge interest to me. That being said, I am going to take a second to shamelessly say that if you are reading this and work in TV, please help me in my fruitless job search and take my resume! Haha. Anyway, one of the great things about this city is that it is a media capital. We have so many corporate offices and recording studios for TV networks here.

Ok, what is the point of this and what does this have to do with things to do for under $10? Most TV shows offer free tickets for their taping. It makes sense when you think about it because the shows want a full audience otherwise it looks lame. This is a super fun idea even if you are not a regular viewer for the shows because you get to see some of the production process and it's free entertainment. Plus, maybe you will get lucky and score tickets to see one of your favorite celeb guests! The only down side is that if you have a 9-5, you may find it difficult to make it to some of the taping times.

I did a bunch of research to find where and how to get tickets. I am only going to list a few shows, but if there is a lot of interest in this, I will write another post with more show information.

The Late Show with David Letterman: 

There are three ways to get tickets to this show: fill out an online request form, fill out an in person request form, or call the standby phone number at 11am the morning before the taping. Letterman apparently wants to be sure that his audience members are actual viewers, so if you are filling out the online application, it will ask you a trivia fact about the show.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:

I have to give props to Jimmy Fallon's crew for making their ticket information page entertaining. Tickets for this show are available by calling their ticket office, checking their twitter page about last minute seats or by waiting on the standby line (which does not guarantee you a seat). This show also has a special seating area for people who are fans of the musical guests and there is a separate website with more information on those seats. The show is taped at 30 Rock.

Rachel Ray:

Tickets are available online or you have the option of trying to get a standby ticket which requires you to get there at 10:15 for the early taping or at 2:15 for the later taping. Rachel Ray has a dress code for the tapings, you have to be in business casual attire. This show tapes Tuesday - Thursday at 12pm and at 4pm but you do have to be there an hour and forty five minutes before the taping starts and it is located at 44th street between 2nd and 3rd ave.

The Colbert Report: 

To get tickets for Colbert, you only have two options which include filling out the online form or waiting on standby the day of the show, at 4pm. The studio is located on 54th street between 10th and 11th ave.

The Food Network shows:

Unfortunately, I was not able to find any current tickets for the Food Network but I do know that they tape some shows, such as Emril Live, in New York. Check the news section of their website to see when they will be giving out tickets to shows.



There are a few things to keep in mind before you go to these tapings. First, most shows are strict with allowing cameras and such into the studio, so you might want to leave the camera at home. Second, some shows, like those from the Food Network, keep the studios cold, so bring a sweater. Third, you have to stay for the entire taping of the show, which can take up to a couple of hours. Finally, some shows have special requests for the audience (ex. Rachel Ray asks audience members to dress business casual) so basically, just be sure to check the websites before you leave for the taping.

This is such a great resource that so many people forget about. Definitely try to make it to at least one taping!

Have fun!