Seinfeld And The Dick Van Dyke Show Are Tied Together By A Behind-The-Scenes Detail

Television sitcoms often act as a window into the comedic sensibilities of the era in which they aired. But oftentimes, the shows that made the biggest impression pushed boundaries and subverted expectations, thereby influencing the next wave.

The modern sitcom wouldn't even exist without "The Dick Van Dyke Show." A staple of '60s television, the CBS hit from comedy legend Carl Reiner followed the hilariously chaotic lifestyle of Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) trying to make his way as a comedy writer for a variety show, while also trying to juggle his family life. While plenty of jokes exist within its time capsule sensibilities, it holds up much better than you would imagine thanks in large part to Reiner's scripts, Van Dyke's lovable expressiveness, and the presence of comedy icon Mary Tyler Moore as Rob's wife, Laura. Van Dyke and Moore presented a screwball energy to the show that made their onscreen marriage a hilarious delight to tune into every week, paving the way for more shows of its ilk.

As the sitcom evolved over the next few decades, so did the kind of characters that would appear on them. The "aw shucks" tenderness at the heart of earlier programs opened itself up to include an ensemble who never learned their lesson by the end of an episode. Enter "Seinfeld," the hilarious conception of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld about a group of NY friends who reveled in their bad behavior, yet remained so infinitely lovable. It turned Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jerry himself into next-level comedy stars.

It's not enough that "Seinfeld" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" share the honor of being two of the best sitcoms ever made, they also — at least for a while — shot in the same location.

The interiors of "Seinfeld" were largely shot at CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles. But for its first batch of episodes, the blossoming series filmed at Desilu-Cahuenga, a former soundstage location owned by Desilu Productions, which itself was owned by comedy legends Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. That would be exciting on its own accord, but in a featurette chronicling the making of the pilot episode, Rob Reiner talks about how incredible it was to discover that the Castle Rock-produced show would be filming on the same stage that "The Dick Van Dyke Show" did decades ago:

"I spent every single day of all my teenage years in the summer on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' which was shot at Desilu-Cahuenga. So when I heard that they were going to shoot the pilot episode of 'Seinfeld' there, it was like, I couldn't believe it. It was like serendipity, the planets lining up."

Reiner goes on to reflect about how his company's new show being set up in the same location of his father's felt like a good omen for its future. "The fact that we shot it on the same stage, stage 8, it was a good luck charm," says Reiner. Not only did "Seinfeld" end up lasting as long as "The Dick Van Dyke" show, but it surpassed its longevity by four seasons and made Reiner's Castle Rock company insanely profitable in the process.

Some of the other shows that also shared the honor of shooting at Desilu-Cahuenga were "I Love Lucy," "The Jack Benny Program," "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Golden Girls," and even "Barney & Friends." The lot operated under a different name in 1984 as Ren-Mar Studios when it became independently operated. As of 2010, however, it goes under the name Red Studios Hollywood, having been purchased by Red Digital Cinema.

Every episode of "Seinfeld" is currently streaming on Netflix, while every episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" is currently streaming on Prime Video.