7 Takeaways: Behind The Scenes Of NCIS
2. Santa Clarita
I don't think I'm giving up any hush-hush, top secret information that NCIS shoots at Valencia Studios in Santa Clarita, California. The six-acre television and movie studio complex is located about 35 miles (56 km) north of L.A. and includes a back lot complete with a town set and several sound stages of various sizes.
The compound has been used by countless television shows such as “The A-Team” and “JAG,” as well as the feature films, “Terminator 2” and “Nightmare on Elm Street.”
But unless you happen to live out there (I didn't), it's not easy to find. Los Angeles is a hopeless myriad of congested freeways and smog-choked neighborhoods in which everything (and I mean everything) is at least 45 minutes away -- even if you're just driving a block to Starbucks to grab a fat-free-decaf-extra-foam-soy-latte.
Santa Clarita is also home to the world famous Magic Mountain Amusement Park, where many, many years ago I was kicked out for unruly behavior. But that's another story.