- TV's NCIS takes place in Washington, D.C.
- The real shooting location of NCIS may surprise you
- It's pretty far away from the nation's capital!
For over 20 years now, TV fans have been tuning in to watch the NCIS team take down criminals.
As fans may know, the "Naval Criminal Investigative Service" works out of Washington, D.C. But when you watch NCIS, is that really the nation's capital you're seeing? The answer, it turns out, is... no!
NCIS: The real shooting location revealed
Though NCIS is set in Washington, they actually film the series in California. The NCIS magic happens at a studio there in Valencia, according to IMDb.
Located in Southern California, it is Valencia Studios that brings Washington, D.C., to life on NCIS.
Now you might be asking yourself: Why doesn't NCIS just shoot on location in D.C.? Well, they actually have a good reason not to...
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Anticipation is bubbling!
That's because the nation's capital is a notoriously difficult location to make films and TV shows – and especially police ones!
As USA Today reports, the D.C. area actually has a no-fly zone overhead, and film permits are difficult to acquire.
That's why Washington-set shows like NCIS are often filmed elsewhere. Real shots of D.C. are typically limited to exteriors.
Would you have noticed that "Gibbs" and the agents were actually in California all these years?...
See pictures and more in the video above!
