Finding a new TV show or movie to watch among the current bounty of options on dozens of streaming platforms is overwhelming.
Here’s a fresh idea: take a look at some of the titles that have been filmed or take place right here in San Diego. Available to stream are everything from food shows to blockbuster films.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, it’s more of just a sampler plate of possibilities to consider to add to your streaming queue. This guide features some picks from decades ago and a few more recent debuts.
‘The Zoo: San Diego’
Picture a reality TV show with animals instead of people. Add in the zookeepers, and that’s what can be seen on “The Zoo: San Diego.” Originally debuting on Animal Planet in 2019, two seasons of the show take viewers inside the day-to-day lives of koalas, cheetah cubs, lions, pandas, a white rhino, hippos, meerkats and more.
Where to stream: Discovery+ and Max
‘Real World: San Diego’
The premise of the “Real World” franchise is this: “This is the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house and have their lives taped, and find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.” It’s an MTV classic that has been filmed in cities like Austin, San Francisco, New Orleans and New York. It has twice been filmed in San Diego — in 2004 and 2011. The latter — season 26, which takes place in a home in Bird Rock with an ocean view — is available now for streaming.
Where to stream: Paramount+
‘Top Gun’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
The “Top Gun” movies, both starring Tom Cruise, are essential to the canon of San Diego pop culture. Both movies filmed scenes in San Diego, and the most recent, “Top Gun: Maverick,” even premiered in San Diego on the USS Midway in 2022.
Where to stream: Paramount+
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ cast lands on USS Midway as it makes its world premiere in San Diego
‘Fresh, Fried & Crispy’
In search of the best fried food in the U.S., food critic Daym Drops hosts “Fresh, Fried & Crispy” in a way that makes viewers wish they were taking a bite along with him. Released in 2021, the series dedicates a whole episode to San Diego, featuring the pop-up restaurant experience Cow by Bear and the famous Chicken Charlie, known for frying up all kinds of foods at the San Diego County Fair.
Where to stream: Netflix
‘Taco Chronicles’
Could a show about tacos really skip San Diego? Thankfully, the documentary series “Taco Chronicles” paid a visit. In season three, which has been online since 2022, the show takes viewers to different cities across the U.S. to check out the local taco scene. The episode on San Diego features La Perla Cocina Mexicana in Pacific Beach, a Kiko’s Place food truck and Las Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan, all with mouthwatering visuals.
Where to stream: Netflix
‘The Ultimatum: Queer Love’
San Diego plays a background role in this show about couples looking to make or break their relationships. The premise of this series is for one person to give their partner an ultimatum to get engaged or breakup. While sorting it out, the participants re-couple and date each other to get a sense of what else is possible. All throughout, some of San Diego’s best scenery — including Sunset Cliffs and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge — can be seen in the background.
Where to stream: Netflix
‘Terriers’
Starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James, “Terriers” is a drama series that delves into the inner workings of a unlicensed private investigation business. The two main characters supposedly lived and worked in Ocean Beach. The show, which debuted in 2010. was shot there but also all over the county, from the Del Mar Fairgrounds to North Park.
Where to stream: Hulu
‘Hailey’s On It’
The only animated series on this list gives Oceanside a starring role. “Hailey’s On It” highlights the adventures of energetic Oceanside High School teen-turned-superheroine Hailey Banks, who has suddenly been entrusted by a scientist from the future with a to-do list of unusual and extremely challenging tasks to save humanity. Viewers may recognize some familiar Oceanside visuals, though other beach towns were incorporated into the look and feel of the city on the show.
Where to stream: Disney+
Column: TV series to put Oceanside on the map — again
‘Veronica Mars’
Veronica Mars, 17, is an amateur private investigator who attempts to solve mysteries in an affluent, fictional town called Neptune. “Neptune” was actually San Diego. The show was filmed in Kearny Mesa, Ocean Beach and beyond. It even recreated a Tijuana border scene in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium. And, of course, Veronica’s office was above Lestat’s Coffee House on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights.
Where to stream: Hulu
Diane Bell contributed to this report.
