San Francisco’s long been a favorite location for Hollywood productions, but in recent years the filmmakers have returned to the city in droves. Seduced by both the city’s picturesque locales and a newly unveiled rebate program, film crews have scattered across the city over the past few weeks, with sightings of everything from classic 1930s cars to A-list actor Ted Danson.
Although San Francisco scored some screen time during summer standout “The Invite” and was the principal location for highly anticipated “Josephine,” the most extensive production in recent years is the forthcoming third season of Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside.” It may have even eclipsed 2021’s “The Matrix Resurrections,” which saw serious stunt work like low-flying helicopters and rooftop jumps. To our knowledge, Ted Danson isn’t doing any stunts, but he’s certainly traversing a good deal of the city in 28 days of shooting.
“Usually we come up here for a week and make it look like we’re filming in San Francisco. Not this year. We are here all the time, all of the streets,” Danson said in an Instagram video with Mayor Daniel Lurie. Danson went on to invite his wife and co-star Mary Steenburgen on camera, where she revealed that she fell in love with Danson in San Francisco (and she met her previous husband here as well).
San Francisco City Hall. (Nicholas KleinGetty Images)
Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen at the 28th Television Academy Hall of Fame held at JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE on Aug. 13, 2026, in Los Angeles. (River Callaway/Getty Images)
True to his word, Danson has been all over (plus the production spent a few days in San Carlos). Film SF provided SFGATE with 129 pages of documents outlining where the production has filmed through Oct. 22 (the shoot runs until Nov. 6). Eagle-eyed Redditors noticed a few of the locales, most notably Danson walking up to the Ferry Building (the site of the Lurie video) and City Hall, where they filmed on Sept. 28. The San Francisco Armory, once known as the headquarters of pornography producer Kink.com, has gotten a new life hosting large-scale events like Netflix’s “Stranger Things” experiences and served as a site for interior scenes. Another major landmark featured will be the Legion of Honor, which hosted a nighttime shoot.
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Shortly after hosting Dolly Day, Union Square Plaza served as another filming location in late September. And of course any San Francisco production wouldn’t be complete without a cable car shot, which the crew pulled off at the intersection of California and Jones. Other notable exteriors were filmed in Chinatown on the 600 block of Jackson Street, the 700 block of Grant Avenue and St. Louis Alley.
Street view from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco at dawn, April 18, 2021. (Kseniia Ivanova/Getty Images)
Tommy’s Joynt in San Francisco, Sept. 23, 2015. (Feifei Cui-Paoluzzo/Getty Images)
Danson’s likely to spend most of his time in the series solving a mystery, but it appears that he’s taking some time out to eat and drink as well, visiting several prominent San Francisco businesses. David’s Delicatessan, which has been operating on Geary since 1952, hosted the crew on Oct. 9. It appears Danson may have had himself a power lunch, stopping at noted political stomping ground Sam’s Grill on Oct. 14. He also made his way into Cathedral Hill to Tommy’s Joynt, an old stomping ground for Metallica’s band members (shout-out to the Thursday night beef bourguignon special). And Danson and company also hit Comstock Saloon – a favorite of Anthony Bourdain on his 2012 visit to the city.
The plot of this season revolves around a “grand dame of San Francisco society” played by Bernadette Peters, so a few locations offer a more sophisticated view of the city. Historic members-only Nob Hill landmark the University Club was featured for both interior and exterior shots earlier this week. The cast also visited the Curran Theater, which opened in 1922. And although it’s now a music venue hosting everything from punk rockers to EDM DJs, we’re guessing that the Regency Ballroom was chosen more for its ornate interiors than its musical bookings.
David’s Delicatessen in San Francisco, Oct. 10, 2026. (Veronica L. via Yelp)
And while it’s probably not Danson’s spry Charles Nieuwendyk character, it looks like at least one character in the series may have a health scare, as the crew shot both interiors and exteriors at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
A release date for Season 3 has not yet been set, but the first two seasons are streaming on Netflix. And if his experiences in the past are any indication, Danson’s likely enjoying himself greatly while he’s in town.
“I went to Stanford for two years, didn’t accomplish much,” Danson told SFGATE in 2024. “But I did get to the city a lot. I won’t say anything about Carol Doda. But it’s just gorgeous, it’s beautiful, the food’s amazing. I still get a thrill jumping on a cable car.”
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This article originally published at ‘Man on the Inside’ is SF’s biggest film shoot in years. Here are the locations..