Did anyone ever notice in a ton of sitcoms there's always 2 sets of stairs in the house? There is usually one in the front room and one in the kitchen. The Cosby Show, Full House, and George Lopez to name a few.

I personally have never seen a house like this in my life, but maybe they're just not common where I live.

Yeah, I've never seen a house like that either.

My guess for why this is such a popular feature on sitcom houses is because the bulk of the dialog in a typical "domestic" type comedy show episode tend to take place in either the living room or kitchen, and having a stairway in both rooms makes it easier to transition to upstairs scenes without the characters having to walk through another room to get to the stairs.

Two sets of staircases are not the norm, Machine head is right, it helps keep dialogue flowing, staging and entrances and exits for shows... it's function of the production process....


having said that I am an avid house hunter and spend a lot of time model homes and open houses.  I don't see them very often but I have been in a couple of homes in CA and AZ  in the last 25 yrs that have this feature so they are out there. 

Did anyone ever notice in a ton of sitcoms there's always 2 sets of stairs in the house? There is usually one in the front room and one in the kitchen. The Cosby Show, Full House, and George Lopez to name a few.

I personally have never seen a house like this in my life, but maybe they're just not common where I live.

I notice that too! I wonder if they arranged the sets like that so---


Yeah, I've never seen a house like that either.

My guess for why this is such a popular feature on sitcom houses is because the bulk of the dialog in a typical "domestic" type comedy show episode tend to take place in either the living room or kitchen, and having a stairway in both rooms makes it easier to transition to upstairs scenes without the characters having to walk through another room to get to the stairs.

Makes perfect sense. You said exactly what I was going to say.

The "homes" for the TV sitcoms "Family Matters" and "Step By Step" were also like that (in each case, with the staircase on the left side of the kitchen room). In fact, in early 1995 I even went to the W.B. studios to see the filming of an episode of "Step By Step"; it was quite fascinating to see the set of that show in person. On TV it looks like the inside of an actual house, but in reality it's a mock-up set that makes it an illusion. In addition, the staircases actually don't lead anywhere (as revealed during an intermission), so the "upstairs" sets are probably separate from the "main floor".

The "homes" for the TV sitcoms "Family Matters" and "Step By Step" were also like that (in each case, with the staircase on the left side of the kitchen room). In fact, in early 1995 I even went to the W.B. studios to see the filming of an episode of "Step By Step"; it was quite fascinating to see the set of that show in person. On TV it looks like the inside of an actual house, but in reality it's a mock-up set that makes it an illusion. In addition, the staircases actually don't lead anywhere (as revealed during an intermission), so the "upstairs" sets are probably separate from the "main floor".


Cool! I was a big fan of Step By Step as a kid, so I would have loved to see an episode taping live.

The only time I ever had a similar experience myself was when my family took a trip to the (now closed) Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando back in 1996. We attended a taping of Gullah Gullah Island, and as a naive kid, I was surprised to see that the show wasn't filmed in an actual house, but rather like you said, simply a set "mock-up". Actually, now that I think about it, I believe the Gullah Gullah house also featured stairs in the living room and kitchen.

I notice that too! I wonder if they arranged the sets like that so---
Makes perfect sense. You said exactly what I was going to say.

The "homes" for the TV sitcoms "Family Matters" and "Step By Step" were also like that (in each case, with the staircase on the left side of the kitchen room). In fact, in early 1995 I even went to the W.B. studios to see the filming of an episode of "Step By Step"; it was quite fascinating to see the set of that show in person. On TV it looks like the inside of an actual house, but in reality it's a mock-up set that makes it an illusion. In addition, the staircases actually don't lead anywhere (as revealed during an intermission), so the "upstairs" sets are probably separate from the "main floor".



sometimes it's also constructed that way out of convenience....new shows don't have the budget for their own sets (since they don't know when they film a pilot if the show will be picked up they just use sets from existing shows.    for example Hanging with Mr Cooper was initially shot on the Growing Pains set but once it got picked up it rec'd it's own set. 


If you think about the  sitcoms, often times you have to move the actors around, people need to walk in at perfectly timed moments, characters need to scatter and/or hide stuff before they/it is discovered.... all of these conventions require multiple options for the writers to write to and for the director to stage.  Then you've got various cast members you need to account for.


Think of an ep of full house (I don't know if what I'm conveying is an actually ep I'm just using your typical sitcom set up for an example:  consider the final seasons of Full house when the house was actually full.

Plot:  Michelle decides she wants to be a hair dresser, Kimmie builds Michelle's confidence by encouraging her to give Nicky and Alex hair cuts.  Michelle's friends Teddy & Denise (Tahj Mawry and Jurnee Smollet) are her assistants (probably one is her assistant the other is probably telling her it's a bad idea) but Kimmy gets her excited...


Michelle cuts Alex's hair while Teddy/Denise shampoo Nicky in the kitchen sink.  As Kimmy cheers them on.  DJ comes in with her boyfriend from the back door, and asks what the heck they think they are doing, then Steph  thru the living room door and tells them Dad and joey are right behind her.  Becky and Jesse, who were arguing in a previous scene because she wants to take the boys to a barber, can be heard coming up from the basement stairs  (Btw, there's a plumbing issue and Joey, dressed in full on plumbing gear is about to come into the kitchen)  He has shut off the main water valve and now poor Nicky is stuck with a shampoo faux hawk and no way to rinse it out)  Alex has uneven bangs and a patch of hair missing from the center of his head.... 

the kids all pause, make a goofy face and now have to figure out what to do.... Michelle runs and hides in the pantry, Denise & Teddy run out the back door, DJ's boyfriend scoops up the Alex and runs upstairs Nicky is left sitting in the sink with his hair in a punk rock pointy state and a confused look on his face.... Jesse opens his mouth to scream  but no sound comes out.... 

Joey runs to turn the water back on and Becky takes nicky downstairs to wash his hair.  Michelle comes out of the closet and apologizes and talks about her dream of being a hair dresser... Kimmy says Michelle can only get better,  Danny and Jesse point to the back door and yell simultaneously "GET OUT KIMMY" and then Danny gives Michelle a fatherly speech about following her dreams but letting professionals do the job they are trained to do... Joey (who came back a few seconds earlier from turning the water back on) is at the sink and just as Danny finishes talking Joey turns on the water and a geyser erupts from the sink....


Everyone laughs.... Michelle feels better then DJ comes down the stairs with Alex who looks like Friar Tuck.  Jesse's enadible scream is seen again everyone looks at Michelle who puts up her hands, shrugs her shoulders and says "Hey what do I know about haircuts? I'm just a kid?"  Fade to black.    :D


damn...that would've been a great spec script! 

anyway---my point is with all those people you need to set up various entrance and exit routes. if not for that back door, basement door and back stairwell the characters would all be trapped and that scene would not have been able to play out. 

Cool! I was a big fan of Step By Step as a kid, so I would have loved to see an episode taping live.

The only time I ever had a similar experience myself was when my family took a trip to the (now closed) Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando back in 1996. We attended a taping of Gullah Gullah Island, and as a naive kid, I was surprised to see that the show wasn't filmed in an actual house, but rather like you said, simply a set "mock-up". Actually, now that I think about it, I believe the Gullah Gullah house also featured stairs in the living room and kitchen.



this gives me an idea for a topic...

My cousin lives in a house with two staircases-but he lives in a HUGE house. Not only does their house have a guest bedroom-they actually have a guest SUITE.

Our house does have two staircases-sort of. One is inside and the other is on the back porch.


Cat

The houses with two staircases were almost always architecturally incurrect.  Take Full House for example.  You see the exterior shot of the house.  Then when you see the inside, and the upstairs, and try to connect how it goes to make the staircase in the kitchen connect with the upstairs, you cannot do it.

The houses with two staircases were almost always architecturally incurrect.  Take Full House for example.  You see the exterior shot of the house.  Then when you see the inside, and the upstairs, and try to connect how it goes to make the staircase in the kitchen connect with the upstairs, you cannot do it.



most sets are structurally incorrect because they find a house to shoot the exteriors and then shoot the interiors on a sound stage.    The rooms that "connect" rarely do... generally kitchens and living rooms connect because it's easier to shoot that way but the bed rooms are never where you think they are when you're watching tv.


when I was on the set of Parenthood a couple weeks ago it was interesting to see that they are one of the few sets I've been on that use their sets as if they are real houses... for Zeke & Camile and Julia & Joel's homes they use actual houses on the Universal lot.  Adam and Christina's house is built completely inside a sound stage...they actually framed out a house and have the lower level interior layed out like a real home.  The upstairs level is also layed out to scale but it's on a separate sound stage...then Crosby & Jasmine and Sarah & Mark's places are on a third sound stage...it was quite fascinating to see.

I also saw them in Different Strokes too.

Yeah, I've never seen a single-family home with more than one set of stairs between floors, and I've lived in and been to quite a few houses. My paternal grandparents lived in a very large house, and even they had only one set of stairs.

It's amazing that there's been all these TV shows with houses that have two staircases.  It's just another example of TV and the movies not reflecting reality.

Yeah, I've never seen a single-family home with more than one set of stairs between floors, and I've lived in and been to quite a few houses. My paternal grandparents lived in a very large house, and even they had only one set of stairs.

It's amazing that there's been all these TV shows with houses that have two staircases.  It's just another example of TV and the movies not reflecting reality.


Maybe it's a California thing. I haven't seen many but I have seen a few.

The houses with two staircases were almost always architecturally incurrect.  Take Full House for example.  You see the exterior shot of the house.  Then when you see the inside, and the upstairs, and try to connect how it goes to make the staircase in the kitchen connect with the upstairs, you cannot do it.

Yeah, I've watched it for a long time and I still try to visualize what the total set looked like in person in the studio. I would've loved to see an episode being filmed.

In addition, that "house" had four total floors of living space. There is the main floor, the "upstairs" which contains the bedrooms, and the "basement" which was originally a garage, but converted to a full room for Joey midway through the first season; in the fifth season it becomes a recording studio for Jesse to concentrate on his musical career. And there's also the attic, which is converted to living space in the fourth season.

The aforementioned attic didn't come into use until the fourth season, however...as the storylines required it to be converted to living space. (Jesse and Rebecca make it their grand room once they get married, which occurs in the middle of that season.)

In addition, that "house" had four total floors of living space. There is the main floor, the "upstairs" which contains the bedrooms, and the "basement" which was originally a garage, but converted to a full room for Joey midway through the first season; in the fifth season it becomes a recording studio for Jesse to concentrate on his musical career. And there's also the attic, which is converted to living space in the fourth season.


My house isn't big by any means, but it's a split-level and technically has 5 floors of living space: a basement, a lower floor (family room, bathroom, laundry room), a ground floor (kitchen, living room, dining room), an upper floor (three bedrooms and a bathroom), and the attic. Our attic is uninhabitable though. In fact you couldn't even walk up there without falling through the ceiling!

the "basement" which was originally a garage, but converted to a full room for Joey midway through the first season



Wasnt there an ep where dj learns to drive? I could've sworn there was a scene where Danny and dj are looking at the car in the garage.  (Maybe it was the ep where Kimmy and dj "borrow" the car?

I could be wrong i didn't watch every ep but it seems, thanks to nick at nite, I've seen that ep more than once

Wasnt there an ep where dj learns to drive? I could've sworn there was a scene where Danny and dj are looking at the car in the garage.  (Maybe it was the ep where Kimmy and dj "borrow" the car? )

Yes, but she doesn't learn to drive until the 5th season (when she was old enough to do so). By then the lower floor was already a recording studio.



I could be wrong i didn't watch every ep but it seems, thanks to nick at nite, I've seen that ep more than once

I've seen 'em all at least once, some more than others. I had several favorites, though.

My house isn't big by any means, but it's a split-level and technically has 5 floors of living space: a basement, a lower floor (family room, bathroom, laundry room), a ground floor (kitchen, living room, dining room), an upper floor (three bedrooms and a bathroom), and the attic. Our attic is uninhabitable though. In fact you couldn't even walk up there without falling through the ceiling!

Whoa, a lower floor and a ground floor? Is yours situated on a hillside?

My dad had an uncle who once lived in an Iowa house whose ground floor was not the top floor, but it had a floor beneath which you could access the backyard. That place was sort-of on a hillside, as the street level was kinda high (although I couldn't remember how much of a curb there was, as I was only there once, with my family).

I just thought of another house that I knew that had 2 staircases. It was the house that my dad used to own half of. His ex owned the other half-which is why he USED to own half. Anyway, this house had SEVEN bathrooms!!!!  :o :o :o :o But for some strange reason, there was only a half bath on the main floor-and that was in the office. You would think that a house that big would have a couple of bathrooms on the main floor. Four stories including the basement and all four had fireplaces. Oh, and this was in Washington D.C.



Cat

Whoa, a lower floor and a ground floor? Is yours situated on a hillside?

My dad had an uncle who once lived in an Iowa house whose ground floor was not the top floor, but it had a floor beneath which you could access the backyard. That place was sort-of on a hillside, as the street level was kinda high (although I couldn't remember how much of a curb there was, as I was only there once, with my family).


My house does back up to a small hill, but that's incidental. In fact, pretty much all of the houses in my area are like mine, albeit with different layouts. They're called "tri level houses" although the basement and attic technically make it 5.

Maybe it is an east coast thing because most houses here have 2 staircases.  The one in the house to go upstairs to rooms are usually in the front hallway of the house, then a back stairs that are in the back of the house and, usually not integral to the inside, more like a service stairwell.  I don't know too many houses with out two staircases.

Yeah, but nobody had an elevator for their cars!

Yes, but she doesn't learn to drive until the 5th season (when she was old enough to do so). By then the lower floor was already a recording studio.

I've seen 'em all at least once, some more than others. I had several favorites, though.


Whether it was a recording studio or joeys apt it still shouldn't have been used as a garage...

My house does back up to a small hill, but that's incidental. In fact, pretty much all of the houses in my area are like mine, albeit with different layouts. They're called "tri level houses" although the basement and attic technically make it 5.


I see these types of floor plans all the time on House Hunters. Houses with basement levels that walkout to the backyard instead of being the common subterranean type of basement. I like them. They feel less claustrophobic. But I'm also curios about the attic conversions. At 5'2" they seem height challenges to me I always laugh when someone taller than 5'11" tries walking in one.

Yeah, but nobody had an elevator for their cars!



Didn't we show you ours when you were here?  ;) :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat

Whether it was a recording studio or joeys apt it still shouldn't have been used as a garage...

It wasn't. It was only used as a garage for like the first ten episodes of the series. Once it became an actual room, it was no longer a garage.

I see these types of floor plans all the time on House Hunters. Houses with basement levels that walkout to the backyard instead of being the common subterranean type of basement. I like them. They feel less claustrophobic. But I'm also curios about the attic conversions. At 5'2" they seem height challenges to me I always laugh when someone taller than 5'11" tries walking in one.

I have seen that House Hunters show on HGTV and they show some interestingly-designed homes. I should take some more mental notes when I watch that show again.

One of the few houses I could actually connect the front stairs and kitchen stairs leading upstairs was The Hogan Family house

http://www.iamnotastalker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/IMG_5626.jpg

But what I couldn't connect was the back door and how it became the most common used entrance/exit

If the house backs on to an alley it makes sense.

Where did they park? If the garage doesn't connect to the house they may come thru a side gate and enter thru the back or if the front door is always locked but the back door isn't than its easier to go thru the back instead of looking for your keys.