Have you ever wanted to see the filming of your favorite show?  If it is taped in front of a live audience, you can and usually for free!

Not too long ago, my wife and I went to Los Angeles.  We wanted to take full advantage of the limited amount of time that we had there.  While researching things to do in this huge city, we stumbled across tickets for television shows.

There were a few sites dedicated to this that appeared to be reputable.  Then we found the studio closest to our hotel and a show that appeared to be good.  The very popular shows are almost impossible to get on short notice.  To get onto a popular talk show, which is also free, you will need to get tickets way in advance.

We were fortunate to get tickets for Back to You.  My wife and I both love Patricia Heaton from Everybody Loves Raymond and figured this show had to be good, too.  It was an awesome experience.  We waited about thirty minutes for the shuttle to arrive while the tickets were collected.  Once at the studio the fun began.

The studio hires a comedian to work the crowd when they are not filming.  He was extremely entertaining and kept our laughter machines warm for when the action began.  Our guy was even poking fun at the actors to keep their spirits up while the writers were making last minute changes.

The scenes of the show purposely were filmed in the same order as it is shown to the viewer at home.  They do this so the audience can follow along and understand the jokes as they unfold.  In some scenes they even polled to audience about how to make things even funnier.

As far as the down side, the only complaint I had was the length of the taping.  Ours was about three hours.  By no means was it boring, but it gave the same feel as watching a long movie.

All in all, I am going to jump on this opportunity again, and you should, too!