Sumith Prasad
Alice Laird is the shining star of Crown Valley High School’s soccer team in Apple TV+’s comedy-drama series ‘Shrinking.’ After the death of her mother, Tia, she immerses herself in the sport for her institution. She makes a name for herself at the place, scoring goals and impressing the fans game after game. Alice is also frequently seen wearing a hoodie with the school team’s logo. Since she is a teenager struggling to cherish a strong bond with her father, Jimmy Laird, the institution becomes her refuge. Despite its significance within the narrative, we may not be able to cheer for Crown Valley like Jimmy and Liz do in real life!
Walter Reed Middle School Doubles For Crown Valley
Crown Valley High School is a fictional educational institution without a particular real-life counterpart. Even though the name reminds us of Capistrano Valley High School, the latter is located in Mission Viejo, around sixty miles away from Pasadena, the general setting of ‘Shrinking.’ Irrespective of the partial similarity in their names, the two schools are completely unrelated. To shoot the scenes set around Crown Valley, the production department chose Walter Reed Middle School, located at 4525 Irvine Avenue in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City. Originally known as North Hollywood Junior High School, it was eventually renamed to pay homage to U.S. Army Major Walter Reed.
Walter Reed Middle School is a renowned filming destination in Los Angeles. The school has previously hosted the shooting of several famed TV shows, including the iconic medical series ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ NBC’s acclaimed sitcom ‘Parks and Recreation,’ Aaron Sorkin’s political drama ‘The West Wing,’ and the FOX series ‘Malcolm in the Middle.’ The institution is also featured in coming-of-age comedies such as Hulu’s ‘Pen15’ and CBS’ ‘Young Sheldon.’ Movies such as Mike Nichols’ ‘Primary Colors,’ the teen comedy ‘License to Drive,’ and the Paul Rudd-led ‘Role Models’ are some of the other projects shot in the school.
While the exterior shots featuring Crown Valley were shot at Walter Reed Middle School, the interior scenes were mostly likely filmed on a soundstage in Warner Bros. Studios at 4000 Warner Boulevard in Burbank, California. The significance of Crown Valley lies in its importance in Alice’s life. One of the major storylines in ‘Shrinking’ concerns Jimmy and his daughter’s troubled relationship. To compensate for the lack of her father’s love and care, the teenager immerses herself in her high school soccer team, which distracts her from the harsh reality of Tia’s absence.
Alice also often wears the Crown Valley hoodie because she doesn’t feel like dressing up or presenting herself beautifully following Tia’s demise. The unappealing clothing expresses how bleak her life has become. However, in reality, the same apparel is popular among the show’s ardent admirers. E-commerce sites such as Redbubble and Etsy have been selling various merchandise with the logo of Crown Valley’s soccer team to appeal to the show’s viewers, revealing the fame of the fictional school.
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