Sumith Prasad
In Apple TV+’s comedy-drama series ‘Shrinking,’ Jimmy Laird takes Sean, one of his patients, to a boxing gym called The Yard. The therapist realizes that the veteran is struggling to find a place to healthily release his anger and frustrations. He then chooses the training center so that his patient won’t feel the need to smash people outside the gym. The Yard remains a prominent setting within the show as it is also featured in the second season premiere. While the establishment may appear ideal for flexing one’s muscles, it can’t be done in reality!
The Yard Does Not Have a Real-Life Counterpart
The Yard does not exist in reality. It is a fictional boxing gym set up by the production department of ‘Shrinking’ for the comedy-drama series. The Yard Boxing & Fitness, based in Los Angeles, exists in real life, but it is a training service that offers private and group sessions and house calls for boxing enthusiasts rather than a physical gym. “The Yard” is a common name in boxing and fitness. There is a boxing club with the same name, but it is based in England rather than California. Similarly, The Yard Gym is a chain of fitness centers.
However, The Yard Gym is mainly based in Australia. Its locations in California are limited to Normal Heights and Pacific Beach in San Diego, over 130 miles away from Pasadena. The Yard in Upper Caldecote offers boxing drills, bagwork, and padwork. However, this gym is situated in Bedfordshire, England. The Yard Athletic in South Africa also finds a place in this list. Even though Pasadena has no “The Yard,” it doesn’t mean that the city has no commendable boxing gyms. The region is home to several establishments that are guaranteed to remind viewers of Sean’s center in ‘Shrinking.’
The prominent boxing gyms in Pasadena include Brick City Boxing LA, located at 250 North Lake Avenue in Pasadena. Shark Boxing Club at 245 South Rosemead Boulevard and Modern Martial Arts and Fitness at 2318 East Colorado Boulevard are other examples. The boxing gym in the comedy series was seemingly set up in Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Located at 4000 Warner Boulevard, the production facility, according to the production designer Cabot McMullen, hosted around 90% of the show’s shooting. Since the portions set in The Yard are interior scenes, the gym might have been set up in an empty space within the studio.
‘Shrinking’ explores the main characters’ lives through the places they are attached to. These include the park where Paul Rhoades and Alice meet, the restaurant Jimmy and Brian visit together, etc. The show utilizes The Yard to open a window into the rage accumulated in Sean.
Read More: AppleTV+’s Shrinking: Is the TV Show Inspired by Real People?
