13 Reasons Why: Where Was the TV Show Filmed?

of 13 Reasons Why: Where Was the TV Show Filmed? Varun Patel
Updated August 1, 2022

’13 Reasons Why’ is a teen drama series that has become highly popular. The series’ dark tone and plots seem to have struck a chord with its target audience, albeit controversially. In fact, the series’ premise is so dark that therapy dogs are arranged for while the show is being filmed.

’13 Reasons Why’ started out as an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Jay Asher. However, the series soon crossed its source material and started to revolve around original stories. The show’s main premise is this: a high school student named Clay Jensen receives multiple tapes from his deceased classmate, Hannah Baker, who had committed suicide. The tapes highlight the reasons she decided to take her own life. It highlights the school’s culture of gossip, sexual assault, and bullying. The theme of suicide is one of the principal reasons that the show’s premise is controversially considered to be too dark.

13 Reasons Why Filming Locations

’13 Reasons Why’ is a high school teen drama. Its principal characters are Clay and his classmates. The show, being about high school kids and teenage drama, is mainly set in the school that the characters attend, the fictional Liberty High School, and the characters’ houses. This is where most of the action of the show is set. Hence, it is natural for viewers to wonder where the show was filmed. Where is the school’s actual location?

Northern California

’13 Reasons Why’ was filmed mainly in Northern California. Like most shows, a lot of the locations are used repetitively. Since the series revolves around characters going to the same school and living in the same town, the same locations repeat themselves frequently for a sense of consistent setting. Most of the filming is carried out in the towns of Vallejo, San Rafael, and Sebastopol.

To begin with, Liberty High School in 13 Reasons Why is actually the Analy High School located on 6950 Analy Avenue in Sebastopol, California. However, after some episodes, the filming was shifted to specially-designed soundstages at Mare Island Studios in Vallejo. The sets at Mare Island Studios were constructed to replicate the school’s corridors, classrooms, and other places.

Next, the place that doubles up as Clay’s house is located at 231 Bayview St., San Rafael. Hannah’s mother’s house, on the other hand, is located at 1320 Ohio Street in Vallejo. 319 Irwin Street in San Rafael is used to show Tony’s house. Scenes set in Bryce’s house are filmed on 120 Mountain View Avenue, San Rafael, while those set at Jessica’s house are shot on 293 Knight Drive, San Rafael. The courthouse, seen frequently in the second season, is actually the Contra Costa County Finance Building in Martinez.

Monet Cafe is another frequent location on the show, and it was filmed on 415 Virginia Street in Vallejo. The place used to depict the movie theatre is also located at Vallejo, on 333 Georgia Street. Baker’s Drug Store is also in the vicinity: 419 Georgia Street. The playground seen on the show is actually the Bret Harte Park in San Rafael. The actual location used to depict the Walplex store is Friedman’s at Petaluma. The graveyard, on the other hand, is Fernwood Cemetery in Mill Valley. Filming was also carried out at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Tiburon, Carquinez and Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, Mount Diablo, Corte Madera, Larkspur, Oakland, and various other locations.

Have a look at some behind-the-scenes photos shared by the cast members:

Read More: Best Teen Dramas of All Time  

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