Top 10 TV Hangouts

Whenever a show’s characters need a retreat from the daily grind, where do they turn to? They turn to their favorite hangout spots. Almost every show has one, whether they’re a comedy, drama, or science fiction, though it’s often the comedy shows that have the most memorable hangout settings, thanks to these places’ abilities to let the characters relax and go wild with their best one-liners. These places aren’t the places where the main characters lived, and, though a few are workplaces, these aren’t the places where the characters simply made a living, either. These are the places where the characters got together and did what friends like to do best: hangout.

10. The Max – Saved by the Bell
Far from being the high point of television, Saved by the Bell nonetheless had a surprisingly strong resonance with its audience, especially those who were still in grade school in the late 80s and early 90s, and some of the most iconic images of this series were of these attractive, mostly popular kids that the show followed as they ate unsupervised in The Max, a day-glow diner-like hangout that was usually packed with kids around their age, and rarely an adult in site, save for Mr. Belding, the principal of Bayside, and Max, the mostly forgotten owner of the restaurant. The Max broke up the usual school monotony by being a catalyst for the characters’ casual conversations. It even became the setting for some rather hysterical dancing sequences and a few awful drama club-like routines. The Max, however, was so iconic of its time and within the show itself that it even made it into the show’s spin-off, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, where it was burned down and rebuilt with a new design to fit the mid to late 90s cast.

9. The Tropicana – I Love Lucy
The earliest hangout on this list, The Tropicana was the nightclub where Lucy’s husband, Ricky, basically ran the show. While it was more than just a workplace for him, The Tropicana was the social hub outside the apartments that the Ricardos and Mertzes lived in, and it became the show’s excuse for booking some rather famous names for the star-struck redhead to meet. It offered viewers a vicarious connection to the glitz and glamour that was held in such high regard back in those days. While more contemporary shows choose a bar, restaurant, or even a café for its hangout, I Love Lucy focused on the characters’ star struck, fame seeking personalities and allowed them to rub elbows with a lot of Hollywood talent. The Tropicana was also the setting of some of Ricky’s most memorable musical numbers, including the thunderous “Babalu,” and was also where Lucy made her embarrassing and hilarious Vitameatavegamin-induced drunken television debut during one of her husband’s hosting job of a televised variety show. The Tropicana was the place to see and be seen, and though the entertainment may not hold the same appeal today as it did then, everyone in the 50s likely would have loved to spend their nights over at The Tropicana listening to the Cuban crooner over a bar any time of the day.

8. Café Nervosa – Frasier
A far cry from the underground bar Frasier Crane used to frequent over in Boston, Café Nervosa reflected the new Seattle setting and the Cheers spin-off’s fussy protagonist perfectly. Whereas Cheers was a place where everybody knew your name, Café Nervosa was often the place where everybody knew your business, as proven by a gossipy waitress who could barely contain her overheard gossip. The persnickety Frasier and Niles are very particular about their beverages, however, and their frequent returns prove that the quality of the café’s offerings was definitely something worth talking about. Niles probably would have appreciated it if they wiped down their seats with disinfectant more often, however. Even their beer-guzzling father, Marty, showed up now and then to join his sons as they discussed life, art, and the things happening in theirs and others’ lives, though he usually ignored the fancy stuff his sons favored and opted for a regular cup of coffee instead. Frasier and the rest of the cast of characters often met new love interests there, too, including the father of Roz’s daughter, Alice, who was a waiter saving his earnings to study in Paris. Though it was named after its fictional founder, Maureen Nervosa, the name of the café perfectly reflected not just the jitters its patrons might get, but also the characters’ many neuroses.

7. The Formans’ Basement – That 70’s Show
Unlike most of the hangouts on this list, the iconic hangout on That 70’s Show isn’t a bar or restaurant, though, sometimes, it may just as well have been. Their hangout was far more personal, lived in, and served many functions. The Formans’ basement was where the show’s characters gathered to discuss the hilarious dramas unfolding in their lives and served as the primary setting for all those substance-assisted discussions around The Circle that the show was known for. It was a place hidden away from responsibilities and adult influences – though Mrs. Forman often had a way of breaking things up, as mothers tend to do. In the fourth season episode “Bye-Bye Basement,” Eric defended his claim on the basement when his mother proposed redoing it by referencing to it as his “Batcave,” and sabotaged her contractors’ judgment by inviting them into The Circle, resulting in Leo’s cousin’s artistic masterpiece, Basement… Two Inches to the Left, which preserved the basement as it was originally… only with everything moved two inches to the left. Unlike Batman’s base of operations, though, the basement was a hub for characters of the regular, recurring, and one-timer varieties, and the basement even played host to the characters’ debauched parties. The basement on That 70’s Show was the setting where many of the show’s most hilarious moments took place, and served as a means to gather the characters together . If there were ever better proof of this, it would be the fact that the basement even became the dwelling place of the show’s second most acerbic character, Steven Hyde – an arrangement that not even Red, the show’s most acerbic character, seemed to mind! Even after the departure of Topher Grace, who played Eric, the writers still worked the basement into the final season of the show, despite nobody in the main cast of characters having any blood relations with the Formans.

6. Arnold’s Drive-In – Happy Days
As a period piece set in the 1950s, Happy Days, filmed mostly during the 70s, would’ve been incomplete without this essential piece of mid-twentieth century Americana. Arnold’s Drive-In was where Fonzie demonstrated his handy method of starting a jukebox for free and gave advice to many of the other characters in the “Guys” bathroom while combing his greaser hair in the mirror. Within the show, Arnold’s was owned by Matsuo Takahashi, played by Pat Morita, who had purchased the old diner and had taken on the name “Arnold” after being mistaken for the restaurant’s namesake. Also a fixture was Al, the cook, who would go on to become the stepfather of later character Chachi, and musical performances by Richie Cunningham’s band were also, of course, quite common. Arnold’s Drive-In was obviously proud of the achievements of its local sports teams since pennants were hung on every wall, lauding both college and high school teams. Though the later seasons saw Arnold’s burn to the ground and get built back up, becoming a sort of predecessor to The Max, the new stained glass design didn’t take with audiences, and the warm, lighthearted setting of the first version is what fans remember most, and was even specially rebuilt for the Happy Days 30th anniversary reunion. Footage from the show set in the first Arnold’s Drive-In were also famously spliced together and repurposed for Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” music video.

5. Ten Forward – Star Trek: The Next Generation
Captain Jean-Luc Picard may run a tight ship, but even he’s not so serious as to ignore the importance of kicking back every now and then! When he’s not drinking tea in his ready room (Earl Grey, hot, of course!), or living out his detective fantasies on the holodeck, he’s in Ten Forward, the Enterprise-D’s bar and lounge. He even considers its bartender, the wise and long-lived Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), a close friend and confidante. How many bartenders can claim they have the captain of a spaceship in their circle of friends? Ten Forward is home to some of the rather serious sci-fi series’ more lighthearted and joyful moments. More welcoming than a mess hall, and less formal than a restaurant, Ten Forward was more like a sophisticated pub that happened to be attached to Starfleet’s most famous starship. Like all good lounges, Ten Forward is a multifunction hangout. Along with regular poetry readings and musical performances, Ten Forward serves drinks and food, provides activities and games, including the famous three dimensional chess, and has hosted both weddings and wakes alike. The lounge served as a greeting place for ambassadors and other guests aboard the ship, and its importance was even acknowledged by its inclusion in the first Next Generation film, Star Trek Generations. With the ship’s destruction in that movie, it’s a shame we never really got any confirmation whether the Enterprise-E ever had its own version of Ten Forward, though a lounge was shown in Star Trek: Insurrection, suggesting that Picard wouldn’t have had it any other way.

4. Monk’s Café – Seinfeld
Though the exterior shots of this restaurant café were of the very real Tom’s Restaurant in New York (with the “Tom’s” portion strategically hidden by the camera angle), Monk’s Café has become a famous fictional landmark in its own right. Like all good hangouts, it’s where the characters discussed their lives and the events unfolding in them. Unlike most shows, however, the events in Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer’s lives were rarely, if ever, really that important, and if they were, the show didn’t seem to treat them as such. Whereas most of these other hangouts have been the settings of pivotal moments in characters lives, Monk’s Café, as well as the rest of the revolutionary show’s settings, rarely played host to anything of significant importance. They came, they presumably ate a satisfying meal, chitchatted idly, and left. However, Seinfeld did hint that there was some merit to these neurotic characters’ dissatisfaction with other eateries, as other places failed to meet their rather specific expectations of what makes for a good dining experience. Other places just don’t have the “big salad” that Monk’s does. Perhaps the food handler doesn’t wash his hands after using the toilet, or the servers are just too dictatorial at other places. Who knows? But Monk’s works for them, and so they continue to go because there’s just no point in breaking a habit that’s just going to be put back together again.

3. Central Perk – Friends
Friends starred a bunch of yuppie twenty-somethings, so it was only appropriate that it would feature a similarly hip hang out for the sextet to frequent. Central Perk was basically the second home of the show’s characters (after each other’s apartments, of course), and many of the show’s cold openings began within the trendy coffee shop. The café was where Rachel had her first job, as a waitress, and was also the workplace of the show’s first “seventh Friend,” Gunther, who usually quietly pined for Rachel in the background through quick quips as Ross fumbled his way from relationship to relationship until the inevitable conclusion finally came about. Their coffee and snacks must have been good, too, since the café was always filled with customers, despite their also playing host to some of the worst local talents New York had to offer, with Phoebe serenading customers with her ridiculous songs, including signature hit “Smelly Cat,” and even Ross’ own 80s-psychedelic synthesizer cacophony. Central Perk was also where he and Rachel finally acted upon their mutual feelings and kissed in the Emmy-winning episode “The One Where Ross Finds Out.” The café became so iconic of the insanely popular sitcom that several bootleg coffee shops have taken on its identity and style and have popped up all across the globe.

2. Moe’s Tavern – The Simpsons
As far as dives go, Moe’s Tavern is about the dingiest there is, and the bartender doesn’t even really know how to serve anything other than beer and pickled eggs (along with anything else that happens to fall in). Moe’s Tavern has been with the series since the first episode, where the bar inexplicably featured a bigger, brighter interior, a livelier crowd, and saloon doors. Owned by the hideous but endearing former child star Moe Szyslak, Moe’s Tavern has served up as many hilarious moments as it has glasses of Duff. The location has served as the setting for many important moments in the show’s history, including playing host to the series’ first major guest stars to play themselves, Aerosmith. Moe has occasionally tried to revamp it to appeal to a wider range of customers beyond the regular five or so barflies that usually hang around, but all of them have failed to take hold. Variations have included Flaming Moe’s, which was basically just Moe’s with a catchier name and a signature drink, Uncle Moe’s Family Feed Bag, Moe’s attempt to make the bar a family-friendly Applebee’s knockoff, and the postmodern bar simply called “m,” complete with rabbits hanging from a string. No matter what, though, Moe’s can never escape what it is, and it has always reverted back to its dive roots. Perhaps that’s for the best. Moe doesn’t exactly have a whole lot of friends, and he can’t really afford to lose the few he manages to lure in. Lucky for him, they don’t seem to be going anywhere, either, making this a beautifully symbiotic relationship.

1. Cheers – Cheers
Could there have been any other choice? While it could be argued that its spin-off, Frasier, was the higher quality show, Cheers has that show pinned as far as TV hangouts go, hands down. The whole show is centered on the hangout itself, with the show’s iconic theme song also being all about this bar “where everybody knows your name” – especially Norm, the barfly who rarely was shown away from his stool at the counter. But aside from this constant drinker, we also had several other characters who worked or frequented Cheers every week, such as the former athlete and recovering alcoholic/womanizer Sam Malone, the tough and demeaning mother of many Carla Tortelli, the friendly know-it-all mailman Cliff Clavin, the annoying know-it-all feminist Diane Chambers, and many others. The show used its setting as a gathering place where characters from different social standings and backgrounds could gather and bond over a few drinks and good conversation. Unlike Café Nervosa, where your business was the latest gossip, Cheers offered its patrons some friendly advice and solutions with, perhaps, a pint on the side. Cheers didn’t have to go through revisions or remodeling, even through a few cast adjustments, and it didn’t have to burn down to become more contemporary, either, though Sam would sell the bar to the Lillian Corporation in the final episode of season five, putting the obsessive Rebecca Howe in charge and giving him a new on-and-off again flame. He spent the next few seasons trying to fix his mistake and buy back the bar from them, eventually doing so in the final episode of season eight, much to everybody’s happiness. When he again attempts to leave the bar in the series’ finale by flying away with a returning Diane, he begins to have second thoughts about his actions. Ultimately, fate pushes him in the right direction, and he returns to his beloved bar for good. Norm later tells him he knew he’d come back. How did he know? “Because you always come back to your one true love.”