Naman Shrestha
From the minds of Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis, FX’s ‘The Shards’ is a teen thriller drama series adapted from Ellis’s bestselling autofictional novel of the same name. The narrative centers on an aspiring, talented writer named Bret, in his final year at the elite Buckley prep school, where he is part of a group of privileged friends. Together, the high school seniors navigate all aspects of adolescence, including sex, obsession, identity, jealousy, and other perils that come along with it.
When a new student named Robert Mallory arrives at Buckley, his magnetic and mysterious personality overshadows Bret and his friends’ influence, parties, beauty, and wealth. However, Robert’s arrival comes at a time when a dangerous serial killer called The Trawler is hunting down teenagers across the city. Set in the early 1980s in Los Angeles, the coming-of-age mystery show mostly takes place within the classrooms and corridors of the elite prep school and the residences of Bret, Robert, and other teenagers.
The Shards Filming Locations
The shooting for ‘The Shards’ takes place in California, especially across the sprawling city of Los Angeles and a few surrounding areas. According to reports, principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the thriller show got underway in November 2025 and concluded after about four months in March 2026.
Los Angeles, California
Since the events in the narrative unfold in 1980s Los Angeles, ‘The Shards’ was taped on location in the city of Los Angeles in Southern California. The team scoured the metropolis to find ideal backdrops to recreate the visual aesthetic of the era. A portion was shot in the district that borders the UCLA campus — Westwood Village — in the Westwood neighborhood. Occidental College at 1600 Campus Road in Eagle Rock doubled up as Buckley Prep School in the show. The cast and crew visited the premises to tape sequences set inside the elite prep school. The shots depicting Sherman Oaks Galleria on Venture Boulevard were actually filmed at South Bay Galleria mall, located at 1815 Hawthorne Boulevard, Unit 201 in Redondo Beach.
As the young kids let their guard down at the glamorous pool party at night, we are taken into the 30,000-square-foot mega-mansion known as the Azria Estate. Formerly referred to as Maison du Soleil, the swanky property is located at 10250 West Sunset Boulevard in the Holmby Hills neighborhood. The magnificent architecture and grandeur of the mansion made it an ideal backdrop for the extravagant scenes at the party. In January 2026, Sunset Las Palmas Studios also hosted the filming of the FX production. Situated at 1040 North Las Palmas Avenue, the production complex offered its state-of-the-art soundstages, production facilities, and a range of resources and amenities required to bring the show to life.
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