Where was Bad Thoughts filmed? Filming Locations of the Netflix series, explored

Netflix’s dark comedy Bad Thoughts premiered on May 13, 2025. It features six episodes primarily filmed in two key locations: Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. The production took place from early summer 2024, blending studio work at Troublemaker Studios in Austin with location shoots on city streets and ranches in Southern California.

Austin’s varied cityscapes and nearby countryside provided the ideal canvas for grounded vignettes. At the same time, Los Angeles’s iconic landmarks and sprawling ranches offered the surreal backdrops needed for the show’s more unsettling stories. According to the series’ producers, this geographical mix made each standalone “Bad Thought” feel real and vividly heightened.

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Austin, Texas: Troublemaker Studios and Local Flavor

Austin served as the heartbeat of the shoot, with Troublemaker Studios at 4900 Old Manor Road hosting many of the show’s indoor scenes.

Beyond the studio walls, the region’s diverse backdrops—from the historic Texas State Capitol to the rolling Hill Country roads—allowed the team to capture both tense dramas and comedic moments without leaving the city limits. The cast and crew of Bad Thoughts shared that Austin’s warm weather and local hospitality made long shooting days feel more manageable and creatively inspiring.

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Los Angeles, California: Urban Icons and Studio Work

Los Angeles added the quintessential Hollywood flair, with principal photography conducted at the city’s most iconic locations. Filming days for Bad Thoughts began at dawn near the Hollywood Sign or Griffith Observatory, capturing the sunrise glow illuminating palm-lined streets for specific “waking nightmare” scenes.

Production then transitioned indoors to sound stages and local venues, such as cafés, offices, and vintage bungalows, where the crew reimagined everyday environments infused with Tom Segura’s dark humor. As noted by IMDb, Los Angeles continues to be a leading filming location for the Netflix series Bad Thoughts, owing to its robust infrastructure and pleasant weather all year round.

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California Ranches: Rural Isolation for Surreal Sketches

For its most unsettling episodes, Bad Thoughts turned to wide-open California ranches, seeking the emptiness and isolation those landscapes offer.

The rural sites served double duty as everything from abandoned retreat centers to eerie roadside attractions, contributing to a palpable dread in the series’ darker vignettes. The contrast between these expansive exteriors and the tight, controlled studio environments enhanced the show’s surreal tone.

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By splitting production between Austin and Los Angeles and venturing out to California ranches, the team behind Bad Thoughts created a rich tapestry of settings that support both realistic and fantastical storytelling.

This thoughtful use of location underscores the series’ ambition to explore the humor and horror lurking within everyday places. Whether through the bright lights of LA or the laid-back vibe of Austin, Bad Thoughts turns familiar settings into stages for the unexpected.

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