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I was hosted and sponsored with an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to cover #DisneysNutcrackerEvent #TheKidsAreAlright #ABCTVEvent.

This recent press trip to promote Disney’s The Nutcracker also gave me an opportunity to visit a few ABC Network show sets. This time I got a nostalgia vintage vibes visiting the newest ABC family sitcom of The Kids Are Alright.

Me getting ready for a set visit tour of ABC’s The Kids Are Alright

photo credit: ABC Network

Set in the 1970s, this ensemble comedy follows a traditional Irish-Catholic family, the Clearys, as they navigate big and small changes during one of America’s most turbulent decades. In a working-class neighborhood outside Los Angeles, Mike and Peggy raise eight boisterous boys who live out their days with little supervision. The household is turned upside down when oldest son Lawrence returns home and announces he’s quitting the seminary to go off and “save the world.” Times are changing and this family will never be the same. There are 10 people, three bedrooms, one bathroom and everyone in it for themselves. 

photo credit: ABC Network

photo credit: ABC Network

The series stars Michael Cudlitz as Mike Cleary, Mary McCormack as Peggy Cleary, Sam Straley as Lawrence Cleary, Caleb Foote as Eddie Cleary, Sawyer Barth as Frank Cleary, Christopher Paul Richards as Joey Cleary, Jack Gore as Timmy Cleary, Andy Walken as William Cleary and Santino Barnard as Pat Cleary.

Caleb Foote who plays Eddie Cleary on The Kids are Alright photo credit: ABC Network

Caleb Foot plays Eddie Cleary, one of the big brothers on the show. He was with us for the entire set visit. He was so cheerful and bubbly to introduce us on the set and show us around as our official tour guide for the day!

What a typical week is like shooting for Caleb

“We shoot an episode a week. We’re shooting episode eleven right now, and then we will read for episode twelve on Thursday, and then we’ll get the final script Friday, then memorize it all weekend, and then we start the next episode Monday. It’s a well-oiled machine and we bump it out pretty quickly. It’s long hours, but it’s the best job. You go home after work, and you’re like ‘That was awesome.’ You put in a twelve hour day, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

While showing us around the set, he wanted to emphasize how the show is about nostalgia. As he toured us around he noted we will see, “Food at the dinner table, bumping into each other, through the halls, everyone piling in on the living room couch.  So, this’ll be fun with all of you guys here…“

Production designer Michael Whetstone shared with us “Inside this [set] probably either reminds you of your parents’ house or your grandparents’ house or somebody in the past of your life.  A lot of that is due to the research we did at the beginning, and then Claudette’s eye for detail.   I think if you walk through here you’ll see layers and layers of encyclopedias and games. Every single thing has what we like to call a proof of authenticity. Nothing hits this set that’s not of the right era, Claudette goes through Sears catalogs.”

SET VISIT

We got a chance to see the entire home set. Its actually two sets, one for the house and another just for the backyard scenes. It is way small that it looks, but it was still fun to explore all of the room of this house. Its of actual or recreated vintage items from the late 60s early 70s to give it an authentic nostaliga feel. I am a 80s baby, so I don’t have any person knowledge or memories from this era, but it was still cool to feel like I stepped inside a real 70s family house setting!

The house set was developed inspired after a small ranch house in Studio City that was built in 1932. Another cool fact: The show is takes place in 1972,but the set doesn’t any furniture from the 1970’s at all. All of the furniture were from the 50’s and 60’s, as this family did not have the funds to afford new 70s furniture.

The set payed so much attention to detail. Every corner, ever piece of furniture and little trinkets here and there definitely gave serious vintage vibes. Some items probably could date back to your parents childhood memories or even items you seen at your grandparents house.

3 of the younger sibling Clearly boys on the set of The Kids Are Alright

Caleb Foote & I on set of The Kids Are Alright

It was an honor meet the Showrunner & Executive Producer of The Kids are Alright, Tim Doyle, in which this show so is a semi-biographical comedy series of the life of his childhood. Tim Doyle not only wrote & created the show, but is the show narrator as well.

Thanks to Caleb Foote for the full tour of both sets and sharing with us how this show comes together! I love it and it was fun to look around and check out the fun show set. I think it gives you a feel of the energy of this fictional family of ten and tune in for The Kids Are Alright!

Facebook: @TheKidsAreAlrightABC
Twitter: @TheKidsABC
Instagram: @thekidsarealrightabc
Hashtag: #TheKidsAreAlright

“The Kids Are Alright” airs Tuesdays at 8:30|7:30c on ABC (You can also watch/rewatch via streaming (ABC app/ABC.com/Hulu) or On Demand)

Do you remember any memories from the 70s that gives you nostalgia?