Or if it's not depicted like this, it's home to Disneyland. It is perhaps the only county to have both a television show and a major film named after it.
When Hollywood needs to depict (and subsequently deconstruct) " boring, middle-class suburbia," it is often either set or filmed in Orange County. Orange County: A vast stretch of Suburbia that makes up the southeastern part of the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County is known for its conservatism note Although Donald Trump led to the Republicans suffering massive losses in this area in the 20 elections, so that may be changing., affluence, and perceived lack of culture. It's worth noting that San Francisco is actually only the fourth largest city in California, but few non-residents even know this (after all, who cares about San Diego, the second largest city, and San Jose - no one even knows the way to San Jose). Suburbia, San Francisco-style! Lots of hills, redwoods, hot tubs, fern bars, and aging hippies. Be on the lookout for the occasional subtrope: Marin County. San Francisco itself is known for its extremely liberal politics, cable cars, high homosexual population, and its steep "stair streets" which make the perfect place for Hot Pursuits (never mind that doing that is a great way to smash your car's suspension). San Francisco: Anchor of the Bay Area, the second largest urban area in California. Helpful tip, should you be from West Philadelphia and get in one little fight, causing your Mom to get scared, she could send you to live with your relatives here.
If you have a series where dramatic conflict centers on purchasing crystal goblets or handblown glass flutes, chances are it takes place here.
Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Holmby Hills form what is called the "Platinum Triangle" of adjoining wealthy communities. As something of a side-trope, in Real Life, Los Angeles boasts some of the most affluent neighborhoods in North America. Used as a commentary on Hollywood, it's either the setting of Deconstructionist work about how harsh the industry is, or the setting of a fluffy comedy piece about how great it is. In movies, it's a given that New York and Los Angeles must be the first two targets on any terrorists' or aliens' hit list.
If a major movie or TV show doesn't take place in the Big Applesauce, then it happens in Los Angeles, and if it happens in Los Angeles, it happens in Hollywood. Hollywood/ Los Angeles: The place where it all happens. On the rare chance that Oakland (located in Northern California, across the bay from San Francisco) shows up in movies and TV, expect it to play into many of the same tropes despite geographical and cultural differences. South Central WITH HISPANICS! (And by Hispanic, we mean Mexican, because where else do Hispanics in California come from?) Which, incidentally, is becoming increasingly true of South Central itself, due to immigration. Before the '90s it was Watts, as the race riots of 1965 were still in the audience's memory after, it's Compton, thanks to the rap scene and the 1992 Rodney King riots. Which one appears in a movie or TV show depends on whether it was made before or after the early '90s. The two most well-represented 'hoods in South Central - in neither of which should you be a menace while drinking your juice - are Watts (part of Los Angeles) and Compton (a suburb).
Seeing as how we're still calling it South Central, it didn't take. Recently, the Los Angeles government tried to rename the neighborhood "South Los Angeles" due to the negative connotations associated with South Central. Like some of the other Hollywood Atlas examples, South Central's plight really happened. Made famous by movies like Boyz n the Hood and the Gangsta Rap scene, South Central is forever known in the hearts of concerned parents and rap aficionados alike as a hellish battleground between rival Gangbangers. On TV and in pop culture, California has exactly four cities, each one downgraded to a few stock sets.