Long Beach offered \u201ca lot of tools in the metaphorical toolbox\u201d for storytelling, said Dick Wolf\u2019s son, Elliot Wolf, who is the co-creator of the show with Tim Walsh \u2014 who produced dozens of episodes for \u201cChicago P.D.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The city was on a short list of locations that were ideal for the series; then the co-creators spent time in Long Beach and \u201cwe sort of fell in love with it,\u201d Elliot Wolf said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think Long Beach is both extremely charming and has a lot of grit, in a good way,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a character in the show, it\u2019s arguably the most important character.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for its human cast, the show also stars Troian Bellisario, of \u201cPretty Little Liars\u201d fame, as officer Traci Harmon, a 12-year veteran tasked with training ambitious rookie Alex Diaz \u2014 played by Brandon Larracuente best known from \u201cThe Good Doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lori Loughlin, of \u201cFull House\u201d fame, plays Lieutenant Bishop, the hardened leader of the department\u2019s West Division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Episodes feature appearances from the Port of Long Beach, Rosie\u2019s Dog Beach and even Battambong BBQ<\/a> \u2014 a well-known local barbecue popup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Film crews also set up a staged homeless encampment<\/a> for two days of filming in April 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Legal hurdles didn\u2019t allow them to film an existing encampment, but Elliot Wolf said he tries to \u201cpush the boundaries of realism every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One example of that was having a crew member driving a patrol vehicle around the streets of Long Beach from the hood of the car, while cameras captured dialogue between the two actors inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walsh and Elliot Wolf went on nearly a dozen combined ride-alongs with Long Beach police, the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department and Los Angeles Police Department to help develop material for the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A vast majority of those ride-alongs were with LBPD, who were \u201cincredibly kind in allowing us to sit in on their day-to-day and trust us as storytellers to depict what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Elliot Wolf said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The police department provided information on how the divisions are set up and general information about the city but did not have a hand in shaping the narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe always appreciate seeing Long Beach featured on productions like \u2018On Call,\u2019 which shine a light on the uniqueness of our amazing city,\u201d the LBPD said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uniforms, patches, logos and city seal on the patrol vehicles look similar but are not exact matches to the ones used by LBPD, the department said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local government officials, business owners and people passing by the film sets were all \u201cgenuinely excited about a show being set in Long Beach,\u201d Elliot Wolf said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past, Long Beach has often stood in for other cities. It played Miami in \u201cDexter,\u201d<\/a> \u201cCSI: Miami,\u201d and \u201cDexter: Original Sin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/01\/screenshot-2025-01-08-at-125600pm-622911-ebk8lu9r-234475-YMpTIag7.png\")
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