One of the best things to do in Los Angeles especially if you love TV is to watch a live taping of your favourite show. Here’s how I was able to score tickets to Will & Grace and The Late Late Show with James Corden. 

HOW TO GET AUDIENCE TICKETS: 

As soon as I had booked my trip, I researched online on how to get free tickets to shows. Depending on the show you want to watch, you can either request tickets on the show’s site - like Ellen, or through third party audience website like 1ota. Shows like Ellen, The Big Bang Theory, and Will & Grace are  often booked ahead of time.   Ellen Show Tickets  is often booked really early. 

For Shows like Will & Grace, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Voice, Late show with Seth Meyers, and many more are on 1ota. com. They also have movie premieres and other events you may want to watch.  Audience tickets for The Big Bang Theory, MOM, The Neighbourhood, Murphy Brown, Last Man Standing and many more are on TV 

TV Tickets . Take note that studios may be in California or New York. 

To request tickets on 1iota, you’ll first need to create a profile - make sure the name on your account is the same on your ID.  Then, request specific taping dates of the shows you want to attend. You can include a message on your ticket date that may help your request. Also by completing your profile and requesting many dates, will also give you a better chance of getting tickets. I had requested 3 dates for Will & Grace, and 3 dates for The Late Late Show with James Corden. 

GENERAL vs PRIORITY TICKETS :

You are emailed whether or not you are able to get a ticket. You can get the email as late as the day before. Try to check your inbox frequently to see if you’ve been removed to the waitlist. 

There are two types of tickets they give - General & Priority. General tickets have check in deadlines later than the priority and doesn’t ensure you’ll actually get in. It would depend how seats are left after the VIP and priority guests are seated and you’ll know on the taping date itself. If you get a General ticket, it would be better to get in the queue at the studio early to give you a better chance of getting in.

For yesterday’s taping of Will & Grace, I was able to get the email I had General tickets last Sunday. I quickly confirmed attendance and was lucky to have been emailed a couple of hours later that my ticket had become Priority. You can get a better chance of getting bumped up to Priority I would guess is if you’ve accepted the ticket early as you’re on top of their email line. My profile wasn’t complete and didn’t have a photo which are the other ways to help your ticket request to get approved. The only thing I had done was to accept the ticket within the first hour I received the email. 

I was able to get a General ticket for the The Late Late Show with James Corden last week and was in line by 2PM. We waited outside CBS Studios under the sun until it was time to check in. Thankfully, the staff of 1ota was really helpful and lent us umbrellas. The deadline for check in for the general group for the show was 3:30 PM and I was 9th in the line. At around 3:15, and they had an overall count of the number of audience members inside, I was finally given a green light to get in. I was the last person to get in from the General Ticket line. They had to turn away a lot of people. It was a good thing I had gone early. If you also belong to a bigger group, it’s best to come early coz it’s harder to fit in a larger number of people. 

If you unfortunately are in line and don’t make the cut. Make sure to to have your ticket scanned so you can be given priority tickets at a later date.  

Priority Tickets are better tickets and are ensured seats as long as you are able to check in before the deadline. Best to arrive early to get better seats too. 

TIPS: 

If lucky enough to get tickets, make sure to read carefully the details like the check in deadline, the rules and their reminders. Print out your ticket or save it on your phone. Make sure to bring your ID and your entire group will need to be present to be checked in. Don’t bring big bags and note that taking photos and recordings during the taping are not allowed. For certain shows like Will & Grace, you’re not allowed to bring a phone and will be asked to leave the phone in your car. Bring a sweater as studios are often cold and eat before going to the taping because you can’t bring in food. For shows that tape longer, you might be given a snack during the show. 

Note also that once you’ve entered the Studio you are recorded and some shows will require you to sign a waiver before attending the show. Make sure to visit the restroom before entering the soundstage. You’ll be reminded by the staff when you can. For the taping of the The Late Late Show with James Corden, you can purchase from the CBS Store before the show, you aren’t given time after. 

Of course, another price of the privilege of watching an episode is you can’t disclose what happens during the show before the episode closes especially on social media. 

If you’re highly active and the audience coordinator notices you, you can even win some giveaways like T-shirts. 

It involves a lot of time waiting and watching and a lot of energy participating. Being an audience member can be exhausting so I would suggest attending shows you really love.