My daughter Lily is a big fan of the Disney Channel sitcom “Good Luck Charlie,” about the Duncans, a family of six living in Denver. When it premiered last year, she said, “Mom, you’ve got to see this show. You’ll love their house!” We’ve been watching it together ever since. Lily has been asking me to write a post about it, and since it’s her birthday, this one’s for her!
Big sister Teddy keeps a video diary for baby sister Charlie to watch when she’s older, and she ends each show by saying, “Good luck, Charlie.” (Trivia: The baby’s name was originally going to be Daisy, but execs were worried that a show with a girly name like that in the title would keep boys from watching, so they changed her name to the gender-neutral Charlie.)
The other titles they considered for this show were “Oops” (because their new baby was a surprise, I guess) and “Love, Teddy.”
This is a TV-show version of a middle-class family home. I’m guessing it would be too expensive for most middle-class families in Denver to afford in real life. I would love to know where the real house is, but I haven’t been able to track it down. If anyone has any info about it, let me know!
When the series started last year, the sets were pretty colorful…
But as the show progressed, they amped it up even more, bringing in a lighter, brighter sofa, a patterned area rug, a striped chair, and more fun details. Even the stairs appear to have been repainted to pop more on the screen:
The show was created because the Disney Channel wanted to have one that features a “regular family.” You know, one where the kids weren’t pop stars or wizards. The intention was also to make it appeal to parents as much as kids.
I love their front door:
The sitting room area behind the living room features a big stone fireplace:
It’s elevated up a step from the rest of the set. Leigh Allyn Baker, who plays Amy Duncan, cracks me up:
I’m always trying to get a better look at that mudroom behind the living room… 
The kitchen is pretty colorful, too. Check out the painted cabinets and those bright blue chairs:
I love how the chalkboard fridge always has different things written on it, depending on what’s happening in the episode:
The Basement has a sliding barn door that separates the hang-out area from the laundry room (to the right) and Teddy’s bedroom (to the left):
The Production Designer for the series is Glenda Rovello and the Set Decorator is Peter M. Gurski, both of whom worked on the sets for “Will & Grace.” Looks like they really had fun with this one!
Teddy’s room features a bed on a raised platform, and now my daughter says she wants one just like it:
Baby Charlie sleeps in Teddy’s old bedroom upstairs. Here she is with her “big-girl bed,” which she didn’t like one bit:
Teddy records one of her video diaries for her sister:
Here’s another shot of the exterior of the house from an angle that shows Bob Duncan’s exterminator truck parked in the driveway:
Has anyone else been watching this show with their kids? Are there any other children’s shows or movies you like watching for the sets? A couple of my faves: Alvin & the Chipmunks and Stuart Little.
P.S. Happy Birthday, Lily Kate! xo
