‘Hacks’ Mansion Has Burned Down in Los Angeles Wildfires

Wildfires are continuing to ravage the City of Los Angeles, with many iconic landmarks caught up in the flames, including the mansion made famous on Hacks. Via Deadline, eyewitnesses say that the 1915 Spanish Colonial Revival mansion seen on the Max dramedy burned down in the Eaton Fire. All that’s left standing is the façade. The house was first introduced in the second season as Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance’s “side mansion” in Los Angeles. 

While there was supposed to be a different mansion in its place, location manager Kyle Sucher suggested the Altadena mansion after the production team had to find a new filming location, according to Production Designer Alec Contestabile. Even though the mansion has only been seen in a few episodes, it still became an iconic part of Hacks. The mansion will be seen in the upcoming fourth season, which is being filmed. Like many shows, the series had to pause production due to the wildfires.

“We had shot already earlier in the season; it was one of the first locations up for Season 4,” Kradolfer explained. “Thankfully, we were able to go at the start of the season, but it was left up in the air whether or not we would see the character of Deborah Vance under that roof again. We filmed on the street, in the front courtyard, we filmed throughout the house and a lot in the backyard as well; I got to know the property very well.”

Hacks is not the only production that the mansion has been featured in. It’s been used in a lot of projects, going back to 1921 with Max Linder’s Seven Years Bad Luck. Knots Landing, Ratched, and Palm Royale have also used the mansion as a backdrop, among others, as well as a Target commercial. News of the mansion comes less than a week after Hacks won two Golden Globes for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Jean Smart for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Other iconic filming locations that have burned down as a result of the wildfires include Palisades Charter High School seen in Carrie, Freaky Friday, and Teen Wolf, Topanga Ranch Motel from Mannix, Remington Steele, and Blue City, and Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House from Barbra Streisand’s Funny Lady. On the bright side, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the Altadena house known as “Casa Walsh” from Beverly Hills, 90210 was spared from the Eaton Fire despite neighboring houses unfortunately not being as lucky.