List of media set in San Diego

This is a list of media set in San Diego, California.

Novels

• It's Not PMS, It's You by Rich Amooi (2019)
• The Angel Gang by Ken Kuhlken (1993)
• The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker (2006)
• Kiln People by David Brin (2002)
• The Loud Adios by Ken Kuhlken (1989)
• Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge (2006)
• Tecate Peak, The Edge by Michael Hudon (2012)
• Tijuana Straits by Kem Nunn (2004)
• The Vagabond Virgins by Ken Kuhlken (2008)
• The Venus Deal by Ken Kuhlken (1991)
• The Winter of Frankie Machine (novel) by Don Winslow (2006)
• Superhero High by T. H. Hernandez (2018)

Books

• Dr Seuss Books from 1948 to 1991

Films

Feature films

Title	Year	Filming location(s)	Ref.
1 Night in San Diego	2020
8 Seconds	1994	San Diego	[1]
16-Love	2012	La Costa Resort and Spa	[2]
Above the Tin	2018	San Diego	[3]
Adalynn	2023	San Diego	[4]
Almighty Zeus	2022	San Diego	[5]
Almost Famous	2000	Balboa Park	[6]
		Ocean Beach	[7]
		USD High School
Almost Heroes	1998	Black's Beach	[7]
American Sniper	2014	El Centro	[8]
		Malibu
		Venice
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy	2004	Downtown San Diego	[9]
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues	2013	Balboa Park	[9]
		San Diego Zoo
		San Diego Waterfront
		SeaWorld San Diego	[10]
Antwone Fisher	2001	Coronado	[7]
		Point Loma
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes	1978	Oceanside	[11]
		San Diego County
		San Diego Harbor	[9]
		University of California, San Diego	[9][12]
Babel	2006	San Ysidro	[7]
Bang Bang	2011	San Diego	[13]
Battle Cry	1955
Battle: Los Angeles	2011
Beneath the Leaves	2019	Julian	[14]
Beyond the Rocks	1922	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
The Big Mouth	1967	SeaWorld San Diego	[12]
Blame it on the Night	1984	San Diego	[16]
Blast	2004	San Diego	[17]
Bloody Wednesday	1988
Borderline	1980	San Diego	[18]
The Boys in Company C	1978
Bring It On	2000	The Academy of Our Lady of Peace	[19]
		Alliant International University
		Eastlake High School
		Humphreys Half Moon Inn
		Kearny High School
		The Marlin Club
		Oceanside Municipal Fishing Pier
		San Diego State University
Bruce Almighty	2003	Harbor Island	[9]
The Buildout	2024	Anza-Borrego Desert State Park	[20]
Cannery Row	1982	San Diego	[16]
Carbon	2019	Coronado	[21]
Carving a Life	2017	Encinitas	[22]
		Julian
The Cell	2000	La Jolla	[23]
		The Neurosciences Institute
Chubasco	1968	San Diego	[16]
Citizen Kane	1941	Balboa Park	[6]
The Coast of Folly	1925	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
The Condor	2007
Continuance	2021	San Diego	[24]
		Ramona
Coronado	1935	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
Dangerous Curves	1988	San Diego
A Day Without a Mexican	2003	San Diego	[25]
Daydream Hotel	2017	Hotel del Coronado	[26]
Demolition Man	1993	Downtown San Diego	[27]
		Downtown Los Angeles
Demon Protocol	2018	San Diego	[28]
The Devil and Max Devlin	1981	San Diego	[16]
Devil Dogs of the Air	1935	Naval Air Station North Island	[15]
Dive Bomber	1941	Naval Air Station North Island	[15]
Down in San Diego	1941	San Diego
Driven	2018
El camino de San Diego	2006
Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade	1978
The Endless	2017	Descanso	[29]
Eternity: The Movie	2014	San Diego	[30]
Everybody Dies by the End	2022	C Street Inn	[31][32]
		Jamul	[33][34]
		San Carlos
The Evil Rises	2018	San Diego	[35]
Firefox	1982	San Diego	[16]
Flight Command	1940	Naval Air Station North Island	[15]
Flight of the Intruder	1990	San Diego	[36]
The Flying Fleet	1929	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
		Naval Air Station North Island
A Force of One	1979	San Diego Harbor	[16]
Francis in the Navy	1955	Naval Amphibious Base Coronado	[1]
Freaky Friday	1976	Mission Bay	[7][12]
Friend of the World	2020	C Street Inn	[37]
		Mission Trails Regional Park
		Point Loma
		Sunset Cliffs
		Tierrasanta
		San Diego	[12]
Frost: Portrait of a Vampire	2002	San Diego	[38][39]
		Borrego Springs	[40]
Galloping On	1925	Julian	[41]
Ghostline	2015	San Diego	[42]
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything	1980	Hotel del Coronado	[18]
Hacksaw	2020	C Street Inn	[43]
Hardcore	1979	San Diego Waterfront	[44]
Heaven & Earth	1993	San Diego	[45]
Hellcats of the Navy	1957	Naval Air Station North Island	[15]
Hell Divers	1932	Naval Air Station North Island	[15]
Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea	2023	Ramona	[24]
		La Jolla	[46]
Hot Shots!	1991	San Diego	[7]
I Am Not a Hipster	2012	Golden Hill	[47]
		North Park
		South Park
The Immortal Edward Lumley	2013	San Diego
In God We Tru$t	1980	Downtown San Diego	[1]
In the Tall Grass	2019
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World	1963	San Diego	[48]
K-9	1989	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
K-9: P.I.	2002	San Diego	[49]
The Kid from Left Field	1979	San Diego Stadium	[16]
Kung Fu Ghost	2022	San Diego	[50]
The Last Ride	2004	San Diego	[51]
Little Nikita	1988	La Mesa	[52]
		San Diego
Lords of Dogtown	2005	Imperial Beach	[53]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park	1997	Downtown San Diego	[54]
		Golden Mall
		Granada Hills
		San Pedro Harbor
Love All You Have Left	2017	Pacific Beach	[55]
Loving Couples	1980	Hotel del Coronado	[56]
Lucky Lady	1975
MacArthur	1977	Camp Pendleton	[16]
The Married Virgin	1918	Hotel del Coronado	[57]
The Master Chief: Part One	2023	San Diego	[58]
The Mating Call	1928	Fallbrook	[59]
		San Diego
Mega64 Version 4.1: Revengurrection	2021	San Diego
Midway	1976	San Diego	[16]
Mighty Oak	2020	Ocean Beach	[60]
Miracle at Manchester	2022	Cathedral Catholic High School	[61]
Most Likely to Succeed	2015
Mr. Wrong	1996	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
Murder and Cocktails	2024	Little Italy	[62]
My Blue Heaven	1990	Atascadero Administration Building	[63]
		Hotel del Coronado
		San Luis Obispo
		Warner Bros. Studios
		Westchester
My Husband's Wives	1924	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?	2009	Point Loma	[64]
		Balboa Park	[65]
		Downtown San Diego
		Ocean Beach
No Man's Land	1987
On the Beach	1959
Only God Knows	2006	San Diego
Paranormal Activity	2007	Rancho Peñasquitos	[7]
Paranormal Activity 2	2010	Rancho Peñasquitos
Paul	2011	Downtown San Diego
Phantasm	1979	Julian	[66]
The Playground	2017	San Diego	[67]
Poto and Cabengo	1979	San Diego	[68]
Princess Virtue	1917	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
Raise the Titanic	1980	San Diego	[16]
Rampage	2018
Resolution	2012	East County	[69]
Return of the Killer Tomatoes	1988	South Bay	[70]
Riley	2023	East County	[71]
Runaway Daughters	1994
The Saint	2017
The Samuel Project	2018	Balboa Park	[72]
		Downtown San Diego
		Hillcrest
		La Jolla
		Point Loma
		Ramona
San Diego, I Love You	1944
San Diego Surf	2012
San Diego's Gay Bar History	2018	Hillcrest	[73]
Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour	2007	Fallbrook	[74]
		Pine Valley
Satan's Blade	1985	El Cajon	[75]
		Julian
Scarface	1983	Coronado Beach	[16]
Scavenger Hunt	1979	Balboa Park	[18]
		Downtown San Diego
		Mission Beach
		San Diego Stadium
Sharpshooter	2007	Julian
Sideways	2004	Santa Barbara County	[76]
Sins of Silence	1996
Skid Marks	2007	Hillcrest	[77]
		Kearny Mesa
		Point Loma
Skin: The Movie	2020	Valley Center
Slaughterhouse	1987	Lakeside	[78]
Sleep Dealer	2008
Some Like It Hot	1959	Hotel del Coronado	[48]
South of 8	2016	Alpine	[24]
		City Heights
		C Street Inn	[79]
		La Jolla	[24]
		La Mesa
		Mission Valley
		National City
		Paradise Hills
		Ramona
		San Diego	[12]
Splash	1984	Coronado Beach	[16]
Spiker	1986	San Diego	[16]
The Stunt Man	1980	Hotel del Coronado	[12][48]
Surrogates	2009
Sweet Taste of Souls	2020	Julian	[80]
Tell It to the Marines	1926
Tentacles	1977	Oceanside	[16]
		San Diego
The Terminators	2009	San Diego
Texas Across the River	1966	San Diego	[16]
Thane of East County	2015	Borrego Springs	[81]
		Fallbrook
		Victory Theatre
Three Way	2004
A Ticklish Affair	1963	Balboa Park	[82]
		Naval Air Station North Island
Tiger Cruise	2004
To Fall in Love	2023	San Diego
Top Dog	1995	Balboa Park	[6]
Top Gun	1986	Kansas City Barbeque	[48]
		Miramar Naval Air Station
		New Point Loma Lighthouse
		Oceanside
Top Gun: Maverick	2022	Fort Rosecrans National Cememtery	[83]
		New Point Loma Lighthouse
Traffic	2000	Balboa Park	[7]
		Downtown San Diego
		La Jolla
		Rancho Bernardo	[12]
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	2009	Imperial Beach	[84]
		Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
		Naval Base Point Loma
		San Diego Bay
True to the Navy	1930
The Very Thought of You	1944
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie	2004	San Diego
The Walk	2001
The Wedding Hustler	2023	Mission Valley	[85]
		National City
		Pechanga Resort & Casino
Who Made the Potatoe Salad?	2006
Why the Nativity?	2022	Lakeside	[86]
		Ramona	[87]
Wicked, Wicked	1973	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
Wings Over Honolulu	1937	Naval Air Station North Island	[15]
Yours for the Asking	1936	Hotel del Coronado	[15]
Zipperface	1992

Short films

Title	Year	Ref.
The $5 Movie	2001
Assumption	2017
The Case of Evil	2014	[88]
Daisy Belle	2018	[89]
The Dark Resurgence: A Star Wars Story	2018
Deviant	2018	[90]
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition	1915
The Fifth of November	2018
Fletcher and Jenks	2016
The Flourish	2019
Graduation Afternoon	2021
The Heiress Lethal	2010	[91]
Hush	2016	[92]
The Last Butterflies	2023	[93]
Leave 'Em Laughing	2020
Libertyville	2021	[94]
Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead	2017	[95]
Our Barrio	2016	[96]
The Phantom Hour	2016	[97]
The Power Agent	2020
Pulp Friction	2021
A Rodeo Film	2021	[98]
Things We Dig	2020	[99]
Touch	2022	[100]
Undocumented	2016
We All Die Alone	2021	[101]

TV shows

• Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures on Nickelodeon (2011–2012)
• Cavemen on ABC (2007)
• Criminal Minds (Season 1, Episode 4; Season 6, Episode 21; Season 10, Episode 5; Season 12 Episode 10) on CBS (2005–2020)
• Drake & Josh on Nickelodeon (2004–2007)
• The Ex List on CBS (2008)
• The Fosters on ABC Family
• The Game (2006)
• Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on CBS (1964–1969)
• Grace and Frankie on Netflix (2015–present)
• Harry O on ABC (1974–1976)
• Hennesey on CBS (1959–1962)
• High Tide (1994–1997)
• Hunter (1984 American TV series) on NBC (2003)
• John from Cincinnati (2007)
• Manhunt (TV series, police) (1959–1961)
• NTSF:SD:SUV:: on Adult Swim (2011–present)
• Physical (TV series) on Apple TV+
• Renegade on USA Network (1992–1997)
• Silk Stalkings on USA Network (1991–1999)
• Simon & Simon on CBS (1981–1988)
• Terriers on FX (2010)
• That '80s Show on Fox (2002)
• Veronica Mars on The CW Television Network (2004–2007)
• Pitch on Fox (2016–2017)
• Abby's on NBC (2019)
• The Weekenders (2000–2004)

Reality shows

• Beach Patrol on Court TV (2006)
• COPS, Season 2, episodes 14 to 18 (1989, 1990); Season 21, episodes 6 to 8, 10, 18, 36 (2008, 2009)
• The Real World: San Diego on MTV (2004)
• House Hunters on HGTV (1999–present)
• Room Raiders (Season 4, Episode 19) on MTV

Anime

• Grisaia no Rakuen, Season 2, episodes 2–3 (2015)

Video games

• Midnight Club 3:DUB Edition and Midnight Club 3:DUB Edition Remix, a racing free roam city
• Tony Hawk's Underground, Balboa Park is featured as a skate level

Comic books/Manga

• Aquaman vol 6 #s 15–49 (March 2003 to April 2006) and irregularly since (as Sub Diego)
• Fathom vol 1, 2, 4 and 5, certain areas of the comic book series take place in San Diego
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run vol 1 (2004), takes place in 1890's San Diego.

See also

• Films shot in San Diego