NextSharkNextShark.com

Someone Secretly Filmed an Entire ‘Soap Opera’ at IKEA Years Ago and it’s Magnificent

Someone Secretly Filmed an Entire ‘Soap Opera’ at IKEA Years Ago and it’s Magnificent

January 8, 2018
SHARE
IKEA Heights” had all the trappings of a typical soap opera: romance, intrigue, mystery, some eerie plot-twists, and a trippy intro reminiscent of those 90s era shows.
But while this seven-episode gem of a series is merely a spoof of the genre, it deserves more love than it received when it first came out and went kind of viral back in 2009.
The cliche-filled, laugh-a-minute series by Los Angeles filmmakers Paul Bartunek and David Seger, is made even more special by the fact that it was filmed entirely at IKEA in an outlet in Burbank, California.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

The show’s stellar cast consists of some of today’s hottest TV stars such as Randall Park of “Fresh Off The Boat,” Whitney Avalon of “The Big Bang Theory,” and Matt Peters of “Orange Is The New Black.”
Shot in the course of one year, the scenes of the show were ingeniously set up in IKEA’s varied departments, making clever use of displayed items for sale as props. This is certified guerrilla filmmaking as all the scenes were shot without the store’s permission.
“The store doesn’t know we’re there,” Seger told the Los Angeles Times in 2009. “We’ve had employees ask what we’re doing and we say we’re doing a photo series. They say, ‘OK, just make sure it doesn’t mention IKEA.’ We lie and say OK.”
The show, created for website Channel101.com, recently resurfaced online and earned itself some new fans.  
Hooked yet? Here’s another one:
To find out where the treasure’s buried, check out ThisisChannel101’s YouTube channel.
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Ryan General

      Ryan General is a Senior Reporter for NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.