'Ringer' producers find New York in Los Angeles: 'The characters tell the story'

The first time you see Sarah Michelle Gellar's "Ringer," when it premieres Sept. 13 on the CW, you'll probably be struck by the dramatic New York backdrop.

There are bird's-eye views from the tops of palatial Upper East Side estates, a black tie party in the Museum of Natural History and jaunts out to Long Island. But after getting picked up to series, "Ringer" settled into its new home in Los Angeles, where shooting recently began.

Zap2it met with co-creators Nicole Snyder and Eric Charmelo and producer Pam Veasey at the show's Comic-Con press room, and they quickly eased our fears that the series might loose some of its style in the transition from one coast to the other.

"I promise you you'll see it," assures Veasy, who also produces another New-York-in-Los-Angeles series. "Because I've worked on 'CSI: New York' -- and still executive produce that -- we have mastered the talent of finding New York in Los Angeles. Our inside joke used to be 'add a water tower.'"

But there will be more than just water towers. "Ringer" has brought on production designer Steven Wolff, who's previously created elaborate New York sets for shows like "Dirty Sexy Money."

"You'll feel like you're in New York," says Veasy. "He has created shows that so reflect the Upper East Side. We've all wanted to move into our sets."

Still, they don't want to dwell to much on what's happening behind the scenes. "The characters tell the story," Veasy adds. "It's where they're from, it's not where you are. You can definitely tell a New York story in LA."

And speaking of digitally-imposed cityscapes, check out the latest ad for "Ringer" (first posted by EW) featuring Gellar gazing out at the New York skyline.