Long Bright River was filmed in several locations, all dressed up to look like Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while spending most of production outside of the City of Brotherly Love.
Where Was Long Bright River Filmed?
Based on Liz Moore's book of the same name, the new Peacock crime thriller stars Amanda Seyfried as a Philadelphia police officer working in a high-crime area of the city who gets in over her head while investigating the murders of three women.
In early goings, the streaming mini-series has earned generally favorable reviews, with Seyfreid being lauded for her performance as well as the show's gritty true-to-life feel.
While Long Bright River takes place on the streets of Philadelphia, much of its production did not take place in the City of Brotherly Love. The Peacock series instead was filmed in several locations in Brooklyn, New York, picking up scenes in Philly proper when needed (per Celeb Mafia).
St. Francis Inn, Philadelphia
One of the primary filming locations for the series actually within the city of Philadelphia is the St. Francis Inn.
The Philly staple can be seen in the show's trailer, featuring its iconic mural of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio. The St. Francis Inn appears in the series, backdropping several people kicking someone on the streets as other people look on.
The St. Francis Inn has been a pillar of the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia since 1979, serving as a soup kitchen and social service center for the unhoused and underprivileged in the area.
The mural on the side of the building has become well known in the city, with its bright pop of color being easily identifiable by those living in the North Philadelphia area.
College of New Rochelle, New York
Long Bright River transformed New York City's College of New Rochelle for a few scenes throughout the series.
The series was shot in the New York post-secondary institution for some of its church sequences, dressing up its Holy Family Chapel to host a few in-universe funerals.
The Chapel is also seen elsewhere in the series, having been reclaimed by the city. What was once a place for worship and gathering, becomes a derelict sign of a city on the decline.
These other sequences see Amanda Seyfried (who once turned down a role in MCU) as her Long Bright River police officer entering the chapel and communing with some of the unhoused Philadelphians who have set up camp within its walls.
The College of New Rochelle was founded in New Rochelle, New York, in 1904 as the Catholic women's college in the state. After more than 100 years of operating independently, the school was absorbed into New York-based Mercy College in 2019, becoming a part of Mercy's family of campuses.
Abandoned East New York Freight Tunnel, New York
Another New York City locale used in production for the series was the abandoned East New York Freight Tunnel in New York City.
Amanda Seyfried's Mickey Fitzpatrick can be seen leaning up against its graffiti-covered walls during an investigation early in the series as she looks into the deaths of three North Philly women.
The East New York Freight Tunnel has been a part of the NYC landscape since its first digging in 1914. It was used for several years to bring both passengers and freight in and out of the city via rail.
However, it was ultimately decommissioned with the adjoining station in 1924 as the station it was connected to was shut down as well.
Since it was taken out of service, the freight tunnel has become a perfect place for filming to happen, as it can evoke this "dangerous" and "out of the way" feeling for viewers at home.
Another major production that used the tunnel was HBO's Succession series (read more about Succession here). In that series, it was used to house Tom Wambsgam's bachelor party at the mysterious underground club, Rhomboid, in Season 1, Episode 8.
Long Bright River is now streaming on Peacock.
