If you were worried that 9th Avenue just wasn’t busy enough, we have good news. Adding to the road construction, traffic, and outdoor dining fiasco is another drama entirely — new Apple TV+ series Dear Edward (aka Fugue) is filming in Hell’s Kitchen this week.
Previously filmed on the Upper East and Upper West Sides this spring, Dear Edward — nicknamed “Fugue” on signs posted around the neighborhood — is filming between 5am and 7pm on 9th Avenue between W50th and W55th Street, as well as a few side streets tomorrow (Thursday). All vehicles from the already sparse parking spots along the avenue must be vacated by today, June 1.
The show, which stars Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling, as well as Broadway’s own Anna Uzele, formerly of Once On This Island and SIX, details the aftermath of a commercial plane crash in which only one passenger (played by Colin O’Brien) survives. Based on the novel of the same name by Ann Napolitano, the series “is a heartbreaking, life-affirming and uplifting story about survival, resilience, connection and the examination of what makes us human,” according to an Apple TV + press release. The show is written, run, and executive produced by Jason Katims of NBC’s Parenthood and the mid-aughts Britton-starmaker, Friday Night Lights.
Schilling is already a familiar face around the West Side, having previously filmed COVID-themed thriller The Bite (originally known as The Second Wave) with Broadway and TV mainstay Audra McDonald in a spectacular $9M brownstone on W51st Street between 9th and 10th Avenue.
One thing that will be missing from the background of Dear Edwards scenes? Outdoor dining sheds. For those who didn’t previously have to remove their structures, brand-new DDC and DOT mandates were handed down to additional unlucky 9th Avenue business owners last month, including several proprietors who were previously told by city agencies that they’d be spared. Local restaurateurs still attempting to recover from fickle winter and spring omicron-related revenues were dismayed to give up precious covers during their peak seasons.
While Hell’s Kitchen business owners are no strangers to the industry — Law and Order (in all of its iterations) as well as Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Blue Bloods, and upcoming series Tulsa King (starring Sylvester Stallone, recently spotted in HK!) have all filmed scenes in the neighborhood over the past few years — the disruption would no doubt be a further hindrance to weekday business. On the upside, maybe Connie Britton will have lunch at Alfie’s? Tami Taylor, table for one!
