Where was ‘Florida Man’ filmed?

A new Netflix series is turning heads, largely thanks to its eye-catching title, which brings to mind countless newspaper headlines and online trends.

Florida Man was released on April 13 for Netflix subscribers to enjoy, and quickly earned split reactions from viewers. While reviews indicate that native Floridians might get a kick out of the show’s inside jokes and callbacks, the majority of audiences find the series disorganized and overcrowded – despite some fun moments and story points. The series has a bare presence on sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, thanks to its still-growing viewer base, but its 0% Tomatometer score is offset by the 84% audiences are currently scoring the series. It appears that, despite low critical consensus, audiences are enjoying Florida Man just fine.

Despite its name, it turns out the filming for Florida Man didn’t take place in the most obvious location. The creative team behind the flick may have pulled off that Florida look well, but none of the filming for Florida Man actually took place in the Sunshine State.

Filming for Florida Man didn’t take place in Florida

It seems like a no-brainer to film a series like Florida Man — which, yes, takes place in Florida — in the country’s southernmost state, but a variety of factors appear to have urged filmmakers in a different direction. It can be less expensive to film in certain locations over others, and the high temp — and unceasing mugginess — of Florida can dissuade filmmakers from committing to the state.

Whatever the reasons behind the decision, Florida Man was not filmed in the state it’s named after. Filming for the show instead took place in North Carolina, largely at locations in Wilmington and Carolina Beach. A few key areas in both cities, including Stevens Ace Hardware, Quanto Basta, and Copper Penny contributed to the backgrounds seen throughout the show’s season, as were Hell’s Kitchen and UniFirst Uniform Services. The Pointe at Barclay was also a frequent filming location, and provided an area for the team to construct sets and capture various scenes.

All of these locations are nestled in one of the two aforementioned North Carolina cities, and none even come close to the most northern boundaries of Florida. So keep in mind, as you enjoy the Netflix show’s sunny beaches and ocean-themed bars, that if you want a taste of the setting for yourself, you’ll want to buy up tickets to North Carolina, rather than Florida.