The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fans might be surprised to learn that season 4 was exclusively filmed on-location in New York City.
An article from Bustle reported that for this season, the production stayed in NYC due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The production for Mrs. Maisel season 4 was filmed in many locations around New York City including Central Park, the West Village, Washington Square Park, and Coney Island. For the locations the show couldn’t travel to, they built elaborate sets at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn. Production for season 4 was meant to begin in June 2020, but as a result of the pandemic, it was postponed until January 2021 and ended in July 2021.
Earlier articles from Condé Nast Traveller magazine detailed the locations of the popular show’s previous seasons where they even went as far as Paris.
The story is set in late 1950s/early 1960s NYC, and follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a dutiful housewife who finds her voice and a career when she becomes a stand-up comic. She leaves her husband and works to make it in the deeply misogynistic world of showbusiness that’s not at all easy for women to succeed in – even now. On top of that, the comedian has to juggle her obligations as a mother, her judgmental family, and sharpening her stand-up skills to contend with the major players in the comedy world. At her side is grumpy and street-smart manager, Susie Meyerson (Alex Borstein) who eventually becomes her close (albeit combative) friend.
Season 1 of Mrs. Maisel was very New York-based. Midge frequented various bars for her stand-up like The Music Inn, Kettle of the Fish Bar, The Dublin House, The Friar’s Club, and Old Town Bar.
At the beginning of season 2, Midge left the comfort of her Upper West Side neighborhood for the romantic city of Paris, France. Midge’s mother Rose (Marin Hinkle) escaped to the French capital to rediscover herself, and Midge along with her father Abe (Tony Shalhoub) went to bring her back home. Some of the extravagant Paris locations included 18 bis Rue du Mail, the Chez Paul bistro in Rue de Charonne, the restaurant Rue de Lappe, and the Madame Arthur drag cabaret. In the same season, the show went to the picturesque Catskills for the family’s annual summer trip, and viewers got to see what Midge’s former life was like before her new one took over.
Season 3 saw many different locations as Midge travelled across the US on a big comedy tour. They went to sunny Miami where Midge performed at the legendary Fontainebleau hotel, a contemporary hotspot where legends like Frank Sinatra played. The Las Vegas location and the USO show were actually staged in New York. They had to create a portion of Freemont Street in Vegas using visual effects and built the interior locations. For the USO show, they used the hangar at the Republic Airport on Long Island for its massive scale.
Season 4 takes place after Midge is fired from Shy Baldwin’s tour by his manager Reggie (Sterling K. Brown) in a devastating scene. Making things harder, she spent her tour earnings on a new family home and Susie gambled away all of her savings, so financially things aren’t looking great for the duo. The show was going to travel for season 4, but because of the pandemic-related restrictions, that wasn’t realistic. It did, however, give them the opportunity to embrace the city by staying put and using the range of locations available on home turf to their advantage.
While the penultimate of the show will see more of New York City, viewers shouldn’t expect it to be underwhelming compared to its other more distant locales. The Emmy-winning series has established itself as one of Amazon Prime’s best shows and it doesn’t skimp when it comes to production value and the fine details – there’s no telling what new visuals they’ll cook up next. Also, who knows where they’ll go in their fifth and final season?
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