“Your Friends & Neighbors,” the Apple TV+ production starring Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet, and Olivia Munn, was back on Purchase Street on Wednesday.
“We had a really good experience here last time,” Shane Haden, a location scout for the show, told the City Council during its April 9 meeting.
At the meeting, the City Council approved Apple Studios’ request to use portions of Purchase Street and downtown parking spaces from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“If you want some extra drama you might want to film” council chambers, joked Councilman Bill Henderson.
The show centers around Hamm’s character, Coop, a hedge fund manager who resorts to stealing from his wealthy neighbors after losing his job and marriage.
The show has already been renewed for a second season.
Hamm and his castmates paid a visit to the city last April, when “The Mad Men” star was seen circling downtown Rye in a black Maserati during filming.
Keen observers can spot Rye in two early episodes in the series’ debut season — and also the trailer, in which the restaurant Water Moon and gourmet market June & Ho are visible behind Peet.
During filming last year, Peet visited Saigon Table and Hamm stopped into Sunshine Coffee Roasters and The Snackery. Hamm used The Snackery as his dressing room, according to reports.
Photo Alison Rodilosso
The show is set in the fictional town of Westmont — presumably based on Westchester, given that the show also has filmed in White Plains, New Rochelle, and Harrison. Jonathan Tropper, the show’s author, was born in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, but later moved to New Rochelle after getting married and having kids.
A 2009 Westchester Magazine profile brands Westchester as Tropper’s muse.
A city permit to film “Your Friends & Neighbors” cost Apple Studios $30,000 last year. This year, the permit cost $45,000.
Rye has made $269,000 in TV and film permits since 2020.
Following filming last year, then City Manager Greg Usry said the city did not receive any complaints about the production and was pleased that everything seemed to go off without a hitch.
“We are very much looking forward to filming again in Rye,” said Ashton Hickey, an assistant location manager, in an email to the city clerk.
The City Council’s discussion on granting Apple Studios another filming permit ended with an imperative from Mayor Josh Cohn: “Wherever you film, make us look good.”
