Why Jon Hamm’s ‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ is crime dramedy gold
Actor Jon Hamm tackles dark comedy and crime in “Your Friends and Neighbors.”
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Don’t be surprised to see some of your favorite Westchester restaurants when “Your Friends & Neighbors” returns for its second season April 3.
Filming locations for the Apple+ drama include Aurora, at 60 Purchase Street in Rye, Ruby’s Oyster Bar & Bistro at 45 Purchase Street and The Brazen Fox, at 175 Mamaroneck Ave. in White Plains.
The series, which stars Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn, also filmed at Westchester County Airport.
What to expect in season two of Your Friends & Neighbors on Apple+ TV
In Season Two, Andrew Cooper (Hamm) doubles down on his life as an unlikely suburban thief (he’s a former hedge fund manager who lost his job and steals from his wealthy neighbors). The arrival of a new neighbor, played by James Marsden, threatens to expose him. Other show regulars include Hoon Lee, Mark Tallman, Lena Hall, Aimee Carrero, Eunice Bae, Isabel Gravitt and Donovan Colan.
The series, which has already been renewed for a third season, is the brainchild of author Jonathan Tropper (“See,” “Warrior,” “Banshee”) who at one time, lived in New Rochelle, and taught at Manhattanville University in Purchase.
Tropper told The Journal News/lohud in 2014 that while his work is fiction, he sticks to what he knows, which leads friends to assume he bases his material on real-life experiences. “You create a character, you get into his head and then you start really empathizing and trying to think like him,” he said in the lohud interview. “That’s the beauty of it, the fun of it.”
In “Your Friends and Neighbors,” Tropper’s characters live in Westmont Village, a moniker similar to Westchester (if this reporter was guessing).
Westchester locations used in ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’
Other local spots used in the series (so far) include Sunshine Coffee Roasters in Rye and Woodlea in Briarcliff Manor, a Gilded Age mansion that’s now the Sleepy Hollow Country Club. Additional scenes last year were also filmed in Harrison, West Harrison, Purchase, Briarcliff Manor, New Rochelle, White Plains, New York City, Queens, the Bronx as well as in a few New Jersey towns.
According to Declan Rainsford, owner of The Brazen Fox, having his restaurant selected as a film location was an incredible experience. “It’s something special to see a space you’ve built become part of a larger story and we’re proud to showcase White Plains on that kind of stage.”
Lisa McKiernan, co-owner of Ruby’s Oyster Bar in Rye has similar sentiments. “It was exciting watching them reinvent the restaurant,” she said, as they came in during the day to shoot what was a nighttime scene. The restaurant even served some of their menu items to have on the table and the crew let some of their folks look behind the camera to watch them film.
“Everyone who worked there couldn’t have been nicer,” she added. “Plus everyone who walked by kept asking what was going on as they knew Jon Hamm was in town.”
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
