Philadelphia is having a big TV moment this spring
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Amanda Seyfried as Mickey in "Long Bright River." Photo: David Holloway/PEACOCK via Getty
Philadelphia is stealing the spotlight in some of this spring's hottest new TV shows.
Why it matters: Philly is having a television moment as the city has seen lots of interest in projects filmed here in recent years.
State of play: "Dope Thief," "Deli Boys" and "Long Bright River" all premiered in the last few weeks, spotlighting stories in Philly about crime, murder and drugs.
The intrigue: Though the shows are based in Philly, only "Dope Thief" was filmed in the region — in Bucks County.
- "Deli Boys" was filmed in Chicago, and "Long Bright River" was shot in New York City.
📈 By the numbers: Hundreds of filming projects have flocked to Philly in recent years, per data from the Greater Philadelphia Film Office.
- Nearly 480 projects were shot in the Philly region between July 2023 and June 2024, including "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Rob McElhenney's "Welcome to Wrexham" soccer series and the film "Yall Drawn."
- That number spiked to nearly 760 during the same 12-month stretch in 2021-22.
What they're about:
🚨 "Dope Thief" on Apple TV+, starring Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura, is a crime drama based on Dennis Tafoya's book of the same name.
- The story follows a pair of friends impersonating U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents to rob small-time drug dealers. Things go awry when the duo unknowingly stumbles upon a massive drug operation.
- New episodes debut on Fridays through April 25.
What they're saying: It wasn't hard to capture the spirit of the city, "Dope Thief" creator Peter Craig tells Axios' Maxwell Millington.
- "Philly doesn't hide itself from you," he said. "Philly's really direct and upfront and tells you who it is right away. So … we got hooked on it pretty fast."
😂 "Deli Boys" on Hulu, starring Saagar Shaikh and Asif Ali, offers a fresh take on the crime-comedy genre.
- After their father suddenly dies, two spoiled Pakistani American brothers take over his deli empire, and find out it's a front for a drug business they inherited.
- Watch all 10 episodes now.
🚔 "Long Bright River" is a suspense thriller on Peacock that follows a female Philly police officer named Mickey trying to solve murders on her beat in Kensington's open-air drug market
- Plus: Amanda Seyfried, who plays Mickey, grew up in Allentown.
- All eight episodes are now available to stream.
🍿 Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes gave "Dope Thief" and "Deli Boys" positive reviews from critics — 83% and 95%, respectively.
- Meanwhile, "Long Bright River" got a 67% critics rating.
👀 What to watch: More Philly-based series are to come.
- That includes HBO's crime drama "Task" set to debut later this year. The limited series is from "Mare of Easttown" creator Brad Ingelsby.