Where Was “Your Friends & Neighbors” Filmed? Inside the Luxurious Locations of Apple TV+’s Dark Comedy
In Apple TV+’s hit series Your Friends & Neighbors, viewers explore a world of wealth and deception in the fictional Westmont Village. The dark comedy follows hedge fund manager Andrew Cooper (Jon Hamm), whose life unravels when he discovers his wife’s infidelity and loses his job.
While it lacks complex plots, the show thrives on its luxurious backdrop that reflects Cooper’s disdain for high society. Filming locations, from historic mansions to upscale suburbs, add authenticity to Westmont Village and enhance the visual storytelling. The article highlights key filming sites in New York’s Hudson Valley and Manhattan that contribute to the series’ appeal.
Hudson Valley: The Center of Westmont Village
The fictional Westmont Village springs to life in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley. With a superb combination of luxury homes and green spaces, the production team decided to film their action-packed segments in this area.
The Hudson Valley area in Westchester County had everything the filmmakers wanted to help them create their well-to-do community backdrop. Its tree-lined streets and modern mansions make it a place that naturally looks like a rich person’s neighborhood.
TV viewers can see many outdoor scenes shot there—neighborhood streets, shops, parks—sprinkled throughout the region, including in Long Island and Westchester County.
The show is well-suited for the Hudson Valley because it encompasses natural beauty and wealth in the exact location. The region is included in New York’s Tech Valley, which gives the silvery setting an air of modernity. This reflects the show’s story about a hedge fund manager living in a high-tech world obsessed with money.
The production team collaborated with local experts to ensure the look was authentic. They chose settings that looked good on camera and contributed to the story of Cooper’s life before and after his fall from grace.
When you see Poitier’s “Your Friends & Neighbors,” you’re also watching genuine Hudson Valley communities become the perfect setting for this story about the dark side of suburban wealth.
Woodlea Mansion Is the Ultimate Status Symbol
One of the most interesting filming locations in “Your Friends & Neighbors” is the historic Woodlea mansion in Briarcliff Manor. This sprawling 140-room estate appears in several significant scenes, especially when characters play golf or attend other social events.
Woodlea, meticulously maintained, occupies 338 acres at 777 Albany Post Road. The house wasn’t simply chosen for its physical beauty—it has a history that parallels the show’s themes. Constructed in 1895 for Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard of the prominent Vanderbilt family, Woodlea was an icon of America’s Gilded Age opulence. At the time, it was the 15th largest private house in America.
Today, the mansion is the clubhouse for the Sleepy Hollow Country Club. On the show, this place embodies the exclusive world Cooper had once inhabited. The grand architecture and manicured grounds reflect everything about the shallow, status-obsessed society that the protagonist comes to loathe.
In the early episodes, when Cooper strolls the hallways of this mansion, viewers get a true sense of the privilege he stands to lose. Later, when he re-emerges as an outsider, that place evokes a different sensation—now symbolizing a universe he views through news and more critical lenses.
The production team could hardly have found a more telling real-world setting for the show’s themes of wealth, exclusion, and social hierarchy.
Rye: Capturing Coastal Luxury
Another principal filming location for “Your Friends & Neighbors” was the coastal city of Rye, N.Y. This idyllic area features a colorful blend of historic and contemporary buildings, complementing the show’s deluxe aesthetic.
Many outdoor scenes were filmed along Purchase Street, Westmont Village’s central shopping district. Those with an eagle eye may note that local landmarks such as the Water Moon restaurant and the June & Ho clothing store have been turned into fictitious businesses in the series. The Webster Bank branch in Rye is also featured in several scenes.
The show also features Rye’s Playland, a historic amusement park. The production team filmed scenes where Westmont Village residents gather for community events at this spot below. This playful activity by the park contrasts with the serious personal problems the characters are struggling with and makes for an interesting visual tape on screen.
Rye is perfect for the show because it doesn’t look fake and is expensive by default. The architecture also runs the gamut from classic New England styles to modern luxury homes, providing directors with many opportunities to film character homes and businesses.
There’s a lot of pleasantries around that rarefied lifestyle in several episodes that touch on the waterfront areas of Rye, which is one of the perks of living in a coastal community where many homes have water views. Those scenes set up why a person like Cooper would once have sought to live in such an exclusive place.
Harrison’s Elite Neighborhoods
The Harrison suburbs and the wealthy Purchase and West Harrison communities were ideal backdrops for many residential scenes in “Your Friends & Neighbors.” They are also known for large lots and high-end homes, making them a natural fit for showcasing Westmont Village residents’ affluent lifestyle.
Many exterior shots of the home reflected its impressive architecture and perfectly manicured yards, which connote wealth and status. Harrison has a fascinating history that connects to the themes of the series.
Local lore says the district got its name because in 1695, a man named John Harrison bought as much land as he could ride in a single day on horseback from a Native American chief named Pathungo. This relevant narrative of land acquisition and wealth sits nicely with the show’s exploration of how privilege is often built on shaky foundations.
According to the production team, specific homes and streets were selected to align with the characters’ personalities and status within the community. Cooper’s home—seen before and after his fall from grace and used to demonstrate both opulence and a kind of chill that speaks to the void of his former life—is a careful choice.
The show is filmed in actual neighborhoods rather than on studio lots, which lends an air of authenticity that makes viewers want to believe in the made-up Westmont Village and its affluent residents.
Manhattan: The High Finance World
Although much of the action unfolds in suburban locales, New York City looms large in “Your Friends & Neighbors,” particularly in scenes involving Cooper’s profession in finance.
The upper Manhattan streets were the perfect setting for depicting Cooper’s professional milieu. These scenes ground the fast-paced, high-pressure environment where he worked before being fired. The juxtaposition of Manhattan’s glass and steel and boulevards versus Westmont Village’s manicured lawns symbolizes the duality of Cooper’s life.
The production team shot throughout the boroughs, including Queens and the Bronx, and in suburbs like New Rochelle and White Plains. These varied locales help to add texture to the show’s world, hinting that Westmont Village may be a bubble of wealth, but other bubbles exist in and around it.
The Manhattan settings serve as visual shorthand for power and money, the series’ central themes. When Cooper is fired, the urban backdrop adds to the dramatic public quality of his fall, which would not be felt were his dismissal to take place in a quieter place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Westmont Village a real place?
No, Westmont Village does not exist, except in fiction. Though the series was primarily filmed in New York’s Hudson Valley region, Westchester County locations created the look and feel of this fictitious affluent community.
Who’s Andrew Cooper in “Your Friends & Neighbors”?
Jon Hamm stars as Andrew Cooper, the hedge fund manager whose life unravels due to personal and professional misfortunes.
What time was “Your Friends & Neighbors” filmed?
Principal photography commenced in early April 2024 and concluded in mid-August 2024. This four-month shooting schedule enabled the production team to film scenes in various seasonal settings.
Is it possible to visit any of the filming locations?
Although Woodlea Mansion is the private Sleepy Hollow Country Club, many outdoor locations in Rye and the Hudson Valley are public spaces that fans can visit. Purchase Street and Playland in Rye are open to the public.
Which new location was chosen for shooting?
The creator, Jonathan Troppe, chose the New York area because its wealthy enclaves and architectural styles give it the eastern half of the country’s affluent communities that he needed to populate the rich world of Westmont Village. The area also provides diversity in terrain and architecture while remaining within an easy drive of New York City.
Final Words
“What Your Friends & Neighbors” elevates its storytelling not just by its cleverly written characters but also by its strikingly curated locations. Every setting adds texture to the fictional Westmont Village, from the stately Woodlea Mansion to the beach town of Rye to the gentrified precincts of Harrison,
These places represent the show’s central themes. The lavish homes and private places that initially mean wealth and privilege become tinged with darkness as Cooper’s perspective shifts, exposing the secrets lurking beneath their gilded exteriors.
For viewers, identifying actual landmarks from the Hudson Valley and Westchester County brings an entertaining dimension to the story. Andrew Cooper’s dramatic transformation is all the more convincing in light of this connection.
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