Tina Fey never really left the Philadelphia area, and neither did her new show.
The Delaware County native and co-creator of Netflix’s hit comedy-drama The Four Seasons is bringing a wave of local nostalgia to Season 2, with two episodes set against the backdrop of the Jersey Shore, reports Rosa Cartagena for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
For anyone who grew up in the region, the details will feel instantly familiar.
Fey, who was raised in Upper Darby and spent summers in Wildwood, wanted the show’s vacations to feel genuine; the kind of trips real people actually take, not the glossy getaways that populate most TV series.
She and co-creator Tracey Wigfield went back to their own childhood Shore memories, landing on locations like Ocean Grove and Point Pleasant Beach’s Jenkinson’s Boardwalk as the setting for the new episodes.
Her co-star Colman Domingo brings his own local credentials.
A West Philadelphia native who frequented Margate and Cape May as a teenager, Domingo called the Shore episodes “a bit of a love letter” to the region. There’s even a Wawa joke written into the season.
The two stars bonded quickly over their shared roots during filming.
“We grew up so geographically close together,” said Fey. “I was like on the very edge of the last street in Upper Darby, and across the street was Cobbs Creek Park.”
Domingo’s childhood home was located on the opposite side of the park.
Off-screen, they fueled the friendship with saltwater taffy and custard, though Fey drew the line at water ice, joking that she was haunted by her days working the counter at Lansdowne Swim Club.
The Jersey Shore communities embraced the production warmly, and Fey said she hopes the show does those destinations justice.
For more on the cast’s Philadelphia roots, the Jersey Shore filming locations, and the stories that didn’t make it into the show, read the full article in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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