Hulu filmed Phony primarily across Greater Vancouver and Hope in British Columbia, with extra municipal establishing footage captured in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Most practical neighborhood sequences centered on the city of Burnaby.
Cameras rolled for the pilot in December 2024 before the main unit returned for spring photography through May 2026. Here’s the complete filming guide for the mystery-comedy series.
Creator Nick Paley and director of photography Andy Rydzewski chose real Craftsman homes and mist-shrouded roads over green screens. It shows.
| Scene / Setting | Location | Area | Details from Set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonny & Ellen Cooke Residence | Edgar Residence (6450 Deer Lake Drive) | Burnaby, British Columbia | 1912 heritage Craftsman bungalow used for indoor family scenes, porch confrontations, and street driving shots. |
| Lakeside Walking Trails & Park | Deer Lake Park (5435 Sperling Avenue) | Burnaby, British Columbia | Lakeside boardwalks and surrounding woodland paths where Sonny and friends hash out their suspicions. |
| Mountain Highway & Car Wreck Zone | Fraser Valley & Cascade Mountain Passes | Hope, British Columbia | Steep granite ridges and foggy mountain switchbacks framing the central car accident that triggers Sonny’s trauma. |
| Delby High School & Town Church | Local Educational Facilities & Parish Grounds | Surrey & Greater Vancouver, BC | Practical school corridors, brick classroom exteriors, and community parish grounds for civic gatherings. |
| Neighborhood Residential Streets | Suburban Residential Avenues | Surrey, British Columbia | Local suburban properties dressed as the homes of Sonny’s classmates and neighborhood acquaintances. |
| Civic Establishing Panoramas | Esplanade Riel & Saint Boniface | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Second-unit architectural b-roll capturing bridge arches and historic limestone masonry. |
Where was Phony filmed?
Crews set up their operational base around Burnaby’s heritage district before sending camera units east into the Fraser Valley. The production leaned hard into tangible Pacific Northwest geography—blending coastal forest moisture with quiet suburban streets to mirror Sonny’s spiraling mental state.
The crew worked fast. They wrapped the pilot late in 2024, waited out the winter chill, and then spent nearly ten weeks shooting season one across British Columbia.
Which Burnaby heritage home doubles as the Cooke residence?
The Edgar Residence at 6450 Deer Lake Drive served as the primary home for Sonny Cooke (Sam Nivola) and his mother Ellen (Connie Britton). Built in 1912 for businessman Robert McBeth Edgar and his wife Maude, the wood-frame Craftsman bungalow sits on the south shore of Deer Lake. Burnaby council designated it an official municipal heritage site in November 1992.
Location scouts picked the property specifically because it felt genuine. Technicians set up camera rigs both inside the timber-framed living quarters and directly along the driveway, where neighbors spotted Britton and Nivola rehearsing tense driving sequences late into the evening.
Just a short walk away, Deer Lake Park at 5435 Sperling Avenue provided natural outdoor backdrops. The camera department took over the park’s wooden boardwalks and shoreline walking trails during mid-May 2026, catching early morning mist drifting over the water (a visual cue director Nick Paley returns to throughout the mystery).
Why did the crew shoot mountain scenes in Hope?
Hope offered the jagged Cascade Mountain walls required for the series’ small-town perimeter. Located ninety miles east of Vancouver where the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers meet, Hope is famous among cinephiles as the shooting site for 1982’s First Blood.
For Phony, the town provided steep alpine relief. Camera units staged highway sequences along nearby mountain routes to capture the remote, disorienting stretch of asphalt where Sonny’s life-altering vehicle crash takes place.
Mountain fog rolled in almost daily. That natural weather gave the production an ominous, closed-in atmosphere without relying on artificial haze machines.
What parts were filmed in Winnipeg?
Second-unit teams traveled to Winnipeg, Manitoba to grab wide civic cutaways and distinct urban silhouettes. Viewers paying close attention during transition shots can spot the sweeping cables of the Esplanade Riel pedestrian bridge and the stone arches of the Saint Boniface Basilica.
These architectural shots help ground the broader fictional region of the show. Production teams frequently pair Manitoba’s historic masonry with British Columbia’s lush greenery to build a textured, composite world.
What did the cast and crew share from the set?
Executive producer Kellyn Parker marked the show’s arrival on Hulu with an official launch message, highlighting the long creative road from Nick Paley’s initial pitch to the screen.
“Phony launches tonight and I’m so proud of the show and team that helped put it together. I hope you all think it’s as special as we did years ago when @nickpaley Charlie, Sarah, Drew and @ahopemass brought it our way. Check out the first two episodes on @hulu and get a little sentimental!”
— Kellyn Parker (@kellynp), Executive on official Instagram
On-set head makeup artist Candice celebrated wrapping principal photography in Vancouver alongside stars Sam Nivola and Caroline Dehner, sharing her behind-the-scenes thoughts after grueling night shoots.
“That’s a wrap on Phony ! Look for it this fall on @hulu . If I have to be outside at night I am sure glad it was with these two ! @samnivola @carolinedehner ! Always thanks to my team ! @iyayujuico @sallydarnel @trishymakeup 💙#makeupartists #vancouverfilm”
— Candice (@candicemakeup), On-set makeup department wrap post
Official Hulu channels also rolled out the initial promotional campaign, framing Connie Britton’s eerie maternal performance alongside Sam Nivola’s paranoid teen journey.
“Is she really his mom? Connie Britton and Sam Nivola star in the new mystery comedy Phony, now streaming on Hulu.”
— Hulu (@hulu), Official X / Twitter release
Did they film on location or in a studio?
Phony was filmed primarily on practical locations throughout British Columbia rather than on indoor soundstages.
Director Nick Paley and executive producer Drew Goddard pushed for tangible houses, public parks, and mountain roads to make Sonny’s Capgras-style delusions hit harder. By placing the actors in real heritage architecture, the comedy stays anchored in everyday reality.
Can tourists visit the filming locations?
Yes. Deer Lake Park is completely open to the public year-round, featuring walking paths, heritage gardens, and canoe rentals along the lake.
The Edgar Residence sits within the designated heritage conservation zone along Deer Lake Drive. While the house itself remains a protected property where visitors should respect boundaries, its Craftsman exterior and lakeside setting are easily viewed from public walking paths.
If you’re traveling eastward toward Hope, the town offers easy access to the mountain vistas seen in the series. It’s a quick two-hour drive from Vancouver.
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