Illustrations by Scott Suchy
Charleston, a top port of call for the nation’s travelers and transplants, is another kind of destination too — a thriving home for films and, lately, television shows.
“The Lowcountry of South Carolina has proven to be a great place for filmmakers to shoot,” said Matt Storm, director of the S.C. Film commission. “The unique locations, quality of crew and the friendly nature of the residents all result in a pretty special production experience.
“While our rebate incentives program certainly helps attract prospective filming to the state, it’s the look and feel of places like the Lowcountry that keeps them coming back again and again.”
Way back in 1941, Charleston played a backdrop for the moving pictures. In Cecil B. DeMille’s Reap the Wild Wind, John Wayne and Ray Miland vie for Claudette Goddard’s attention in the American South while battling a dangerous salvager and, at one point, an octopus. To recreate the look of 1840s era Church street, the crew hid modern-day signifiers, such as telephone poles and fireplugs, with vegetation. They also hired hundreds of Charlestonians as extras.
Fast forward to 1974. Everyone’s favorite television detective was Columbo, with his signature shabby raincoat and a bumbling persona. That year, he sauntered over to the Haynes Military Academy (The Citadel) to solve a murder in the barracks.
Charleston’s cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel antebellum houses continue to be great for period melodramas and Civil War epics, such as Cold Mountain and the North And South TV movies, that focus on the Palmetto State’s problematic past. Nowadays, location scouts also shrewdly highlight other aspects of South Carolina’s past that aren’t just callbacks to a bygone era.
Here is a smattering of a few movies and TV shows that used the Lowcountry as a backdrop. You’ll probably be familiar with some of them, but maybe not all.
Outer Banks (2020-present)
Morris Island Lighthouse
Although the story takes place in North Carolina, the show’s creators chose Charleston and surrounding areas, in part, due to North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. One of the show’s Redfield Lighthouse locations, a centerpiece for some of the teen drama between its characters (Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss) is portrayed by none other than the legendary Morris Island Lighthouse on Folly Beach. The show wrapped up its most recent filming in July.
The Righteous Gemstones (2019-present)
Citadel Mall
In the Rough House Pictures HBO series (with its fourth season on the horizon), we follow the world famous televangelist family, The Gemstones. Actors John Goodman and Danny McBride bring the glory of God and money to the show through their Gemstone Prayer Center. The exterior is at the mall, but interior filming takes place at the North Charleston Coliseum. The show is currently shooting with a wrap expected next month.
Suncoast (2024)
Ye Olde Fashioned Ice Cream & Sandwich Cafe, Mount Pleasant
In Laura Chinn’s coming of age drama, Doris (Nico Parker) must balance a depressed home life caring for her dying brother (Cree Kawa) and conflicts with her mother (Laura Linney) and her own internal struggles. One day, thanks to insufficient funds for a creamy treat, she meets Paul Warren (Woody Harrelson), a right-to-die activist, with whom she builds a friendship and scores a free shake.
The Late Game (2024)
Carolina Ice Palace
In the throes of a nasty breakup, lovelorn Riley (Alec Reusch) moves across the country. At the coercion of his friend Proton (Matthew Archie Starling), the move ultimately finds him dusting off his hockey gear to take part in a late night beer league hockey game at a rink to get himself out of his rut. Hijinks (and possibly a budding relationship) ensue in Jeff Tyner’s indie comedy.
The Sinner (2017-2021)
Dorchester County Detention Center
In the first season of the USA mystery/character drama/procedural series, a housewife in police custody, Cora Tanetti (Jessica Beil), is interrogated by Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) after getting stabby at the beach.
Halloween (2018)
Military Magnet Academy, North Charleston
Taking place 40 years after John Carpenter’s original horror classic, David Gordon Green’s reboot finds Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the original survivor of the brutal slasher, Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney, Nick Castle), still living in fear. Two true crime podcasters visit the Smith’s Grove Psychiatric Hospital to visit the institutionalized Myers.
Army Wives (2007-2013)
Joint Base Charleston
In the Lifetime series, which ran seven seasons, the show followed four women (Wendy Davis, Catherine Bell, Sally Pressman, Kim Delaney) who bonded over their shared experience of having a loved one in the military. To add realism to the show, it was shot mainly in the Lowcountry, using Joint Base Charleston to double as the military base in the show.
The Notebook (2004)
The American Theater
In Nick Cassavettes’ 20-year-old drama based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) meets Allison “Allie” Hamilton (Rachel McAdams). Struck by her presence, he pursues and ultimately romances her. Like most blossoming 1940 romances, their escapades involve taking in the latest Buster Keaton flick, Li’l Abner.
Cold Mountain (2003)
College Of Charleston
Speaking of heightened early 2000s historical dramas, Anthony Mignella,most known for The English Patient, created a period drama about the romance between W.P. Inman (Jude Law) and Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) in the waning days of the Civil War. At one point before tragedy befalls him, Inman chats with a blind man about deep stuff at CofC’s Cistern.
Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys (2002)
Immaculate Conception Catholic School
Based on the late Chris Fuhrman’s coming-of-age novel, The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys follows a group of Savannah Catholic School boys, including Francis Doyle (Emile Hirsch), form a bond at their school and collaborate on a comic book that catches the attention of a classmate (Jena Malone) and the ire of Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster) at their school.
O (2001)
Bishop England (old campus on Calhoun Street)
Speaking of teenage high school angst, in Tim Blake Nelson’s film Shakespeare meets late 1990s/early 2000s high school drama when Odin James (Mekhi Phifer) is convinced by his creepy pal Hugo (Josh Hartnett) that his girlfriend Desi (Julia Stiles) is cheating on him. Chunks of the controversial drama takes place on the Bishop England basketball court.
The Patriot (2000)
Cypress Gardens
In 1776 after a brutal British officer (Jason Isaacs) kills his son, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), a widowed farmer with a military past, decides to put his newfound pacifism to pasture. He sets his sights on forming a regiment of patriots and rescuing his eldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger). In one particular moment, Martin’s Old Spanish Mission Black Swamp Militia falls back to an abandoned chapel near the swamp, which is also their headquarters. (Note: The set is gone, but you can still enjoy the beauty of the cypress swamp.)
Major League: Back To the Minors (1998)
Joe Riley Stadium
Aging minor league pitcher, Gus Cantrell (Scott Bakula) finds himself on the cusp of losing his job after one shenanigan too many. He’s enticed by Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) to manage his team, the South Carolina Buzz, a team filled with many distinct personalities, including a headstrong home run hitter, Billy “Downtown” Anderson (Walton Goggins). With a little luck and a lot of pluck, Cantrell trains the team on their home turf to success.
Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)
Grace Memorial Bridge (now defunct)
In the third installment of the Die Hard series, John McClane (Bruce Willis) must show how “die hard” he is after a terrorist blows up a department store and forces McClane to play an exceptionally heightened version of “Simon Says.” Reluctantly, McClane agrees — but not before involving a shop owner, Zeus Carver (Samuel Jackson). In one of many escapes from danger, McClane and Carver jump from the old bridge onto a container ship.
Satisfaction (1988)
James Island neighborhood
Jennie Lee (Justine Bateman), leader of the all-female band, The Mystery, heads out to Florida for an audition. Getting there becomes a bit more of a hassle than they bargained for as they encounter strife, set-backs and the occasional merry mix-up in this comedy-drama. At one point, Jeannie and her bandmates (Britta Phillips, Julia Roberts, Scott Coffey, Trini Alvardo) are invited to a hoity-toity preppy party (in Trojan territory) where all the dips are dancing.
The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
USS Laffey (Patriot’s Point)
In 1943, sailors David Herdeg (Michael Pare) and Jim Parker (Bobby Di Coco) try to stop an experiment that ultimately throws them 41 years into the future, where they race against time to set things right and maybe one of them finds a little romance with Nancy Allen. Director Stewart Raffill (Mac & Me, Tammy And The T-Rex) had the USS Laffey double as USS Eldridge.
Swamp Thing (1982)
Magnolia Plantation Gardens
On the verge of a scientific breakthrough that could solve world hunger, Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise) is placed under the protection of one Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) after it is noted the evil Anton Arcane (Louis Jordan) wants the secret formula. A tragic mishap turns Holland into the titular Swamp Thing, who walks around the swampy terrain and even does battle with a hairy-backed pig creature.
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