Hollywood hits Southold as new Netflix series shoots locally

The North Fork will get the Hollywood treatment this week when a production by content giant Netflix comes to Southold.

Netflix is filming Sirens, a new limited series, on the North Fork. The dark comedy stars Meghann Fahy as Devon, a woman who becomes concerned for her sister, Simone (played by Milly Alcock), over her relationship with her new boss, the enigmatic and wealthy Michaela Kell (Academy award winner Julianne Moore). Other notable cast includes Kevin Bacon, Glenn Howerton, Josh Segarra and more according to Netflix.

Michaela leads an ultra-luxurious lifestyle which is addictive to Simone and when Devon tracks her sister down to see what’s truly going on she underestimates what it’s like to have Michaela as an enemy.

“The story is told over the course of a drama-filled weekend at the Kells’ lavish beach estate,” Netflix says. The story explores women, power and class.

The Southold Town Board approved a resolution for a contract with Netflix at its July 16 regular meeting. Town Supervisor Al Krupski confirmed that the streaming platform has two deals with the town covering three weeks of filming.

Netflix will be shooting on a private, undisclosed property in Southold from July 22 to 25 and returning to film in August for two weeks, Mr. Krupski confirmed. The company paid $50,000 to set up a production and logistics area at the town’s Recreation Center on Peconic Lane.

“They needed a place where they can stage their operations and we were well positioned to offer that space to them,” Mr. Krupski said.

The producers also secured a separate $20,000 agreement to film at the Southold Town Hall Annex on Main Road, which will serve as a “cover set” in the event of inclement weather during the shoot.

“It might or might not happen,” Mr. Krupski said. “They’re here with a crew and all their equipment and because they’re here with everyone, they want to have a plan B. They would use the Annex only for one day.”

The North Fork has been the site of several film and televsion productions in recent years. In 2014, “Orange is the New Black” filmed outside The Suffolk in Riverhead for the premiere of its second season. An episode of the HBO hit “Girls” shot outside Claudio’s in Greenport and aired that same year.

In 2018 Southold was a stand-in for Gilgo Beach in the movie “Lost Girls,” about Mari Gilbert, the mother of Gilgo beach murder victim Shannan Gilbert.

In August 2021, Mila Kunis and costar Justin Lupe filmed Netflix’s Luckiest Girl Alive on Shelter Island for the Nantucket Ferry Terminal for the film. Most recently Ethan Hawke was seen filming in Wading River in April 2022 for Netflix’s drama “Leave the World Behind.”

Mr. Krupski said working with Netflix has been a good experience. He said that streaming giant keeps coming back to the North Fork and Southold because “it’s a nice community.”