Where was The Madness filmed? An (almost) complete guide to all the locations

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Although set primarily in Philadelphia, The Madness was filmed primarily in and around Toronto, with additional locations in Georgia and New York.

This eight-episode limited series stars Colman Domingo as CNN media pundit Muncie Daniels, framed for a murder he discovers in the Poconos woods.

Colman Domingo Muncie Daniels

As he fights to prove his innocence, Muncie reconnects with his estranged family and grapples with his ideals.

Here is our long, spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of The Madness. You'll find the locations in order of appearance.


The Madness locations

The Madness location
After the opening sequence in the forest, the diner where Muncie greets the unfriendly cops is the Breezy Corners restaurant in Freelton, Ontario.

The scene on the road with the tall electrical towers where he tries to hitch a ride was also filmed nearby, on Highway 6.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
  Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps


The Madness Philadelphia
At the beginning of the first episode, Muncie is running along Walnut Street in Philadelphia's University City.

The modern building behind him is UPenn's new Vagelos Laboratory.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Philadelphia Museum of Art
In this establishing shot, the Philadelphia Museum of Art appears as a backdrop.

Here are the iconic "Rocky Steps," made famous worldwide by Sylvester Stallone's training montage in the 1976 movie Rocky.

The steps have become a must-see for tourists who want to recreate the legendary run.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Pinkerton's Snack Bar
Muncie has a drink at Pinkerton's Snack Bar in the Leslieville area of Toronto's east end.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


St. Lawrence Market Toronto
There are some aerial shots of Philadelphia, but on the ground, Muncie's Range Rover goes down The Esplanade and Church Street in St. Lawrence, Toronto.

In the background of the street is the St. Lawrence Market.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Madness house

The Madness cabin
Muncie rents a cabin in the Pocono Mountains, which happens to be the same location used as Tony Stark's cabin in Endgame!

This is the area where the TomorrowWorld festival used to be held, about a 20-minute drive from Atlanta on Big Lake, near the village of Campbellton.

After gaining fame from its appearance in Marvel movies (and other productions), the cabin was listed on Airbnb for around $1,000 per night. However, it is no longer available for rent.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Baywood Centre in Ajax
The Simon Home Furnishings store is located in the Baywood Centre in Ajax, Ontario.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps


Mississauga Gate Inn
The Days Inn motel is actually the Mississauga Gate Inn in Ontario.

For some reason, the showrunners added the sign of a well-known motel chain.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps


Dineen Coffee Co. in Yonge Street
In the second episode, "Djibouti," Muncie meets Kwesi (played by Deon Cole) at the Dineen Coffee Co. on Yonge Street in Old Toronto.

The coffee shop was dressed up as a La Colombe Coffee branch, a chain from Philadelphia.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Madness city
After the coffee shop, there is a scene that was actually filmed in Philadelphia.

He walks into the City Hall's Compass Rose located in the middle of the courtyard, which looks like a giant bull's eye.
Image courtesy of  - Map


Underpass Park West Don Lands
Although the graffiti says Philadelphia, Muncie meets Franco Quinones (John Ortiz) at Underpass Park in Toronto's West Don Lands neighborhood.

Located in an unused space beneath a series of overpasses, the pillars of the structure serve as the perfect canvas for the graffiti that decorates the walls of this unusual urban park.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Graham Library in Wycliffe College
This scene was filmed in the magnificent Graham Library at Wycliffe College, Toronto.

Founded in 1877 and affiliated with the University of Toronto, the college is housed in a stunning Gothic Revival building.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Reading Terminal Market Philadelphia
This coffee scene was filmed at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, outside a restaurant in the Filbert Street tunnel.

Established in 1893 as part of the Reading Railroad Terminal, it is one of the oldest and largest public markets in the United States.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Ritz Restaurant
Muncie talks to his daughter, Kallie (Gabrielle Graham) at the Ritz Restaurant located at 310 Donlands Avenue in East York, Ontario.

The interior, however, looks like it was filmed elsewhere.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Madness Discord
The Discord gun commune in the third episode was filmed at the former Thistletown Hospital in Panorama Park, Etobicoke.

The building, designed in 1928 in a modern classical style, was a satellite branch of the Hospital for Sick Children.

Today, it is recognized for its historical and architectural significance and is surrounded by a beautiful park, although its current status may vary depending on ongoing urban development.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Price Cigar Company
The Price Cigar Company store exterior, run by Isiah (Stephen McKinley Henderson), was filmed in a vacant storefront (formerly Radiant Beauty Supplies) at 223 Ottawa Street North in Hamilton.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps


Warwick Condominiums
Following the Don's lead, Muncie accidentally bumps into his father, played by Stephen Tobolowsky (always remembered as the annoying insurance salesman in Groundhog Day).

This establishing shot was taken at the Warwick Condominiums in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Harbourfront area Toronto
But this other building is the Harbour Square condominium complex located on Toronto's Harbourfront.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Lookout Mountain Motel
The fictional Lookout Mountain Motel is the Moodie's Motor Inn at 778 Kingston Road West between Pickering and Ajax, ON.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Madness Gotham Club
The interior of the Gotham Club in New York, where Stu Magnusson (Bradley Whitford) is having dinner, was filmed at the Elgin Theatre in downtown Toronto.

The opulent dining room is the lobby of the theater and the bar is one of the reception areas.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Madness Theater
The chase through the theater was also filmed in this wonderful space, at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre.

Opened in 1913, the theater's grand interiors, including hand-painted motifs and ornate plasterwork, were restored during a major renovation in the 1980s.


AMC Empire 25 theater at 42nd Street
Yes, The Madness filmed scenes in Times Square in Manhattan.

The scene pictured was also filmed on 42nd Street near the AMC Empire 25 theater, where Muncie enters the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Maps: Times Square / 42nd Street


Philadelphia's Queen Village
In the fourth episode, "Radioactive," Muncie calls Lucie (played by Tamsin Topolski) from a phone booth across the street from Liza's Salon in Crown Point, Hamilton, ON.

On camera, he appears to have just walked around the corner, but the HARE hair salon where he is seen on TV is located in Philadelphia's Queen Village.

Image courtesy of Netflix - Maps: Hamilton / Queen Village


Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
A man follows him into an alleyway that is possibly part of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, a mosaic art installation located in the heart of South Street.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Madness house
Magnusson's house is the Parkwood National Historic Site in Oshawa, a grand Beaux-Arts mansion built between 1915 and 1940.

The Parkwood Estate has been featured in many productions filmed in Ontario, including The Umbrella Academy, The Handmaid's Tale, and more recently you may have seen it as a key filming location in the Cross Amazon series.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Village at Black Creek house
The safe house exterior in the sixth episode, "Loco", is the James Dalziel Home, a historic log home located in The Village at Black Creek north in Toronto.

Built in 1870, the house is an open-air heritage museum featuring over 40 carefully restored 19th-century rural Ontario buildings.

This park is the same place where Muncie meets Laura Jennings' contact later in the episode.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


University of Toronto building at Scarborough
The FBI office is one of the mid-60s Brutalist-style buildings on the University of Toronto campus in Scarborough.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


The Madness bowling alley
The alley near the bowling alley is Farquhars Lane in St. Lawrence, Toronto.

"The City Sisterly Love" neon sign was added to the scene via CGI.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps


The Donut Stop
The Donut Stop in the seventh episode, "DNA", is a real restaurant in the Parkview area of Hamilton.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


St. James Town Toronto
Demetrius' friend Polo lives in the Rowan Houses in Trenton.

These scenes were filmed in St. James Town in Toronto, the one of Canada's most densely populated communities.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


East Side Mario's Hamilton
The Chilli's restaurant exterior is actually the East Side Mario's in Greenford, Hamilton.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps


The Comrade bar
The vintage bar with the beautiful ceiling in the series finale, "No More Madness", is The Comrade at 758 Queen Street East in South Riverdale, Toronto.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


52nd Street station
Muncie runs under the 52nd Street station, situated at the intersection of four Philadelphia neighborhoods: Haddington, Walnut Hill, Mill Creek, and Dunlap.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Cotton Factory in Hamilton
Kraintz's warehouse is the Cotton Factory in Hamilton, originally built in 1900 as a textile manufacturing center.

This historic industrial space has been transformed into a creative complex that houses artists' studios, event spaces, and the occasional shoot like this one.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Malcolm X Memorial Park Philadelphia
The final barbeque scene was filmed at the Malcolm X Memorial Park in the Cedar Park neighborhood of West Philadelphia, near Spruce Hill.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map


Gothic gym Toronto
But where is the jiu-jitsu domo neo-Gothic hall?

Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of The Madness? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!

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11 comments:

1- Anonymous - Dec 1, 2024, 10:33 AM
Great, but where were his and his sister-in-law's houses shot? Those were epic locations.

   Reply
   2- Ra Moon - Dec 3, 2024, 2:25 PM
   I agree: those are beautiful interiors!

3- Anonymous - Dec 2, 2024, 11:16 AM
Location of The Donut Stop is in Canada: 617 Parkdale Avenue North, Hamilton, ON.

4- Anonymous - Dec 4, 2024, 9:15 PM
The furniture store plaza he walks into in the first episode is 95 Bayly in Ajax, Ontario.

5- Anonymous - Dec 8, 2024, 4:56 PM
In Episode 2, when Muncie meets Kwesi at the coffee shop; it is actually a Dineen Coffee Co. location (140 Yonge St.) that is dressed up as a La Colombe Coffee location, which is a chain from Philadelphia.

6- Anonymous - Dec 9, 2024, 5:39 PM
Minor point, but the diner interior is the Breezy Corners restaurant, as well as the exterior. Been there several times.

   Reply
   7- Ra Moon - Dec 9, 2024, 7:35 PM
   Thank you all, updated!

8- Anonymous - Dec 10, 2024, 1:02 PM
What about the high-rise apartment buildings? It looks like St Jamestown in Toronto.

   Reply
   9- Ra Moon - Dec 11, 2024, 10:24 AM
   You are right, thank you!

10- Anonymous - Dec 21, 2024, 1:09 PM
First episode within the first 5 minutes. The bar scene was shot at Pinkerton’s Snack Bar at 1026 Gerrard Street East.

11- Anonymous - Dec 22, 2024, 10:37 AM
I haven't seen the show, so I'm not sure if it made the cut, but they also filmed in Philadelphia on North American Street between Church and Filbert.


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