Welcome to Dorchester Review
By AIDAN GLENDON
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For two days at the end of May, the Mount Pleasant Police Department and Court Buildings were transformed from their normal functioning building into something else: the set for USA’s upcoming crime drama The Sinner.
The Sinner tells the story of a young mother (Jessica Biel) who commits horrific acts of violence and rage, without understanding why; it also closely follows the investigator who becomes obsessed with her case.
However, this is not the first time this local landmark has been used as a set. In 2015, Law and Order SVU filmed an episode titled “December Solstice,” and the Impractical Jokers also used the building for one of their pranks.
Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi said, “It highlights the town and shows the positive Mount Pleasant has to offer. We have found the crew easy to work with, and from what we can tell, they have found us to be very accommodating,” of the recent filming.
Standing on set and watching two of the lead actors rehearse a scene just outside of the courtroom before filming, I got the chance to speak with Production Assistant Mike Collins, who said of the town, “It’s nondescript. It is a beautiful town that can be anywhere. But it’s location relative to New York City definitely provides some extra incentive to film here.”
Upon pressing him for more details, Collins told me all he could say was that The Sinner is a crime drama, and that production occurred in both Westchester and Rockland County, and if I wanted to know anymore I would have to tune in this August. And, after seeing the production in action, it would be a sin not to watch.