Why HBO’s ‘DTF St. Louis’ wasn’t actually filmed in St. Louis

HBO dropped a new limited series on Sunday night with St. Louis right there in the title—but St. Louisians might have plenty to say about the hometown references, especially because the show wasn’t actually shot there.

DTF St. Louis, starring Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini, follows three characters navigating life’s complications in the Gateway City. But despite its name and setting, the series was filmed entirely in Georgia—a decision that has reignited conversations about film production infrastructure and tax incentives in Missouri.

The Creator Defends His Decision

Writer, producer, and director Steven Conrad sat down to discuss the highly anticipated HBO series and addressed the elephant in the room right away: “Don’t kill me because we didn’t shoot in St. Louis—it’s impossible.”

Conrad, who says he’s lived in the Midwest and wanted to subvert people’s assumptions about the region, explained his reasoning. “They’re wrong. Every mistake you can make, you can make in St. Louis. Every bad decision that awaits you, awaits you in St. Louis, the same way it does in Chicago and elsewhere.”

But when it came to production logistics, Conrad said St. Louis couldn’t support the scale of the project. “There has to be an industry that can support 80 days. There has to be stages, camera houses, and prop houses, and we looked,” Conrad said. “The show would have suffered immensely if we tried to go without those things. St. Louis would have come off poorly if we didn’t have the tools that I feel are necessary to make this world recognizable and beautiful. So, I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Read in full at First Alert 4