Where was Elsbeth shot? Revisiting key filming locations of the CBS procedural shortly before Season 3 

Elsbeth has mostly been filmed in and around New York City, with those real streets and buildings frequently appearing on screen. The show uses familiar Manhattan blocks, some tucked-away alleys, and occasional locations on Long Island to represent places the story’s characters visit.

This mix of locations helps the writers place Elsbeth Tascioni in settings that feel like everyday New York, while also giving certain scenes a slightly different look-quieter neighborhoods for private meetings, busier avenues for street-level scenes, and a few remote sites for moodier moments. The choice of locations also connects to specific story beats.

Producers sometimes move a shoot a short distance to suggest a different neighborhood or a weekend getaway; episode setups that call for a “Hamptons” feel, for example, are filmed on Long Island rather than the South Fork itself. Viewers who watch closely can spot where the show used real addresses and where it used nearby substitutes.

Elsbeth Season 3 will arrive soon, and the series continues to rely on these real places to keep its plots grounded in recognizable settings.

New York City provides the main backdrop for many scenes of Elsbeth

Many scenes were filmed in Manhattan. The production posted notices and shot on Madison Avenue between 77th and 79th Streets, a stretch that gives the show the Upper East Side look in office and street scenes. That area’s brownstones and wide sidewalks appear in scenes where Elsbeth meets witnesses or walks between appointments.

Cortlandt Alley in Lower Manhattan appears when the writers need a narrower, more cinematic space. That alley is often used by film crews and has a familiar, slightly gritty look that fits certain stakeouts or late-night meetings. Since Cortlandt Alley is frequently chosen by productions, it gives an instantly recognizable film-world feel even when the show aims to depict a different neighborhood.

Other key Elsbeth filming locations were used for episode-specific needs

Some episodes shoot locations outside Manhattan to match scenes in the script. A fourth-episode story set in the Hamptons was actually filmed in Port Washington, N.Y., where a local bus and a small-town waterfront provided the same chilly, off-season look the scene required.

The episode’s plot, where Elsbeth visits an antiques dealer, depends more on that small-town feel than on a real Hamptons estate. This kind of quick location change is common when a scene needs a different feel, but the production wants to stay near the city.

Il Cortile, the Little Italy restaurant at 125 Mulberry Street, is one of the real businesses the show has used for indoor dining scenes. Using an actual dining room helps the shots feel grounded and less like a set. Other street corners, such as Vandam and Spring Streets, were listed in location reports and used for specific exterior moments.

How did production work with the city and talent comments about Elsbeth?

Location managers submit notices and coordinate with local businesses and residents when filming impacts traffic or parking. The show maintained a production office in Brooklyn to help manage shoots across the city and nearby towns.

That base made it easier to move between Upper East Side shoots and quick trips to Long Island. On the creative side, creators Robert and Michelle King said they were excited to bring Sarah Steele’s Marissa Gold back for season three because she,

“can read a medical chart and make it funny,”

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A line they used to describe why the character fit a return, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Carrie Preston described Elsbeth’s curiosity and sense of wonder as key to the role, saying the character’s focus on small details drives much of the story. These comments reflect how the writers and actors shape the show’s scenes on location.

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