Billy Crystal’s thriller series ‘Before’ spent $68M filming in N.J. (with Jersey actors you know)

Billy Crystal plays a child psychiatrist in the new Apple TV+ series “Before.”
Crystal, an Emmy and Tony winner, may be known for his long history as a funnyman, but here he stars in a thriller — one filmed in New Jersey (see trailer below).
The New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission tells NJ Advance Media that the Apple show, which premieres Friday (Oct. 25), reported spending more than $68 million filming in the state.
Production spanned Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Passaic, Morris and Warren counties (full list of locations and towns below).
Filming in Jersey took 71 days, starting in May 2023 and ending in March 2024, says Joseph Marra, a project officer with the commission. Production had to go on hiatus during the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes and started up again in December 2023.
In the 10-episode limited series, Crystal, 76, plays Dr. Eli Adler, a child psychiatrist mourning his wife. He meets a boy who is somehow connected to his own past.
Besides filming in Jersey, the show also boasts plenty of Jersey talent.
Emmy and Tony winner Judith Light (“Poker Face,” “Transparent,” “Ugly Betty,” “Who’s the Boss?”), a Trenton native, stars in the show as the late wife of Crystal’s character.
Her character may not be alive, but she’s very much in the show because Adler can see her, or has visions that she’s there.
Tony-nominated Jersey actor Maria Dizzia (”Agatha All Along,” ”Orange is the New Black”), who grew up in Cranford, is also in the show.
Oscar nominee Rosie Perez (”The Flight Attendant,” “Do the Right Thing,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Fearless”) plays the foster mother of the boy, played by Jacobi Jupe.
Tenafly’s Hope Davis (”Succession,” “Perry Mason,” “Your Honor,” “American Splendor,” “Asteroid City,” “Home Alone”), a three-time Emmy nominee, also appears in the show in a recurring role.
Other cast members include Ava Lalezarzadeh (”Big Mouth”) and Julia Chan (”Saving Hope,” “Silent House”).
Two episodes of the series debut Oct. 25 and the rest will be released weekly on Fridays.
“Before,” created by Sarah Thorp and produced by Crystal, was based out of Sustainable Studios in Moonachie, but also filmed in a lot of other places.
Here’s a county-by-county list. You can watch a trailer for the show below.
Sustainable Studios, Moonachie
Essex County Courthouse, Newark
CareWell Health Medical Center (formerly East Orange General Hospital), East Orange
The pool at Ironbound Recreation Center, Newark
National Newark Building, Newark
Grace Church, Newark
Walnut Street between Broad and Orchard streets, Newark
Private homes in Newark, Montclair and Glen Ridge
The Donegal Saloon, Kearny
Maxwell Place Park, Hoboken
Coles Street, Jersey City
Private homes, Jersey City
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Jersey City
Hampton Court Terrace, Jersey City
The Barrow Mansion, Jersey City
Jockey Hollow, Morristown National Historical Park
Private homes, Paterson
St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center, Wayne
“Before” premieres Friday, Oct. 25 on Apple TV+.
Gas station, Great Meadows, Independence Township
Private farm, Vienna, Independence Township
Hackettstown
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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at [email protected] and followed at @AmyKup.