'Midnight, Texas' Is Kind of, Sort of Based on a Real Town

The setting of Midnight, Texas is a remote town in the Lone Star State — located somewhere between the living and dead — so technically the town does not exist IRL, but does it? 

The creator of the NBC drama, Charlaine Harris, who wrote the novels that inspired the supernatural show and is also the mastermind behind the True Blood series, may have hinted that Midnight, Texas, though not located on any map, is more real than people realize. "Midnight is a lot like the little town that I knew," she told the Star-Telegram, prompting many to believe its real-life counterpart is Rocksprings, Texas, where Charlaine spent her summers growing up. "

Unfortunately, as far as we know, Rocksprings is known for its bats colony and state parks, not for being a safe haven for those who are different, like Manfred the psychic or Lemuel, the wise vampire. 

Charlaine has also lived outside Fort Worth since 2012, which has die-hard fans convinced that's more likely the inspiration behind Midnight, Texas. In a Wrote Trip blog post, one dedicated viewer pointed out that the fictional town is most likely located “west of Fort Worth,” and 30 miles from the northern city of Lubbock, Texas. According to Refinery 29, that area is a "hotspot for the paranormal, including ghosts and satanism" — particularly the town of Amarillo, which is home to some pretty scary urban legends. 

So, no, you can't visit Midnight, Texas on your next road trip, but good news — you can visit where the show was filmed. Despite its name, Midnight, Texas was actually filmed all over New Mexico, including Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, and Belen. "Like Midnight itself, Santa Fe is also a ‘safe haven’ for those who are different. We’re very happy to have this production here," Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales said last year. 

Season 2 of the series premieres on NBC on Friday, October 26 — but that is not the only place you can watch. All 10 episodes of the first season are available to stream on Hulu, plus NBC also has Season 1 available online. As expected, fans can't wait for its return. "I’m really excited for #MidnightTexas because I miss #TrueBlood and I need a fixing," one Twitter user wrote before another enthusiastically added, "MIDNIGHT TEXAS!!!!!! Joe Strong....SHIRTLESS!!!!"

The cast is also excited for the second season — and promised it was worth the wait. When Season 1 ended, Midnight was "invaded" by a company who bought the town's old hotel and hoped to renovate it and make it a tourist destination named Crystal Desert. "They come to town and they are pretty mysterious,” show runner Nicole Snyder explained at Comic Con. "Everybody’s a little suspicious of them."

And what about our favorite psychic Manfred (played by Francois Arnaud) who was temporarily possessed last season? "Manfred is suffering from horrible nightmares or what he thinks are nightmares… what you can call demon cancer, it’s the worst kind," Francois said of his character. "He sees himself at night hurting the people he loves most, his friends." 

Midnight, Texas airs Friday nights at 9 p.m. on NBC.