The 1996 Female Empowerment Movie 'The First Wives Club' Was Filmed Here
Published Sept. 16 2021, 2:40 p.m. ET
The 1996 release, The First Wives Club, introduced viewers to three women: Brenda (Bette Midler), Annie (Diane Keaton), and Elise (Goldie Hawn), who have all been left by their husbands for younger women. They embark on a mission to seek reparations but end up creating a non-profit organization for abused women.
Directed by Hugh Wilson, fans have always discussed how the film had a city-like feel. And in light of the film’s 25th anniversary, fans may be wondering: Where was The First Wives Club filmed?
The First Wives Club was filmed at various locations in New York City.
Since The First Wives Club storyline is set in New York City, it’s no surprise that the team decided to shoot the film in the glitzy city. According to IMDb, The First Wives Club was filmed from Dec. 1995 to March 1996 in a slew of residences in Manhattan and at the historic Brooklyn College.
On The Set of New York shares that other filming locations include several hotspots around the city. From the beloved Barney’s store on Madison Avenue and The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre to The St.Regis Hotel and more — any New Yorker can easily spot any of these locations.
Moreover, the scene where Ashley Stewart (Sarah Jessica Parker) attends a luncheon at a luxurious estate was filmed at the Benjamin N. Duke House, an NYC landmark.
‘The First Wives Club’ ultimately scored a reboot on Paramount's sister network, BET.
Per Deadline, the cult-classic film was set to return for 10, 30-min episodes on Paramount Network in April 2018. Girl’s Trip writer, Tracy Oliver, was chosen to write and executive produce the series.
Like the film, the series is based in New York City but follows a group of diverse women who band together as their marriages fall apart.
A First Wives Club TV series reboot was originally developed with Karen Rosenfelt at TV Land. There, it was picked up for a pilot by Keith Cox, president of development and production, Paramount Network, TV Land, and CMT.
TV Land ultimately passed on the pilot, and the project moved to Paramount Network. Deadline shared that Paramount reevaluated the series and moved it to their sister network, BET, in Nov. 2018.
Tracy decided that the reboot should evolve with African-American leads, played by Ryan Michelle Bathe, Jill Scott, and Michelle Buteau. And BET agreed.
“We are thrilled that Tracy Oliver and Paramount Television’s First Wives Club will be coming to BET Networks,” the company said in a statement.
The company continued, “We have been big fans of Tracy, the project, and its incredible cast all along. The concept she has for the series fits perfectly with our programming strategy of character-driven content anchored in the Black experience, and it aligns seamlessly with our core audience. We are currently working closely with Paramount Television on Boomerang and are excited to continue working with them on this project.”
The series saw two seasons that were released in Sept. 2019 and July 2021 on BET.
Though The First Wives Club premiered in the late ‘90s, the story continues to live on. Cheers to female empowerment!