As two major productions wrap in San Francisco, the city is drawing rave reviews for its hospitality.
The third and last season of the Ted Danson-led Netflix series “A Man on the Inside” finished a 28-day filming schedule this week, while a 1930s-set noir, “Fog City,” is in its final days as period automobiles filled the streets of several neighborhoods in the city.
“San Francisco, you did not disappoint!” Mary Steenbrugen, Danson’s wife and co-star, wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday, Oct. 28. “From our welcome by the San Francisco Film Commission and Mayor Lurie … to the good byes from the folks at The Fairmont, our time there was warm and fun and thrilling.”
Steenburgen went on to praise “the ease and efficiency and the general good vibes” of shooting in the city, adding “San Francisco is coming back in a big way!!!”
“A Man on the Inside” and “Fog City” are two of 90 productions that have shot in the city for 294 days so far in 2026, bringing in an estimated $29 million in local spending, the San Francisco Film Commission reported during its monthly public meeting at City Hall on Monday, Oct. 26.
In 2025, 76 productions totaling 140 shoot days brought in $5.6 million in spending.
The increase is attributed to the Scene in San Francisco incentive program, which expires in 2028. The commission said Monday it is working with the mayor’s office on legislation to extend the program.
Lurie, who visited the set of the Michael Schur-produced comedy when it was filming at the Legion of Honor and had dinner with members of the cast and crew at Sam’s Grill, responded in the comments section of Steenburgen’s post.
“I’m glad you enjoyed your stay! You’re welcome back in our amazing city anytime,” Lurie wrote.
Steenburgen gave shot-outs to such institutions as the Fairmont Hotel, where cast and crew stayed; Nob Hill Spa in the Huntington Hotel; Aura, the immersive multimedia experience at Grace Cathedral; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Exploratorium. She even expressed gratitude to “the fellow dog owners and four legged friends that Blue and I met at the fantastic dog parks in the city.”
She and Danson also, unsurprisingly, ate well.
“There is a wonderful and weird dessert at China Live that we are all still talking about (go there and it’s first on the dessert menu) and chicken/or mushroom pot pies at The Big Four that I will dream about for a long time,” she gushed.
“A Man on the Inside” shot 28 of its 30-day Season 3 shoot in San Francisco – a stark contrast to its first two seasons, which were shot largely in Los Angeles. Producer Morgan Sackett said the city’s new expanded incentive program, Scene in San Francisco, made shooting the third and last season on location possible.
The commission said Monday that the production spent about $12 million in the city, qualifying it for the full $1 million rebate.
Meanwhile, “Fog City,” director Dan Pritzker’s noir set in the 1930s as the Golden Gate Bridge was being built, took over North Beach this week. Several video clips of 1930s automobiles parked along a block of Green Street, populated by storefronts dressed in period decor, have been posted to Instagram.
Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune who lives in Marin County, shot some of the film in Melbourne, Australia, before production moved to San Francisco. Crews have also been spotted in Pacific Heights and the Mission District, among others locations.
Deadline exclusively announced the project in July, describing the plot as blending “historical fact and fiction as it examines the interwoven stories of underground abortionist Inez Burns (Carla Gugino), police inspector Steven Walsh (Cooper Koch), Dust Bowl transplant Liza Orr (Sarah Bolger), blackmailing socialite Dorothy Hargrove (Miranda Otto) and her son Martin (Angus Imrie).”
“It’s a privilege to work on a story about San Francisco, a city I love, and to bring together such a great group of actors,” Pritzker told Deadline. “I’m excited to work with such a talented cast and crew to tell this story.”
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This article originally published at San Francisco wins praise as Netflix series, noir movie wrap filming in the city.
