Diksha Sundriyal
A media pundit named Muncie Daniels finds himself being framed for the murder of a white supremacist named Mark Simon in Netflix’s ‘The Madness.’ The weekend that was supposed to be a quiet time for work turns into a nightmare following the murder. Soon, Muncie finds the whole world turning against him, with only a couple of people that he can trust. One of those people is Isiah, an old friend of his father and a father figure to Muncie. With Isiah being a recurring character who becomes increasingly important and lovable over the season, his cigar shop also appears as a regular presence in the series. SPOILERS AHEAD
Price Cigar Company is Fictional But Plays a Key Role in Muncie’s Story
The events in ‘The Madness’ take place in Philadelphia, with the city becoming a background character that advances the narrative. However, the filming for the series took place mainly in Toronto, which means that many of the places we see in the show are not even in America. Isiah’s Price Cigar Company is one of those places. It was filmed in the Greater Toronto Area, where the crew set camp for some time as major portions of the Colman Domingo series were filmed here.
Still, with Philadelphia being so important to the narrative, the creators of the show knew that they needed to lens some parts of the story there. Moreover, Domingo himself hails from West Philly, and the city is such an important part of Muncie’s identity that the actor convinced the show’s creators to take the production there for a while. As a result, several outdoor scenes featuring some key locations of the city appear in the background. Notably, filming took place in Black Oak Park and the areas of the 50th and 54th Streets. According to Domingo, some parts of the show were filmed in a neighborhood where he grew up, which adds another layer of intimacy for him and the character.
Despite turning towards Philly for production, the series eventually has Toronto as its center, and what we majorly see in ‘The Madness’ is the metro area of Toronto City. The exterior of Isiah’s shop is also most likely filmed there, while the interior scenes were filmed on set to give space for the actors and the crew for the action sequences that take place there, especially in the final episode of the series. The locations remain relevant to the story throughout the season as Isiah is one of the only people that Muncie can trust with his and his family’s lives. He is also the only one who seems resourceful enough to arrange stuff, like getting someone out of the country or putting one in touch with relevant people to get the job done.
