Upamanyu Biswas
Created by Barbie Kligman, Fox’s ‘Doc’ tells the story of Amy Larsen, a doctor at the Westside Hospital in Minneapolis, who loses eight years of her life after suffering a traumatic brain injury. In the aftermath, Amy has to reconcile her inability to remember her recent past with the possibility of changing things that have gone wrong previously. She struggles to return to her medicine practice, reeling from the personal challenges of her divorce and her walled-off nature before the accident. The medical drama series is based on the Italian show ‘Doc – Nelle tue mani,’ diving into a complex narrative set within the inner sanctum of the Westside’s walls. As such, the show’s interior and exterior settings set the tone for Amy’s battle to rebuild her life from scratch, detailing her painful journey every step of the way.
Doc Filming Locations
Although set in Minneapolis, Minnesota, filming for ‘Doc’ takes place in the province of Ontario, specifically in Toronto and Mississauga. Principal photography for the first season began on February 28 and was wrapped up on June 28, 2024. Ontario is home to an eclectic blend of pristine urban neighborhoods and breathtaking natural sites, offering a diverse array of locales to choose from. In the Fox show, emphasis is placed on the interiors of the hospital, where much of the drama takes place. Meanwhile, the exteriors are lensed by utilizing the region’s real-life structures and impressive infrastructure, which provide much of the backdrop and help authentically recreate the medical environments where Amy goes through a life-changing ordeal.
Toronto, Ontario
‘Doc’ is filmed in the vibrant and bustling neighborhoods of Ontario’s capital city, Toronto. It is known for its modern architecture and iconic skyline, which is topped off by the impressive CN Tower at the heart of the city. Other landmark attractions include the Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Casa Loma, Hockey Hall of Fame, and St. Lawrence Market. Its collection of museums exemplifies the region’s connection with art and artistic movements, which are also exuded through its historic buildings. These provide the city with a sense of character and culture immutable and distinctly palpable in the scenes featured in the Fox drama. Projects filmed in Toronto include ‘Suits,‘ ‘Monk,‘ ‘The West Wing,’ ‘Black Doves,‘ and ‘Cross.‘
Mississauga, Ontario
Filming also takes place in Toronto’s neighboring city, Mississauga, the third-most populous municipality in Ontario. The city is most noted for its sparkling art culture, which it shares with Toronto. Additionally, it is also an area where diverse locales converge into one, either through shopping centers, parks, or historic villages that take one back to the old days. The production team uses the Maanjiwe Nendamowinan Building in the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus to double up as the Westside Hospital’s exteriors. The university is located at 3359 Mississauga Road and is home to numerous buildings designed in the brutalist architecture style of the 1960s. As such, its exterior appearance exudes the natural feel and texture of a hospital outdoors, providing a seamless way to tie together the two realities.
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