Ashtyn Asay According to Michelle, a character in the hit Irish television comedy Derry Girls, “Being a Derry Girl is a state of mind.” That state may be easier for residents of the Garden State to get into with Derry Girls writer and creator Lisa McGee’s new comedy, Wildwood, set along the Jersey Shore. According to an exclusive report from Deadline, 20th Television and FX have secured the rights to Wildwood, in what the entertainment outlet described as a “very competitive situation.” This coming-of-age comedy series is Lisa’s latest project, and her first set outside the UK. Read on for more about the new series Wildwood set at the Jersey Shore.
About the Project
Described as a “spiritual successor” to the hit series Derry Girls, Wildwood follows a group of Irish college girls who travel to the Jersey Shore during the summer of 2000. Per Deadline, the young women arrive in Wildwood with “no money, no visas, no plan, no clue,” setting the stage for a fish-out-of-water comedy against the backdrop of the Shore’s iconic boardwalk, amusement piers, and neon lights.
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Lisa, who will serve as Wildwood’s creator and executive producer, is best known for creating Derry Girls, the beloved coming-of-age sitcom centered on a group of teenage girls growing up in Northern Ireland during the 1990s. The series premiered in 2018 and became Channel 4’s biggest comedy launch in more than a decade, earning multiple accolades, including BAFTA, International Emmy, and Irish Film and Television Awards for Best Comedy.
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In addition to Derry Girls, Lisa’s television credits include How to Get to Heaven From Belfast, The Deceived, London Rush, Raw, and episodes of Indian Summers, The White Queen, and Being Human.
The project is currently in development, and while casting, filming locations, and a release timeline have not yet been announced, the series is expected to spotlight Wildwood’s colorful boardwalk culture through the eyes of international summer visitors, an experience that has long been part of the South Jersey shore town’s seasonal identity.
New Jersey on Film
New Jersey is becoming Hollywood’s latest hotspot. According to reporting from The Hoboken Girl, in addition to Wildwood, more than a dozen films and television projects have either recently filmed, are currently in production, or are set to hit screens in 2026, featuring locations across the Garden State. From major studio releases like The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Bride! to Netflix projects including Office Romance, Bad Day, The Last Mrs. Parrish, and Roommates, crews have been spotted filming everywhere from the Jersey Shore to Montclair, Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, and Teaneck.
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Upcoming projects have also brought major stars like Cameron Diaz, Adam Sandler, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, and Hugh Jackman to NJ streets, while new series like Netflix’s Bad Mistakes and A24’s Crystal Lake highlight the state’s growing role as a backdrop for television. With iconic locations like Newark’s Washington Street Trolley Tunnel and Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick appearing on screen, New Jersey residents may soon recognize plenty of familiar places in some of Hollywood’s biggest upcoming releases.
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