‘The Affair’ Is Back in Town

Filming resumed in East Hampton this week for “The Affair,” a Showtime series based in a fictional Hamptons town. The series, which has been filmed here from the start, is going into its fifth season. 

Its actors and crews are by now a familiar sight in East Hampton locations, and they will be returning during this round to several previous sites, such as the Lobster Roll restaurant on Napeague. Town permits have been issued for filming on weekdays through Oct. 3, following a careful review by a town committee on special events and filming of the filmmakers’ proposal.

“We spent an hour and a half with them on Thursday,” said Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, who sits on the committee, at a board meeting earlier this week. “We went through every shoot. We scaled them back on time at a number of places.”

Filming through the night at a house in Amagansett’s Beach Hampton neighborhood during the first year “The Affair” came to town caused neighbors to complain. A sit-down between town officials and producers of the show resulted in the development of some ground rules. One was that the show come to town only after Labor Day.

“Even though it’s after the season, we’re still sensitive to filming on the weekend,” Supervisor Larry Cantwell said Tuesday. The production was limited to Monday to Friday only. It has been granted permission to use public beaches and parking lots, but only if room is left for access and parking by members of the public.

“Over the years we have worked out the conflicts, and moved it to the ‘shoulder season,’ ” said Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc this week. “It’s been a cooperative effort,” he said, “ensuring that our public assets aren’t being negatively affected.” 

The production will pay for use of town parking lots and other public places, and must cover the costs of work by town personnel, including police assigned to the shoots.

According to Harold Graham, a deputy town clerk who reviewed the film production schedule for the town board at Tuesday’s work session, the fees for week one, this week, totaled $15,075. A deposit of $36,000 was made to cover  police services for the entire production schedule. 

Filming began on Monday at the Amagansett Fire Department. It will continue today at Ditch Plain Beach in Montauk, with the crew assigned the use of only three parking spaces at the popular beach’s main lot. Beginning tomorrow afternoon, and running through the night until 4 a.m., filming is scheduled at Montauk’s Kirk Park beach. 

Scenes will be shot next week at Multi Aquaculture Systems in Promised Land on Napeague, and in Montauk at properties on Old West Lake Drive and Rough Riders Landing on Fort Pond Bay. The following week there will be street scenes as well as scenes shot on the water.

The location for the final day of shooting, on Oct. 3, is “a tell,” Councilwoman Sylvia Overby remarked on Tuesday: It will take place at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton. “Spoiler alert,” commented Mr. Van Scoyoc.