The Wildwoods, NJ –July 30, 2026 – A new TV show called ‘Wildwood’ was approved for development by FX and 20th Television, according to a recent report from Deadline. Created by Lisa McGee, the creator of the hit show ‘Derry Girls’, which ran from 2018 to 2022, the series reportedly follows a group of Irish college students in the Wildwoods during the summer of 2000.
The Wildwoods’ eclectic mix of small-town charm, variety of shore attractions, and unique attention to its history have allowed families to turn weekend getaways into intergenerational traditions and will surely provide a fascinating backdrop to McGee’s new program.
“It’s our hope that ‘Wildwood’ will capture the unique charm of our town that has brought visitors back for generations, and we look forward to hearing more as the series develops,” stated Louis M. Belasco, Executive Director of GWTIDA.
A family vacation destination for generations, the Wildwoods are a neon playground steeped in history, with a reverence for the mid-century period where the island was a regular gathering place for Doo-Wop and rock ‘n roll legends from Bill Haley & the Comets to Chubby Checker and more during the heights of their careers. The town continues its embrace of the mid-century period to this day, and its reverence for the Doo-Wop era has given the Wildwoods its long-lasting characteristic charm.
As reported by Nellie Andreeva for Deadline: “A spiritual successor to Derry Girls, which is about a group of teen Irish schoolgirls in the mid-1990s, ‘Wildwood’ is set in the summer of 2000 and follows a group of Irish college girls who descend on the neon playground that is Wildwood, New Jersey. They’ve no money, no visas, no plan, no clue.”
The Wildwoods have been a family vacation destination for generations, offering a packed schedule of events, some of the only FREE beaches on the Jersey Shore, which have been ranked #1 in New Jersey by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice contest for three consecutive years, and the world famous Wildwoods Boardwalk, which has been named the #1 Boardwalk in the United States for two consecutive years. Additionally, the five-mile island hosts the largest collection of mid-century architecture in the country, and countless historic hidden gems to offer, from the Doo-Wop Experience Museum to the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse and English Gardens.
The Wildwoods have recently garnered national praise from HGTV, USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, Boston Globe, Travel + Leisure, and more. Nods to the quirky and historic mid-century inspired town have grown the Wildwoods from a beach town into a nationally recognized resort destination competing with other iconic destinations across the country, while emphasizing affordability, family-friendliness, and the mid-century history that has made the island a standout.
McGee’s previous program, ‘Derry Girls,’ which aired on Netflix in the United States, became a global phenomenon, earning numerous awards including two British Academy Television Awards and an International Emmy Award for ‘Best Comedy Series”. While details of the program, including whether it will be filming on-location in the Wildwoods, still have not been confirmed, ‘Derry Girls’ follows the lives of a group of Derry residents navigating the tail-end of the Troubles in the 1990s, which McGee herself describes as “a love letter” to the place she hails from.
‘Wildwood’ is the most recent in a long line of films and television series choosing New Jersey as a backdrop. Although it remains unclear if the series ‘Wildwood’ will film in the Wildwoods, the town is a part of New Jersey’s Film Ready program, a program which prepares towns and cities across the state to be potential filming locations for Hollywood crews. The Film Ready program is expediting a quiet revolution in Hollywood, taking blockbuster productions out of Los Angeles and into locations across New Jersey. Through the program, towns can prepare for prospective production partners, giving the municipality an economic boon and some silver screen visibility, and providing productions with perfect, hidden-gem settings waiting to be discovered throughout New Jersey.
For additional information about the Wildwoods, visit WildwoodsNJ.com.
