Is 'FBI: International' filmed in Europe?
Gone are those days when US dramas were only filmed at limited locations inside the country. TV has gone international and production houses have understood that viewers need some change as they just don’t want to see a good story, they want to see good locations and great landscapes as well. Things have changed so drastically that a show like ‘FBI’ has also tried to give something new to the audiences by coming out with a version that doesn’t feature a single US location.
Yes, you heard that right. Titled’ ‘FBI: International’, the series primarily focuses on the international “Fly Team” of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The elite operatives, who are based in Budapest, locate and neutralize threats against American interests around the world. Apart from neutralizing threats and solving cases, the team has to take care of all the practical and legal challenges of working in foreign locations and jurisdictions.
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The first season of the ‘FBI: International’ garnered positive reviews from the critics as well as audiences and that’s why the show is coming back for another season later this month. Although the “Fly Team” has its base in Budapest, did the makers fly to Europe to shoot the series? and how many locations in Europe have been used to film the series? Let’s take a look.
Is ‘FBI: International’ completely filmed in Europe?
The plain and simple answer to the aforementioned question is YES! While the Fly Team has a base in Budapest, they end up solving cases all over Europe. As of now, locations such as Austria, Paris, Budapest, Frankfurt, and Prague have been a part of the show. Budapest is the capital of Hungary and there are a lot of other locations in Hungary that have also been featured in the series.
There’s a reason why most of the filming takes place in Hungary. The landlocked country in Central Europe and its government actually provides a 30% tax incentive to foreign film productions. With this, the foreign production houses enjoy financial aid from the country, and Hungary profits from the tax they collect. Next time you see Hungary in a movie, keep in mind, that tax incentive is one of the biggest reasons why the studio thought of shooting there.
Filming in foreign locations also helps in keeping things authentic. According to fbi.gov, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has offices in more than 64 countries and covers more than 100 nations. Eastern Europe has 12 offices while the other 12 offices are scattered in different parts of Europe. So, the makers did a lot of research before the filming and carefully chose the locations that would look great on the screen and authentic as well.
Season 2 is going to introduce one more location in the form of Pula, Croatia. It is the seventh-largest city in the country and is a seafront country on the tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula. The city is known for its protected harbor, beach-lined coast, and Roman ruins.
The upcoming season of ‘FBI: International’ is set to premiere on September 20, 2022, on CBS.
