Warning: Some minor “Bold Type” spoilers ahead.
Cosmopolitan might have headquarters in New York City, but Scarlet magazine certainly does not.
“The Bold Type,” Freeform’s latest scripted series about a group of close-knit co-workers, sees Aisha Dee, Katie Stevens and Meghann Fahy take NYC’s publishing industry by storm. The ladies are bold forces, promoting “self-feminism” (existing to please themselves, rather than a man or society) in a workplace based on Cosmo.
The only holdup? They’re not really navigating the city streets. The Manhattan-set series was filmed in Toronto, according to the network, and native New Yorkers will probably be able to tell.
We jotted down a few key signs that clued us in to the NYC impostor. But remember, Scarlet is fictional, so perhaps it’s intentional this interpretation of the city is, too.
“The Bold Type” hits Freeform on July 11.
1. Super clean subways: Something is off about the first few seconds of the trailer, and it most definitely has to do with the fact that this 59th Street subway station is completely spotless. Not one spilt beer, overfilled garbage can or gum-covered tile. Lucky ladies.
2. There’s no MTA: In this NYC, the MTA doesn’t appear to be a thing. The trains aren’t like any that have pulled into your station lately and the train line stickers are absent from the front car. Maybe this means they don’t have to deal with delays.
3. Traffic is nonexistent: A work task sends the group to an outer-borough (Oh, no!) in the pilot, but they make it through the city without once being cut off by a cab, or near rear-ended by a fellow driver who stopped short in traffic.
4. So are car horns: These ladies are definitely aware they’re in the city, but their street-side chats are never being drowned out by the familiar sound of car horns and sirens.
5. Parking in Brooklyn is a breeze: Finding parking in the city in less than a minute, exactly across the street from where you need to be? Nope.
6. Wanting to get the “hell outta Brooklyn”: This one might be hard to grasp, but, yes, these three count down the minutes until they’re back in Manhattan.
7. Dating in Times Square: These girl bosses are busy making paper. So busy, they’re willing to call the Times Square Olive Garden an acceptable date-night location.
8. Artichoke Pizza on 17th Street? Where?: You can grab a slice at the chain’s 14th Street location, but you’ll go hungry if you head three blocks north looking for some of the joint’s pizza.
