Where Was We Were Liars Filmed in Nova Scotia?
Lunenburg & Halifax - where the Amazon Prime Video adaptation was shot
Season 2 Is Filming Now (June–October 2026)
We Were Liars was filmed primarily in Chester and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, with additional scenes shot in Halifax and Dartmouth. Season 2 is filming from June 15 to October 2, 2026, returning to Chester, Halifax, Lunenburg, and Dartmouth — so visitors this summer and fall may see production activity around these towns.
Prime spotting windows are weekday mornings around the Lunenburg waterfront and Halifax harbourfront, when crews are typically on location. Jump to the Lunenburg and Halifax location breakdowns for where to look.
The Amazon Prime Video psychological thriller We Were Liars - based on E. Lockhart's 2014 bestseller and developed for television by Julie Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie - became one of the streaming hits of summer 2025, reaching #1 on Prime Video's Top 10 in its release month. While the story is set on Beechwood Island, a fictional private colony off the Massachusetts coast, the first season was filmed almost entirely roughly 800 kilometres north-east - in Nova Scotia, Canada. This guide covers the two main filming bases you can visit (Lunenburg and Halifax), day-trip itineraries to string them together, and the other major productions that film in the province.
The Show at a Glance
Filmed In Nova Scotia
Production was based in Lunenburg and Halifax - with additional filming in Chester and around the Halifax area - from late May through September 2024.
Amazon Prime Video
Premiered June 18, 2025 with eight episodes - it hit #1 on Prime Video's Top 10 in its release month.
E. Lockhart Novel
Adapts the 2014 New York Times bestseller, developed by Julie Plec & Carina Adly Mackenzie.
Ensemble Cast
Emily Alyn Lind, Mamie Gummer, Caitlin FitzGerald, David Morse, and Rahul Kohli lead the series.
2 Main Filming Bases
Lunenburg (UNESCO World Heritage) and Halifax - the two principal bases, both fully open and walkable for fans.
Season 2 Confirmed
Renewed by Amazon Prime Video in September 2025, with new cast including Josh Dallas and Peyton List.
About We Were Liars
We Were Liars is an American psychological thriller television series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on June 18, 2025. Developed by Julie Plec (the creator of The Vampire Diaries) and Carina Adly Mackenzie, it adapts E. Lockhart's 2014 bestseller - a twist-driven young-adult novel famous for a late-story reveal that became one of the most-discussed in modern YA fiction. The eight-episode first season follows Cadence "Cady" Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind), the eldest grandchild of a wealthy American dynasty, who returns to her family's private summer island suffering from amnesia after a mysterious accident. The series was renewed for a second season in September 2025.
Why Nova Scotia stood in for New England
The novel is set on Beechwood Island, a fictional private enclave near Martha's Vineyard - the kind of old-money American summer colony the Sinclair family represents. For the screen adaptation, producers chose Nova Scotia: principally the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg and the provincial capital Halifax, where the first season was shot almost entirely from late May through September 2024. Nova Scotia's South Shore has a long history of doubling for coastal New England on screen - the lighthouses, the working harbours, the weather, and the colonial architecture are nearly interchangeable, and the favourable exchange rate and production incentives make filming there dramatically more affordable. We Were Liars is the highest-profile example yet.
Where We Were Liars Is Filmed
Two locations anchor the first season of We Were Liars, both of them in Nova Scotia and both fully open to visitors. Below are the principal filming bases - one a walkable UNESCO town, the other a coastal capital city. The production also shot in the neighbouring Mahone Bay town of Chester and at locations around the Halifax area, but Lunenburg and Halifax are the two bases you can build a trip around.
Old Town Lunenburg
Primary filming base · the Sinclair summer colonyOld Town Lunenburg - a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Nova Scotia's South Shore - is the principal filming location for We Were Liars. The town's impeccably preserved British colonial waterfront, rows of colourfully painted historic buildings, and working harbour doubled for the Sinclair family's rarefied private-island summer colony. Production was based here through summer 2024, with the harbourfront, historic streets, and surrounding South Shore coastline standing in for the fictional Beechwood Island. Lunenburg is one of the most visitable filming towns in Canada: walk the same streets, eat on the same wharves, and recognize the coastal light from the show.
Halifax
Production hub · studio & location filmingHalifax, Nova Scotia's capital and the province's film-production hub, hosted the studio work and additional location filming for We Were Liars. The city's deep-water harbour, historic downtown, and North End streetscapes are familiar to anyone who has watched Nova Scotia on screen - productions from Sullivan's Crossing to Diggstown have all used the same blocks. For We Were Liars, Halifax provided the crew base, sound stages, and equipment that made an eight-episode Amazon series possible in Atlantic Canada, plus the urban and waterfront locations that round out the show's Massachusetts-set world. Halifax is walkable, food-obsessed, and the natural base for any Nova Scotia film tour.
The Real South Shore
Lunenburg sits at the heart of Nova Scotia's South Shore - the stretch of coastline that regularly stands in for coastal New England on screen. Amazon kept the show's specific scene-by-scene locations close to the vest, but these neighbouring South Shore icons are the same coastline, the same light, and the same atmosphere - and they are easy additions to a Lunenburg film trip.
Peggy's Cove
The world-famous lighthouse on a glacier-carved granite outcrop is the South Shore's most iconic landmark - 45 minutes from Halifax on the Lighthouse Route, and an easy addition to any Lunenburg film trip.
Peggy's Cove →Mahone Bay
The postcard-perfect town of three churches, 15 minutes from Lunenburg, sits on a bay dotted with islands (including Oak Island of TV fame). It shares exactly the coastal-New England feel the show was after.
South Shore guide →ℹ️ What's confirmed - and what isn't
We Were Liars was filmed almost entirely in Nova Scotia between late May and September 2024 - that much is verified from the production, Amazon, and reporting by CTV News. Lunenburg and Halifax were the two principal bases: the UNESCO town stood in for the Sinclair summer colony, while Halifax hosted the crew, sound stages, and additional location work. Reporting from the shoot also places filming in the neighbouring South Shore town of Chester and at spots around the Halifax area. However, Amazon and the producers have not released a scene-by-scene location map, and some filming happened on private property, working docks, and closed sets. This guide deliberately focuses on the two principal filming towns - Lunenburg and Halifax - so you are not chasing a specific building you cannot access. Both are rewarding destinations in their own right - film tour or not.
Plan a We Were Liars Film Tour
Three ways to experience We Were Liars country, whether you have an afternoon or a long weekend. All are built around the two filming bases - Lunenburg and Halifax - with the South Shore coastline in between.
Lunenburg Film Walk
⏱️ Half-dayStart at the Lunenburg waterfront and walk the steep, colourfully painted streets of the UNESCO-listed Old Town - the same harbourfront and colonial buildings that stood in for the Sinclair family's summer colony. Tour the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic on the wharf, see the Bluenose II if she's in port, and grab lunch at a harbourfront restaurant. You will recognize the coastal light and working-waterfront atmosphere from the show.
Halifax Production City
⏱️ Half-dayExplore Halifax, the capital that hosted the studio work and additional We Were Liars location filming. Walk the downtown harbourfront from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to the Seaport Farmers Market, then head up to the North End's Agricola Street strip - the same blocks used by Sullivan's Crossing and other Nova Scotia productions. The Halifax-Dartmouth ferry crossing is itself an iconic piece of the harbour you see on screen.
South Shore Film Weekend
⏱️ 2 daysDay 1: drive 90 minutes from Halifax to Lunenburg for the full We Were Liars film walk, with dinner at a harbourfront restaurant. Day 2: work your way back along the Lighthouse Route - stop in Mahone Bay (the three-church postcard town, 15 min from Lunenburg), continue to Peggy's Cove for the lighthouse, and return to Halifax. The whole South Shore is the coastal-New England look the production came to Nova Scotia to find.
Where to base yourself
Halifax is the practical hub - it is where you fly in (Halifax Stanfield, YHZ), where most of the production was based, and where the largest range of accommodation is. For the full We Were Liars experience, split your stay: a couple of nights in Halifax for the city and North End, and one or two nights in Lunenburg itself to wake up on the harbourfront that doubled for the Sinclair colony. See our Halifax Local Guide and Lunenburg UNESCO Guide for accommodation picks, and Where to Stay in Nova Scotia for the full region-by-region breakdown.
Other TV Shows Filmed in Nova Scotia
We Were Liars is the latest high-profile production to make Nova Scotia its home. The province's varied coastline, historic small towns, four-season weather, and competitive production incentives have drawn film and television work for more than 30 years. Here are the other major series filmed across the province - several with their own visitor guides.
Sullivan's Crossing
2023-presentThe CTV/The CW/Netflix romantic drama based on Robyn Carr's novels is filmed across the Halifax region - Shubie Park in Dartmouth, Agricola Street in the North End, and Fisherman's Cove in Eastern Passage. The closest comparison to We Were Liars as a Nova Scotia tourism draw.
Sullivan's Crossing guide →The Curse of Oak Island
2014-presentHistory Channel's long-running treasure-hunt series, filmed entirely on and around Oak Island in Mahone Bay - 15 minutes from Lunenburg. Now in Season 13 and one of the channel's top-rated shows.
Oak Island guide →Trailer Park Boys
2001-2018The cult mockumentary series set in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park was shot in and around Dartmouth and the Bedford area. The franchise launched three feature films and an animated series.
Diggstown
2019-2022CBC legal drama starring Vinessa Antoine as a Halifax legal-aid lawyer, filmed across Halifax Regional Municipality and often featuring recognizable downtown landmarks.
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
1993-presentCBC's long-running satirical news show is produced at the CBC studios in Halifax, anchoring the city's role as a Maritimes production hub.
Visiting Tips: What to Know Before You Go
A few practical details to help you get the most out of a We Were Liars location tour - from timing your visit to the realities of what the production has made public.
Watch Season 1 first
We Were Liars is built around a major twist - the kind you do not want spoiled. All eight episodes of Season 1 are streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Watch before you visit so you can spot the coastal backdrops, and so the destination means something when you stand in Lunenburg.
Rent a car for Lunenburg
Lunenburg is a 90-minute drive from Halifax along the Lighthouse Route (Highway 103). There is no scheduled rail, and bus service is limited. A rental car gives you the freedom to stop in Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove on the way - the full South Shore film country.
Pair it with the UNESCO tour
Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right - one of only three World Heritage Sites in Nova Scotia. The same historic architecture that earned the designation is what made the town a convincing stand-in for an old-money American summer colony. Budget at least a half-day just for the town.
Go in summer for matching light
We Were Liars filmed from late May through September 2024 - the same months the show's story takes place on Beechwood Island. Visit in July or August for the longest days, the warmest weather, and the coastal light that matches what you saw on screen. Book accommodation early; the South Shore is busy in peak summer.
Manage location expectations
Amazon and the producers have not published a scene-by-scene filming map, and some shooting happened on private property and working docks. This guide sticks to the principal bases - Lunenburg and Halifax - so you are not chasing a specific building that is not open to the public. Both towns are rewarding destinations whether or not you watch the show.
Combine with the Lighthouse Route
Lunenburg sits on the Lighthouse Route, one of Nova Scotia's classic drives. String the We Were Liars trip together with Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, and the Oak Island tram tour (May-October) for the complete South Shore film-and-sightseeing loop from Halifax.
We Were Liars Filming Locations, Question by Question
What visitors most want to know before touring the Nova Scotia spots tied to the production.
- Where was We Were Liars filmed?
- We Were Liars was filmed almost entirely in Nova Scotia, Canada - principally in the town of Lunenburg (a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the South Shore) and in the capital city of Halifax, with additional filming reported in the neighbouring South Shore town of Chester and at locations around the Halifax area. Principal photography for the first season ran from late May 2024 through late September 2024. Lunenburg's preserved colonial waterfront and colourful historic streets doubled for the Sinclair family's private New England summer colony, while Halifax hosted the studio work and additional location filming. Amazon Prime Video released the eight-episode first season on June 18, 2025.
- Where is We Were Liars set?
- In both the novel and the Amazon series, We Were Liars is set on Beechwood Island - a fictional private island off the coast of Massachusetts, near Martha's Vineyard, owned by the wealthy Sinclair family. The story takes place across the Sinclairs' summers on the island, centered on 'Summer 16' when the eldest grandchildren were sixteen. Although the setting is American, the production filmed in Nova Scotia because its South Shore coastline convincingly stands in for coastal New England.
- Is We Were Liars a movie or a TV series?
- We Were Liars is a television series, not a movie. It is an American psychological thriller developed by Julie Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie for Amazon Prime Video, where all eight episodes of Season 1 premiered on June 18, 2025. Each episode runs 51-61 minutes. Amazon renewed the series for a second season in September 2025. It is adapted from E. Lockhart's 2014 novel of the same name.
- Who stars in We Were Liars?
- The We Were Liars cast is led by Emily Alyn Lind as Cadence 'Cady' Sinclair Eastman, Shubham Maheshwari as Gat Patil, Esther McGregor as Mirren Sinclair, and Joseph Zada as Johnny Sinclair - the four 'Liars' of the title. The adult ensemble includes Mamie Gummer (Carrie), Caitlin FitzGerald (Penny), Candice King (Bess), Rahul Kohli (Ed Patil), David Morse (patriarch Harris Sinclair), and Wendy Crewson (Tipper Sinclair). It was developed for television by Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) and Carina Adly Mackenzie.
- What is We Were Liars based on?
- We Were Liars is based on the 2014 young-adult novel of the same name by American author E. Lockhart (whose prequel, Family of Liars, was published in 2022). The book was a #1 New York Times bestseller famous for its shocking late-story twist. The television adaptation was developed by Julie Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie, with Lockhart herself serving as an executive producer and writing the Season 1 finale. Production companies include My So-Called Company, Universal Television, and Amazon MGM Studios.
- When was We Were Liars filmed?
- We Were Liars was filmed over the summer and early fall of 2024. Principal photography began in late May 2024 in Nova Scotia and was completed by late September 2024, with the production based across Lunenburg and Halifax and additional filming in Chester and the surrounding South Shore. Showrunner Julie Plec confirmed the wrap on Season 1 on September 29, 2024. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on June 18, 2025, and was officially selected for the 2025 Tribeca Festival before its release.
- Can you visit the We Were Liars filming locations?
- Yes. Unlike many productions that hide behind closed studio lots, both of We Were Liars' filming bases are fully open to the public. Lunenburg is a walkable UNESCO World Heritage town - you can freely explore the harbourfront, historic streets, and wharves that stood in for the Sinclair colony. Halifax is a walkable capital city with a busy harbourfront, downtown core, and North End. Neither town requires a tour or ticket to experience the filming atmosphere. Note that Amazon has not released a scene-by-scene location map, and some filming occurred on private property, so set expectations accordingly.
- Will there be a We Were Liars Season 2?
- Yes. Amazon Prime Video renewed We Were Liars for a second season on September 17, 2025, after Season 1 reached #1 on the platform's Top 10 TV Shows during its release month. Season 2 is expected to draw on the prequel novel Family of Liars alongside continued adaptation of the original story. New cast additions for Season 2 include Josh Dallas, Peyton List, and Madison Wolfe. Given Season 1's late-May-to-September Nova Scotia shoot, Season 2 is likely to film in Atlantic Canada again.
- What other TV shows are filmed in Nova Scotia?
- Nova Scotia is one of Canada's busiest film and television hubs. The closest comparison to We Were Liars is Sullivan's Crossing (CTV/The CW/Netflix, 2023-present), filmed across the Halifax region. Other major productions include The Curse of Oak Island (History Channel, 2014-present) on Oak Island near Lunenburg, Trailer Park Boys (2001-2018) in Dartmouth and Bedford, Diggstown (CBC, 2019-2022) in Halifax, and the long-running This Hour Has 22 Minutes (CBC, 1993-present) at the CBC Halifax studios. The province's coastline, historic towns, and production incentives regularly double it for coastal New England.
Plan the Rest of Your Nova Scotia Trip
⛵ Lunenburg UNESCO Guide
The complete guide to Old Town Lunenburg - the colourful waterfront town where We Were Liars was primarily filmed.
🎬 Sullivan's Crossing Filming Locations
The other major Nova Scotia TV production - Shubie Park, Agricola Street, and Fisherman's Cove, all in the Halifax region.
🏙️ Halifax Local Guide
Neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to the capital where We Were Liars did its studio work - including the North End.
🍽️ Halifax Dining Guide
Where to eat between filming-location stops - from lobster rolls on the waterfront to fine dining.
🗺️ South Shore Guide
The Lighthouse Route - Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, and the coastal scenery that doubles for New England.
🏝️ Oak Island Guide
The other major South Shore TV location - The Curse of Oak Island, 15 minutes from Lunenburg, and its 2026 tram tour.