How Did 'The Republic of Sarah' Create Greylock, N.H.?

The CW's new series The Republic of Sarah has a premise that sounds so strange, it feels real. After a massive vein of an incredibly valuable mineral is discovered in Greylock, N.H., the residents band together to put a stop to its mining, which threatens their homes. The solution? Declaring independence from the U.S. by getting a federal judge to agree that Greylock is and never was a part of the United States.

That part is the only part of the story that is true — Greylock is and never was a part of the U.S., since it never existed. So, where were the filming locations for The Republic of Sarah in which Greylock was created?

Like a lot of the CW's shows, The Republic of Sarah was filmed in Canada. However, unlike several other shows, it was filmed primarily on location instead of in a studio. The series was actually first in the works way back in 2019, with Sarah Drew of Grey's Anatomy originally in the lead role. The pilot was initially shot in Agassiz, British Columbia, in March, though Pioneer Park and Pioneer Avenue were covered with fake leaves to pretend it was closer to fall.

At the time, CBS passed on the series, but, a year later, the CW went to work on a new version of The Republic of Sarah, this time with Tell Me Your Secrets' Stella Baker in the title role, though COVID-19 would go on to delay production once more. In November of 2020, locals caught the series' stars filming in Lachine in Montreal, Québec, a waterfront neighborhood made to look like Greylock.

But Greylock wasn't all Lachine. The crew also filmed at Brome Lake in southern Québec. In particular, they shot at the Anglican and St. Edward’s cemeteries, 229 St. Paul Road, St. Paul’s Church, Pettes Memorial Library, and Lakeside Street between Knowlton Road and Victoria Road.

Filming for the first season of The Republic of Sarah reportedly began in October of 2020 and appears to have wrapped by spring of 2021, which fits in with the actual time period that the original pilot had wanted. According to Stella, the weather conditions were rather brutal. In her post commemorating the first day of production, she shared, "It’s day one and it’s pouring with rain and I think that’s good luck."

However, it sounds like the weather only got worse from there. In late January, she posted a photo of herself alongside her onscreen brother, Luke Mitchell, captioning it, "Aloha from the absolute coldest place I’ve ever been in my whole life." Luke chimed in to add, "So cold the crane froze, the monitor broke, and the heater stopped working..."

Considering that New Hampshire is often below freezing in January, it seems that Québec was a pretty good choice to represent the fake New England town in the winter.

You can find out all about the fictional Greylock when The Republic of Sarah airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on the CW.