The Better Sister, Craig Gillespie's psychological thriller limited series, launched on May 29, 2025, on Prime Video, has instantly attracted notice for its tightly wound storytelling, emotionally nuanced characters, and acutely stylized imagery. Featuring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks as two sisters compelled to reunite under the pressure of a murder probe, the series ties familial tension with business intrigue and domestic drama.
The location in The Better Sister is crucial in creating the tone of the show. From Manhattan's sleek glass high-rises to East Hampton's serene but fraught atmosphere, each setting subtly underlines the characters' fluctuating emotional states and the secrets they keep.
Audiences immediately caught on that the filming aesthetic goes heavy into the environments, highlighting crisp interiors, dark offices, and expansive beach houses that are more than just backdrops; they're symbolic representations of power, loneliness, and vulnerability.
For the unversed, The Better Sister was filmed in New York City and East Hampton, New York.
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Exploring in detail the filming location for The Better Sister
Production for The Better Sister was conducted entirely in New York, with production dates spanning from June 3 through October 9, 2024. The series was mostly filmed in two very different locations: East Hampton and New York City, New York.
Both locations were selected with great care to reflect the dual life of the series lead Chloe Taylor (played by Jessica Biel), who lives in Manhattan's media high-powered world while enduring personal turmoil behind closed doors.
In New York City, pivotal scenes were shot on location in actual high-rise buildings and urban homes. The city is also the site for the most intense legal showdowns and investigative scenes. East Hampton, on the other hand, provides the visual counterpoint, providing an escape from the mayhem, but increasing the drama in its own right.
The Hamptons' tranquil beaches and upscale residences turn into venues for discovery and accountability as Chloe and her estranged sister Nicky (Elizabeth Banks) encounter unpleasant realities regarding their mutual past.
What happens in The Better Sister?
The Better Sister tracks Chloe Taylor, a high-powered magazine editor whose life begins to fall apart after her husband, Adam Macintosh (Corey Stoll), is murdered in their Manhattan high-rise apartment.
Adding to the complications is the return of Chloe's estranged sister, Nicky Macintosh, Adam's ex-wife and biological mother of Ethan, Chloe's teenage son, whom she adopted. What starts out as a murder mystery quickly grows into a more complex exploration of family cracks, long-dormant trauma, and moral complexity.
Throughout the investigation, audiences discover that both of the sisters have pasts with Adam, a physically and emotionally abusive man. The more Detective Nancy Guidry (Kim Dickens) looks into things, the more complicated it gets. Nicky murdered Adam during an altercation, and Ethan covered for her by falsifying evidence.
Chloe, in a deliberate effort to save both her nephew and sister, stages a frame-up, faking evidence to frame Adam's boss, Bill Braddock (Matthew Modine). She reveals the dirty work of the Gentry Group, the crooked law firm Adam worked for.
At the same time, the case is further complicated when attorney Jake Rodriguez (Gabriel Sloyer), the secretly cooperating FBI informant, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, most probably the work of retaliatory acts on the part of the Gentry Group.
Even though there is enough evidence to suspect Nicky, Detective Guidry is taken off the case when her own past history of police misconduct gets leaked, effectively burying the truth in order to save the department's reputation.
By the final episodes, justice is done, albeit not in the classical sense. Braddock is blamed for the murder, the power of the Gentry Group is undercut, and Chloe and Nicky come to a tentative agreement to co-parent Ethan in New York.
It's a conclusion that's morally ambiguous but emotionally true, one that's representative of a series that's less concerned with definitive answers and more with survival, devotion, and who gets to dictate the terms.
Interested viewers can watch The Better Sister on Amazon Prime Video.