Did ya hear, the new Netflix series Easy was filmed in Chicago?
It's a little hard not to notice, since local filmmaker Joe Swanberg peppers references throughout the eight-episode first season, which premiered last week. The show depicts an array of romantic relationships in the city, and plenty of local businesses get some love … some in more blatant ways than others.
We're all for supporting Chicago businesses, and Swanberg previously even used Revolution Brewing as the setting for his 2013 film Drinking Buddies. Still, here are the top five appearances that don't quite make the cut for subtlety.
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater
It’s hard to miss the reference to the Lincoln Park theater when it’s illustrated on the title card of the seventh episode, "Chemistry Read." The building is then showcased again in the episode and a picture of the theater is noticeably situated in the background of a dressing room scene.
GoldenView Ultrasound
The third episode, "Brewery Brothers," opens on a young, married couple finding out the gender of their first baby. If you wondered which ultrasound clinic they chose to visit, you were probably texting during this scene: jaunty letters on the wall conspicuously spell out GoldenView Ultrasound, which is located in Lake View.
Half Acre Beer Company
In the same episode, brothers Matt and Jeff decide to start an illegal brewery in a garage. They get the idea from all the growlers they’ve bought at Half Acre Beer Company, a North Center favorite. (Swanberg is a longtime Lincoln Square resident.) Somehow, the logo is featured prominently in the background every time the brothers return to the garage. And this is the only storyline that continues in another episode, so Half Acre gets double the amount of exposure.
Don’t Fret
Chicago street artist Don’t Fret makes a cameo appearance when Matt and Jeff ask him to do all the art for their new business. From that point forward, his artwork is showcased on everything from sweatshirts to the garage door of the brewery. Even the title card for that episode is done by the artist himself.
Dark Matter Coffee
The hands-down most blatant plug of the series is Dark Matter Coffee. One of the characters works at the brand's Mothership coffee shop, and the logo could pass as a recurring motif. What really pushed it over the edge, though, is when Dark Matter Coffee founder Jesse Diaz makes a cameo appearance in the last episode and “casually” explains how he started his business.