5 big TV shows filming in Hamilton this year

Hamilton has long been a destination for filmmakers but in 2016, it has been a literary adaptation paradise.

This year, two of the most significantnovels written in the last three decades are being morphed into television, with glimpses of Hamilton sprinkled throughout their shots.

• From Suicide Squad to Hannibal: What filmed in Hamilton in 2015

Here are five TV shows that are shooting in Hamilton this year.

American Gods

American Gods is an upcoming TV series based upon the internationally best selling novel by Neil Gaiman, and is likely his most recognizable work outside of the veritable Sandman comic book series.

It centres on a man named Shadow, who is released from prison when his wife and best friend both suddenly die in a car crash. Quickly, he is wrapped up in the world of gods of all sorts from Norse mythology to all-powerful manifestations of technology, which exist because human beings "worship" them.

Lots of Gaiman's work has been adapted to the screen, from the massively popular animated feature Coraline to smaller scale work like Neverwhere and Stardust.

American Gods is slated for release on Starz in 2017. You should be able to see the Hamilton Cemetery on York Boulevard in the final product.

The Handmaid's Tale

Few in Canadian literature are revered like Margaret Atwood, and 1985's The Handmaid's Tale is one of her best.

The novel got an uneven adaptation as a film in 1990, but now it's getting a second chance as a streaming series on Hulu, set for release in 2017.

The Handmaid's Tale is set in a world where pollution has made 99 per cent of women infertile. In this dystopian future, the U.S. is ruled by a fundamentalist Christian dictatorship, which has commandeered all fertile women as breeders for wealthy families.

The novel stands up with some of the greats in the genre, like Orwell's1984 and Huxley'sBrave New World. Lets hope the new series does, too (and see if you can catch a glimpse of the Durand neighbourhood when you're watching).

The Beaverton

Canada's much loved answer to The Onion is making the jump to TV this fall, and it too was filming in Hamilton this year.

The Beaverton is a satirical news site, which boasts headlines like "Canadians caught stealing American Netflix to be punished with 3-year Bell contract" and the locally-focused, "Green Party condemns former candidate for throwing non-organic pumpkin seeds at Trudeau."

The TV show, which launches in November, seems like a cross between Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" skit, mashed up with something This Hour Has 22 Minutes would do.

Taken

After three increasingly implausible movies in which Liam Neeson has the most kidnapable family on the planet, Taken is moving to TV.

The series is a prequel, which focuses on how Neeson's character Bryan Mills got his "very particular set of skills."

The city warned last month that stunt car chases and driving sequences would happen on King William Street, Catherine Street, Park Street and Hurst Place so presumably, you'll be able to pick out all those locales when the show launches on NBC in 2017.

The Good Witch

The Good Witch is back in Hamilton this year to film its third season.

The Hallmark channel show follows the exploits of Cassie Nightingale, the titular good witch of Middleton and her teenage daughter.

The crew expects to be filming right up until the end of 2016, so you'll be able to see parts of Dundas and Westdale yet again standing in for Middleton, USA.