TV Show Starring Kevin Bacon Films in Watertown Monday

Watertown residents got one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon Monday, when the actor came to town to film an episode of a new Showtime detective show.

Evidence of the Hollywood production could be seen in the parking lot at Watertown’s Filippello Park, off Grove Street, which served as the staging area for about a dozen trucks, trailers and other items being used for the making of “City on a Hill.” However, the stars of the show — Bacon, Aldis Hodge and Jonathan Tucker — could not be seen at the park.

“They are filming in Mount Auburn Cemetery,” said Watertown Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon.

The show is about an assistant district attorney and an FBI agent who take on a case in Boston in the 1990s. The first episode of “City on a Hill” aired on Showtime on June 7, according to IMDB. Among the show’s executive producers are Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

While the front part of the parking lot, and the courts area at Filippello Park were covered with vehicles, the park otherwise operated normally, said Recreation Director Peter Centola. Cars continued to come in and people used the new dog park.

“They are just parking the trucks there today,” said Centola, who said the only impact was some maintenance work. “We were going to paint the courts (Monday) but we pushed it to Wednesday.”

Watertown has been the site of other movie and TV productions, such as
the Mark Wahlberg movie “Patriots Day” about the Boston Marathon Bombings and shootout with suspects in Watertown.

The Town has also been approached by the makers of the Chris Evans movie “Defending Jacob,” which has been filming around the Boston area.

“Next month a film will be shooting in the old Police Station and in the (Deluxe Town) Diner in Coolidge Square,” Magoon said.

Magoon said film or TV productions shoot in Watertown as many as half a dozen times a year. To do so, they must get filming permits from the town, Magoon said, the fees for which are negotiated between Town officials and the production company.

The fee can be in the thousands of dollars, Magoon said. “Patriots Day” filmed multiple days in town, and the production company gave the town $60,000 to hire an additional police officer.