Naman Shrestha
Created by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson, Peacock’s ‘Ponies’ is a spy thriller series that centers on Bea and Twila, two women working anonymously as secretaries at the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia. While the former is an intelligent, Russian-speaking daughter of Soviet immigrants, her colleague is a bold and fearless small-town girl. Despite their contrasting personalities, they make a great team. When their husbands are found dead under mysterious circumstances in the USSR, Bea and Twila become CIA operatives in order to get to the bottom of the murders.
As the two women join forces to solve the mystery surrounding their respective husbands’ deaths, they also end up uncovering a Cold War conspiracy that may or may not put their lives in danger. Featuring stellar performances from Emilia Clarke, Haley Lu Richardson, Adrian Lester, Artjom Gilz, Nicholas Podany, and Petro Ninovskyi, the crime drama show is set in 1970s Moscow, with the American Embassy, the residences of Bea and Twila, and other sites painting the visual narrative.
Ponies Filming Locations
The shooting for ‘Ponies’ is conducted primarily in Hungary, specifically in and around Budapest. As per reports, principal photography for the debut season of the suspenseful series got underway in February 2025 and wrapped up after approximately five months in July of the same year. The cinematographer, Anna Patarakina, expressed her gratitude towards her fellow cast and crew members on social media, stating, “Hard to say quite enough of this crazy ride of the last five months in Budapest but it’s was all worth it. Much gratitude to @davidiserson @susannafogel and @viet_nguyentx ❤️ Thanks to @callan_green_dop for laying an incredible path to our blocks and all the support along the way. And to the super crew of Budapest. True heros! I’m looking forward to working with all again one day.”
Budapest, Hungary
Most of the pivotal sequences for ‘Ponies’ were lensed in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, situated at the centre of the Pannonian Basin. Given the similarities of its historical architecture to that of Cold War-era Moscow, it served as the perfect production location for the spy thriller series. The production team reportedly set up camp in and around the iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge, which spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest. According to reports, several key portions were also taped around Heroes’ Square, one of the major squares in Budapest. The cast and crew members took over several streets and neighborhoods in the city and redecorated them to depict Moscow in the 1970s.
In the establishing shots, you might also spot a few other popular landmarks and buildings, including the Elisabeth Bridge, the Hungarian Parliament Building, the Széchenyi Thermal Bath, the Hungarian State Opera House, and the Fisherman’s Bastion. From what we can tell, the filming unit also seemingly took a short trip south of the capital to the industrial city of Dunaújváros to record various important scenes for the mystery series. Apart from the Emilia Clarke starrer, Budapest has served as a prominent filming site for multiple movies and TV shows. Some of the notable ones include ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,’ ‘Don’t Breathe,’ ‘Infinity Pool,’ ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,’ ‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,’ ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,’ ‘The Day of the Jackal,’ ‘The Continental,’ and ‘The Billion Dollar Code.’
Read More: Where Was The Night Manager Season 2 Filmed?
