From the accents of the characters in Walton Goggins’ Vice Principals, viewers may wonder where exactly the show takes place. The two-season HBO original follows two men who fight tooth and nail for the position of principal at their local high school after the school’s current principal (played by Bill Murray) steps down. They even go to the lengths of sabotaging each other’s personal lives.

Executive produced and directed by David Gordon Green, Vice Principals is the perfect fit between Gordon Green and co-creator Danny McBride’s collaborations on Eastbound & Down and their most recent hit Max show, The Righteous Gemstones. While the series was shot back-to-back and was originally planned to be released as one long season, it was split into two, and critics gave season 2 a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Vice Principals’ series finale was particularly loved, as it buttoned up the story and the characters nicely.

Vice Principals Takes Place At North Jackson High School In Charleston, South Carolina

Home Of The Warriors… Or Is It The Tigers?

The bulk of Vice Principals takes place at a single location: the fictional North Jackson High School in the suburbs of Charleston, South Carolina. Originally, the school was the home of the North Jackson Warriors, but the school’s colors went from blue to orange after Lee Russell (Goggins) took control as principal and changed its mascot to a tiger (because he didn’t want to remind the students of murder and assault). The series took place in other areas of Charleston as well, including some of the suburban neighborhoods, the South Carolina Aquarium, and Charles Towne Landing.

Vice Principals Was Shot On Location In & Around Charleston

Jody Hill and Danny McBride Almost Picked Wilmington, North Carolina

Vice Principals was shot on location in North Charleston, South Carolina. McBride and co-creator Jody Hill originally considered shooting the series in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Eastbound & Down was filmed, but moved to South Carolina after Murray encouraged them and agreed to act in the first episode. Most of the series was filmed in the Park Circle neighborhood of North Charleston, but some shooting took place in downtown Charleston and the surrounding area of Mount Pleasant.

Several other Charleston landmarks can be seen, including the Middleton Equestrian Center, the Daniel Island shops, and the Volvo Car Stadium. Two different high schools were used to create North Jackson High School for Vice Principals: R.B. Stall High School and West Ashley High School. Shows tend to move to South Carolina because of their incredible film work benefits, which include rebates and tax credits.

Danny McBride loved the Charleston area so much that he moved his production company, Rough House Pictures, to the city. Since then, McBride has also filmed The Righteous Gemstones in Charleston. Even though Vice Principals ended back in 2018, the city is proud of its release and even allowed artist Douglas Panzone to paint a mural dedicated to the show in Park Circle (via Charleston City Paper).

Source: Charleston City Paper