12. The Jail
Photo by Niko Tavernise/HBO
After Jonathan’s arrest at the beach house, he is held at Rikers Island, New York City’s main jail complex. Although we see an aerial shot of the bridge and of Rikers Island in The Undoing, the close ups of Jonathan arriving at the jail by bus are shot at the former Queens House of Detention in Kew Gardens, Queens located at 126-02 82nd Avenue. This filming location was used previously in The Night Of and Mr. Robot to stand in as Rikers Island.
In real life, New York City Council has voted to close down Rikers Island by 2026, with plans to reduce the overall detainee population and rehouse the population in jails located in each borough. It’s important to note that Rikers Island is a jail not a prison, which means it houses those awaiting trail or serving sentences of one year or less.
