Misha Green explains the important role Chicago plays in Lovecraft Country

Misha Green talks to FanSided about the importance of Chicago in Lovecraft Country.

Sometimes in movies or TV shows, the setting becomes just as much of a main character as the cast themselves. And that feels especially true when it comes to Lovecraft Country, HBO’s latest hit show.

In it, characters Atticus (Jonathan Majors), Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and George (Courtney B. Vance) go on a road trip to find Atticus’ missing father in Massachusetts. And along the way, they come across all sorts of monsters — both real and mythic — in this 1950s, Jim Crow America. The thing is: many associate the Jim Crow era with the South. The South was the home of the Confederacy, slavery and segregation, after al. But segregation and discrimination wasn’t just a problem in the South. It also happened in the North, too — well past the days of the Emancipation Proclamation and up to the successes of the Civil Rights Movement. (Though, as we know, the remnants of this past still linger in America to this day.)

FanSided interviewed Lovecraft Country writer and showrunner Misha Green via Zoom roundtables, and she spoke on the importance of one particular place in the North where the series takes place: Chicago.

Amid the Black plight experienced by characters like Atticus, Letitia and George pre-the Civil Rights Movement in the North, she explained there were still pockets and communities in America that could provide safe (or as “safe” as they get) places. One of those places included the South Side of Chicago, the home of all three characters — and the place where their journey begins before they go out east.

Here’s what Green had to say on the importance of Chicago in Lovecraft Country: 

"It was very important. I think that we wanted it to feel ingrained into our characters, and especially understanding that this was our safe haven. That they were leaving a safe haven. If you’re looking at Diana’s Atlas, this is where the fortress would be built in the South Side. And to feel that when we’re there. You know, it was very important to have that block party. And in that first episode to understand that there is joy here. That they are safe here. There can be safe places in the world for black people when they make them for themselves. And I think that the South Side of Chicago has been a beacon of that for a very long time."

To an outsider, the South Side of Chicago might seem like a dangerous place, but the reality is that these places truly did serve as safe havens for Black families dating back to times like the ‘1950s in Lovecraft Country. Redlining prevented Black families from getting homes in predominantly white areas. So in the areas that they were left to go, they made them a world of their own. A place for Black families, Black businesses and (of course) Black love and fun.

Ironically enough, it’s when the Freemans venture to the North Side or outside of Chicago in white sundown towns that they experience the most trouble. It’s one of the real-life horrors that Black people have faced for years, especially in areas that whites want to keep “safe” by not allowing Black people. The lengths that they go through to keep Blacks out are almost as violent as the behavior they think they’re avoiding from Black people. (Viewers will find this theme really takes hold in episode 3 of the series.)

The thing is, stereotypes are meant to be broken. And a show on a major TV network like Lovecraft Country can break stereotypes about the South Side and predominantly Black areas in the U.S. These things can’t be fixed in one episode or one TV series, but a little help can go a long way.

For more Lovecraft Country interviews, news, and reviews, follow the Lovecraft Country category on FanSided.com.