Author Dennis Tafoya remembers his time working in the emergency room in Doylestown in the ’80s. One night, a call came in about a fire at a farmhouse-turned-meth lab, but when medics tried to help, the burn victim refused care and eventually died.
“It got me thinking about who ends up in a burning meth lab in the middle of the night,” said Tafoya, in a recent call with The Inquirer.
That incident was the seed of the idea that, decades later, became Tafoya’s 2009 novel Dope Thief. It has since been adapted into a Philly-set series of the same name airing on AppleTV+. The series is written, directed, and executive produced by The Town’s Peter Craig and executive produced by legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott.
Scott directed the pilot, which introduces the two best friends-protagonists, Ray (Brian Tyree Henry) and Manny (Wagner Moura), who pose as DEA agents to steal money from small-time drug dealers.
The con implodes when they target a meth lab in a Bucks County farmhouse — linked to a major narcotics operation — and, nodding to Tafoya’s experience, set it on fire. Filmed mostly in and around Philadelphia, the harrowing and hilarious series follows the pair as they search for who set them up while their lives spin out of control.
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For the Philly-raised Tafoya, who now lives in Lambertville, the entire journey has felt surreal. He credits his agent Brooke Ehrlich for opening the door. In 2019, she heard from Apple executives looking for a crime project for Craig and she convinced them to consider Dope Thief. Tafoya was thrilled and somewhat surprised to hear they were interested.
“The book itself was well-received, but it didn’t sell a lot. It didn’t make a huge impact,” he said. “I used to worry that my agent was gaslighting me.”
Tafoya was prepared for the story to change, a routine practice for any adaptation. In this case, Craig expanded on his gritty universe significantly, adding a storyline about an undercover DEA agent (Marin Ireland) who survives the house fire and doggedly pursues Ray and Manny.
As a consulting producer, Tafoya spoke with Craig multiple times and provided insight into Philadelphia’s vast and complex crime scene. Tafoya calls the final result “Peter Craig’s baby” but agrees that the larger story stayed true to the world he created.
He just has one quibble. “Peter used the word ‘jawn,’” he said, laughing. “That’s a choice. But, you know, Peter’s from Southern California, so maybe he can be forgiven.”
Philly authenticity was essential for the production. Initially, the team discussed filming in Chicago, but Tafoya and Craig pushed for Philadelphia. “The deciding factor was that it was really important to Ridley Scott,” Tafoya recalled. “Ridley came and fell in love with Kensington and Philly neighborhoods … and he was insistent that it be filmed in Philadelphia.”
They filmed all over the city and region, including Chester County, Bucks County, and various neighborhoods in Philly. Flashes of memorable sites like City Hall, the nearby Government of the People sculpture, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and Race Street Friends Meetinghouse can be seen between the action.
Another character true to Philly was Ray’s mom, Teresa, played with comedic excellence by Kate Mulgrew of Orange Is the New Black fame. Her accent was notably accurate to the region and Tafoya said the character was based on his grandmother, a “really tough” person who doesn’t tolerate any disrespect.
Knowing that this season has seen multiple new TV shows set in Philly, like Long Bright River and Deli Boys, Tafoya is heartened to see the city take the spotlight.
“There’s something about Philadelphia that is just magnetic. When it comes to character and presence, Philly is so specifically Philadelphia. You know what I mean?” he said. “For a long time, people didn’t get it. They thought we were New York Junior.”
Anyone watching Dope Thief gets it.
The finale of ‘Dope Thief’ airs on AppleTV+ on Friday.
