Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A funeral home. Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. Somewhere in Miami. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In Episode 1, of Season 5, "My Bad". Dexter's wife, Rita, was killed in the final episode of Season 4. In this scene, his sister Debra drags Dexter to a funeral parlor to make arrangements for Rita's final service. Shaken by the murder, and unsure about how to respond normally under the circumstances, Dexter behaves even more awkwardly than usual, bewildering both his sister and the funeral director. At one point gets up in the middle of the conversation and wanders aimlessly into an adjoining viewing room, where a family is grieving over the body of their dead loved. The same location is seen again in a later scene where Dexter looks at Rita in her coffin. Q. What is it actually in real life? A. A church. Q. Where can I find it in real life? A. The "funeral home" was created inside the First Congregational Church, at 241 Cedar Ave in Long Beach, CA.

You'll find it at the southwest corner of Cedar & 3rd Street, in downtown Long Beach.

Most of the filming was done in a large social room, the narthex, and the Minister’s office.

It's about half a mile north of Shoreline Village and the Aquarium of the Pacific, both used as locations in past seasons.


This isn't the church's first brush with Hollywood. The same church was used in the 2007 Robin Williams/Mandy Moore comedy, "License to Wed".

( The church has its own website, at www.firstchurchlb.org.
)




I shot the photo below in June 2010.

[ Remember: This is a church.  If you visit, treat it with the respect it deserves. ]


Here is an aerial photo of the church. And here is a map link.

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A.  In previous seasons, I've usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes, using various clues from the scenes.  By the 5th season, though, I'd developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know in advance when something was about to film there.

Between those reports, and my own personal reconnaissance around town, by the time the first episode aired, I already knew most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only needed to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct locations.

This group of helpful fans includes Kerry, Rick, Joel, Geoff, Ellen, Julie, Susan, Jeff, and others. My thanks to all of them.

This particular tip came from Ellen, who was kind enough to let me know that they were filming there, back in June 2010. It's happens to be her mom's church.  (Thanks, Ellen!)