Have you seen NBC’s new sci-fi show, Debris? In this new hit show, two federal agents with very different mindsets team up to investigate wreckage that falls from an alien spacecraft into towns across America. The Debris seems to have physical and mental effects on each town’s residents.

In episode two, which aired on March 8, 2021, a strange ring of metallic objects falls on none other than Berks County’s own Fleetwood, PA. When the agents arrive, the Debris strikes a Fleetwood local named Eric. It launches a chain of mysterious and dangerous events. This includes the unexplained amnesiac cloning of poor Eric, Spoiler Alert - only for the clones to eventually die in various horrific ways.

Throughout the episode, “You Are Not Alone,” Fleetwood residents evacuate to nearby Reading. Meanwhile, special agents Bryan Benevente and Finola Jones investigate the strange happenings that follow the arrival of the alien ship’s fuselage.

In addition to shots of Fleetwood, the episode features Benevente telling Jones about items made in Pennsylvania. His list includes the Cadillac Fleetwood, a car named after the town, Crayola crayons, Zippo lighters, Pyrex dishes, and his personal favorite, marshmallow Peeps. Finola, being from the UK, has never had one.

Debris isn’t the only time a film or hit network show has been set in Berks County, PA. As it turns out, the Pennsylvania Americana Region is actually quite the popular spot for strange happenings, important events, and interesting fictional characters.

The entirety of the 1970 film, Rabbit, Run, based on a best-selling novel by local author John Updike, takes place in Reading. Who can forget the hit reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8, which followed the lives of a local Wernersville couple as they juggled the challenges of raising their eight children?

Other famous (and infamous) films and shows with a tie to the area include M. Night Shymalan’s 2010 film The Last Airbender, 1999’s Girl, Interrupted, 2015’s Arisen, 2021’s Night of the Sicario. All of these films were shot, at least in part, in Reading, PAl.

For as much fun it is to see Berks County portrayed on the big screen and hear about the wonders of Pennsylvania’s products, there is a bigger story here. When it comes to real life, we hope folks know to contact Pennsylvania’s Americana Region for help planning a visit. Surely, the Fleetwood residents portrayed in Debris would have gotten a better group rate at an area hotel had they thought to contact Pennsylvania’s Americana Region..

The moral of this story, when planning a wedding, reunion, meeting, or group escape from an alien invasion, you can always contact us for help!