This articles lists various works of fiction that take place in Boston, Massachusetts:

Video games

A number of popular video games are set in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, with several characters from the city appearing in multiple games. * The Scout, a character in the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Team Fortress 2 ''Team Fortress 2'' is a 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' mod for '' Quake'' and its 1999 remake, '' Team Fortress Classic''. The game was ...

'' is from Boston and speaks with a

Boston accent A Boston accent is a local accent of Eastern New England English, native specifically to the city of Boston and its suburbs. Northeastern New England English is classified as traditionally including New Hampshire, Maine, and all of eastern Mass ...

. *Ash, a character in

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', ...

Rainbow Six Siege ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege'' is an online tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on December 1, 2015; the game was ...

, studied at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

. Another character,

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...

operator Erik "Maverick" Thorn, is from Boston. *In ''

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'' is a skateboarding video game, the sixth entry in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series after ''Tony Hawk's Underground''. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision on October 4, 2004 in the U.S. for the PlayS ...

'', one of the levels is set in Boston. *'' Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven'' the City of Lost Heaven bears a slight resemblance to Boston. *In '' Rock Band'' and '' Rock Band 2'', Boston is a featured city that one's fictional band can play gigs in. *In ''

Assassin's Creed III ''Assassin's Creed III'' is a 2012 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' serie ...

'', Boston features as a main city during the course of the game. *In ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel (The Last of Us), Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie (The Last of Us), Ell ...

'', some of the game is set in post-apocalyptic Boston. *Nathan and Samuel Drake, characters from the ''

Uncharted ''Uncharted'' is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across th ...

'' franchise, grew up in Boston *''

Fallout 4 ''Fallout 4'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the ''Fallout'' series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for PlayStation 4, ...

'' is set in Boston, as well as surrounding areas such as Concord, Quincy, and Lexington. *'' AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity'' is set in an alternate reality version of Boston. *'' Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth'' takes place in Boston, taking after H.P. Lovecraft's works.

Literature

*’’While the music lasts’’ William M. Bulger *''Alone'' by

Lisa Gardner Lisa Gardner (born 1972) is a #1 ''New York Times'' bestselling American novelist. She is the author of more than 20 suspense novels, published in more than 30 countries. She began her career writing romantic suspense under the pseudonym Alicia S ...

*''

Altered States ''Altered States'' is a 1980 American science fiction body horror film directed by Ken Russell and based on the novel of the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. The film was adapted from Chayefsky's 1978 novel and is his fi ...

'' by

Paddy Chayefsky Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. He was ...

*''As I was Crossing Boston Common'' by

Norma Farber Norma Holzmann Farber (6 August 1909 – 21 March 1984) was an American children's book writer and poet. The Poetry Society of America presents the Norma Farber First Book Award, which is awarded for a first book of original poetry written by an A ...

*''Back Bay'' by William Martin *''The Big Dig'' by Linda Barnes *'' Blaze'' by

Richard Bachman Richard Bachman is a pen name (as well as fictional character) of American horror fiction author Stephen King. King portrays Bachman in the third season of the FX television series '' Sons of Anarchy''. Origin At the beginning of King's car ...

*The "Bloody Jack" historical-fiction series, by L. A. Meyer, first mentioned in ''The Curse of the Blue Tattoo'', when Jacky is put off in Boston to attend Lawson Peabody's School for Young Girls *''Boston Adventure'' by

Jean Stafford Jean Stafford (July 1, 1915 – March 26, 1979) was an American short story writer and novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for '' The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford'' in 1970. Biography She was born in Covina, California, to M ...

*A Boston Girl,

Anita Diamant Anita Diamant (born June 27, 1951) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction books."Anita Diamant." ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2015. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2017-09-22. She has ...

*''

The Bostonians ''The Bostonians'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in '' The Century Magazine'' in 1885–1886 and then as a book in 1886. This bittersweet tragicomedy centres on an odd triangle of characters: Basil Ransom, a political c ...

'' by

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

; life in aristocratic Boston during the late nineteenth century *''Carlotta Carlyle Mysteries'' by Linda Barnes; featuring a taxi-driving detective in Boston *''

A Case of Need ''A Case of Need'' is a medical thriller/ mystery novel written by Michael Crichton, his fourth novel and the only under the pseudonym Jeffery Hudson. It was first published in 1968 by The World Publishing Company (New York) and won an Edgar Awa ...

'' by Michael Crichton *'' A Catch of Consequence'' by

Diana Norman Mary Diana Norman (née Narracott; 25 August 1933 – 27 January 2011) was a British author and journalist. She is best known for her historical crime fiction. Life and work Norman was born in London. She was moved to Devon by her family to es ...

* '' Caucasia'', by Danzy Senna, a coming of age novel of Birdie, a biracial girl *''

Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

'' by Stephen King; a traditional

zombie A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...

story set in present-day Boston *''The Chippendales'' by Robert Grant, novel, old Boston society confronted by the emerging new in the 1880s *''Combat Boy'' by James Vance Elliott, a novel featuring both the Boston crime world of the 70s and the Massachusetts high-tech world of the 90s *''

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

'' by

Robin Cook Robert Finlayson "Robin" Cook (28 February 19466 August 2005) was a British Labour politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 until his death in 2005 and served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 until 2001 wh ...

, novel, early 21st century; begins with a tale of two doctors, one practicing in NYC and one in Boston, with the former's trial for malpractice taking place in Boston; most of the action occurs in Boston *''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...

'' by

Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), '' The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), '' Inferno'' (2013), ...

; Boston is the home of protagonist

Robert Langdon Professor Robert Langdon is a fictional character created by author Dan Brown for his ''Robert Langdon'' book series: ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), ''Inferno'' (2013) and ''Origin'' (2017 ...

*''The Dandy Vigilante'' by Kevin Daley, a hard-boiled mystery about a Boston news reporter, crime, and city hall corruptionThe Dandy Vigilante
/ref> *''

The Dante Club ''The Dante Club'' is a mystery novel by Matthew Pearl and his debut work, set amidst a series of murders in the American Civil War era. It also concerns a club of poets, including such historical figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wen ...

'', a murder mystery featuring Harvard personalities

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...

James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell (; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the fireside poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets that ...

, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, as well as publisher James T. Fields; takes place in Boston and Cambridge, by

Matthew Pearl Matthew Pearl (born October 2, 1975) is an American novelist and educator. His novels include '' The Dante Club'', '' The Poe Shadow'', '' The Last Dickens'', '' The Technologists'', and '' The Last Bookaneer''. Biography Pearl was born in New Yo ...

(2003) *''Dead Heat'' by Linda Barnes *''Easter Rising'' by Michael Patrick MacDonald *''

The Europeans ''The Europeans: A sketch'' is a short novel by Henry James, published in 1878. It is essentially a comedy contrasting the behaviour and attitudes of two visitors from Europe with those of their relatives living in the "new" world of New England ...

'' by

*''Fair Game'' by Patricia Briggs. Takes place in an urban fantasy version of Boston that features some of the real life historic sites and culture. * ''Fallout'' by

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed hi ...

, an alternate history novel in the Hot War series, where the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

escalates into

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

, the city was destroyed by a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

atomic bomb in May 1952. The blast also burned the

USS Constitution USS ''Constitution'', also known as ''Old Ironsides'', is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized ...

to the waterline. *'' Find Me'' by Laura van den Berg *''

Firmin Firmin is a French surname and masculine given name, from the Late Latin Firminus, a derivative of ''firmus'' meaning "firm" or "steadfast". The instruction of St Paul to "be steadfast in the faith" gave the name great popularity among early Chris ...

'' by

Sam Savage Samuel Phillips Savage (November 9, 1940 – January 17, 2019) was an American novelist and poet, best known for his 2006 novel '' Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife''. Other published works are ''The Cry of the Sloth'', ''The Criminal L ...

, a magical-realist account of the destruction of

Scollay Square 300px, Scollay Square, Boston, 19th century (after September 1880) 350px, Scollay Square, Decoration Day, 19th century (after September 1880) Scollay Square (c. 1838–1962) was a vibrant city square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It was na ...

*''Flashpoint'' by Linda Barnes *''Flynn's World'' by

Gregory Mcdonald Gregory Mcdonald (February 15, 1937 – September 7, 2008) was an American mystery writer whose most famous character is the comedy investigative reporter Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher. Two of the Fletch books earned Edgar Awards from the Mys ...

*'' Future Boston'' a

shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...

novel by the Cambridge Science Fiction Writers Workshop *''The Given Day'', novel by

Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane (born August 4, 1965) is an American author. He has published more than a dozen novels; the first several were a series of mysteries featuring recurring characters, including ''A Drink Before the War''. Of these, four were adapted a ...

, takes place in post-World War I Boston *'' Gone, Baby, Gone'' by Dennis Lehane *''

The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which ...

'' by Margaret Atwood; post-nuclear

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

and Boston are the setting of this dystopian novel *''Home Before Dark'' by Eileen Bassing *''

Infinite Jest ''Infinite Jest'' is a 1996 novel by American writer David Foster Wallace. Categorized as an encyclopedic novel, ''Infinite Jest'' is featured in ''TIME'' magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels published between 1923 and 2005. ...

'' by

David Foster Wallace David Foster Wallace (February 21, 1962 – September 12, 2008) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and university professor of English and creative writing. Wallace is widely known for his 1996 novel '' Infinite Jest'', whi ...

, set in a partly fictionalized Boston *''Innocence'' by David Hosp; Boston is the main setting of this thriller/courtroom novel *''Intuition'' by

Allegra Goodman Allegra Goodman (born 1967) is an American author based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Goodman wrote and illustrated her first novel at the age of seven. Biography Allegra Goodman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Hawaii. The daughter ...

*''

Johnny Tremain ''Johnny Tremain'' is a work of historical fiction written in 1943 by Esther Forbes that is set in Boston prior to and during the outbreak of the American Revolution. Intended for teen-aged readers, the novel's themes include apprenticeship, co ...

'' by

Esther Forbes Esther Louise Forbes (; June 28, 1891 – August 12, 1967) was an American novelist, historian and children's writer who received the Pulitzer Prize and the Newbery Medal. She was the first woman elected to membership in the American Antiqu ...

takes place in Boston in the early 1770s *'' Kane and Abel'', Jeffrey Archer's novel about rivalry; William Kane is from Boston *''Karma and Other Stories'', short stories by

Rishi Reddi Rishi Reddi is an American author. She is a L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award laureate. Biography Rishi Reddi was born in Hyderabad, India. She grew up in the United Kingdom and the United States. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College, wher ...

*''Last Dance'' by Lee Grove *''

The Last Hurrah ''The Last Hurrah'' is a 1956 novel written by Edwin O'Connor. It is considered the most popular of O’Connor's works, partly because of a 1958 movie adaptation starring Spencer Tracy. The novel was immediately a bestseller in the United Stat ...

'' by

Edwin O'Connor Edwin Greene O'Connor (July 29, 1918 – March 23, 1968) was an American journalist, novelist, and radio commentator. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1962 for his novel '' The Edge of Sadness'' (1961). His ancestry was Irish, and his no ...

; O'Connor's 1956 account of big-city politics, inspired by the career of longtime Boston Mayor

James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterized ...

*'' Last Night in Twisted River'' by

John Irving John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American-Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of ''The World According to ...

(2009), partly set in the North End *''

The Late George Apley ''The Late George Apley'' is a 1937 novel by John Phillips Marquand. It is a satire of Boston's upper class in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The title character is a Harvard-educated WASP living on Beacon Hill in downtown Boston. T ...

'' by

John P. Marquand John Phillips Marquand (November 10, 1893 – July 16, 1960) was an American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for '' ...

; tragicomic satire of the life of an upper-class Bostonian from the mid-19th century to the Great Depression; winner of the Pulitzer Prize *''Little House by Boston Bay'' by Melissa Wiley *''

Looking Backward ''Looking Backward: 2000–1887'' is a utopian science fiction novel by Edward Bellamy, a journalist and writer from Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; it was first published in 1888. The book was translated into several languages, and in short o ...

'', utopian novel written in 1887 and set in Boston in 2000 *'' Love Story'' by Erich Segal *''

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard ''Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by American author Rick Riordan with the subject of Norse mythology and published by Disney- Hyperion. It is based on Norse mythology and is set in the same unive ...

'' by

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Junior (; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million co ...

*''

Make Way for Ducklings ''Make Way for Ducklings'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. First published in 1941 by the Viking Press, the book tells the story of a pair of mallards who raise their brood of ducklings on an island in t ...

'', iconic children's picture book set in

Boston Public Garden The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. It is a part of the Emerald Necklace system of parks, and is bounded by Charles Street and Boston Common to ...

*"The Magic Bonbons" by Lyman Frank Baum, his '' American Fairy Tales'', 1901 *'' A Modern Instance'' by

William Dean Howells William Dean Howells (; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ...

*''Murder at Fenway Park'' by Troy Soos *''

Mystic River The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts, in the United States. In Massachusett, means "large estuary," alluding to t ...

'' by

*''The Namesake (novel), The Namesake'' by Jhumpa Lahiri, set largely in Cambridge and Boston, explores the difficulties of Indian-Americans making their homes in America *''Oh Boy, Boston'' by Patricia Reilly Giff; the Polk Street Kids take a trip to Boston *''On Beauty'', novel by Zadie Smith (2005), takes place partly in a fictional town outside Boston; parts of Boston center are visited *''The Paper Chase (Osborn novel), The Paper Chase'', novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr. (1970) *''The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America'', in which Michelle Tea charts the turbulent adventures in Boston's teenage goth world *''Pickman's Model'' by H. P. Lovecraft; takes place in Boston *''Professor Romeo'' by Anne Bernays *''The Pursuit of Alice Thrift'' by Elinor Lipman *''Rare Objects'' by Kathleen Tessaro *''Rent Girl'', Michelle Tea's graphic memoir of sex work in Boston, illustrated by Laurenn McCubbin *''The Rise of Silas Lapham'' by

*''Run (novel), Run'' by ''Ann Patchett'' is set in modern Cambridge and Boston; a novel exploring family and race relations *''The Running Man (King novel), Running Man'' by

takes place partly in Boston *The "Sarah Kelling / Max Bittersohn" Mystery fiction, mystery series by Charlotte MacLeod *''The Scarlet Letter'' by Nathaniel Hawthorne *''Shutter Island'', novel by

, takes place on a fictional island on the Boston Harbor *''Small Vices'' by Robert B. Parker *''The Sound and the Fury'' by William Faulkner; part of the story occurs in Boston *''The Southern Victory Series'' by

; has many characters who live in or are from the Boston area *The "Spenser (character), Spenser" detective novels, by Robert B. Parker *''The Technologists'' by

(2012); alternative history about the founding of MIT * ''Thin Air (Parker novel), Thin Air'' by Robert B. Parker *The Tucker Mysteries, by Ray Daniel (author)*''Under Copp's Hill'' by Katherine Ayres; children's story set in 1908 *''Unleavened Bread (Robert Grant novel), Unleavened Bread'' by Robert Grant (novelist), Judge Robert Grant, set partly in Boston *''The Vanished Child'' by Sarah Smith (writer), set partly in Boston *''The Virgin Knows'' by Christine Palamidessi Moore; sibling rivalry and art theft (from the basements of Harvard's Fogg); set in Boston's Italian North End *''Vital Signs (novel), Vital Signs'' by

; Boston is the home of protagonist Marissa Blumenthal *''You Can't Take a Balloon into the Museum of Fine Arts'' by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman; a children's picture book about a girl's lost balloon floating past landmarks in Boston *''Zodiac (novel), Zodiac'' by Neal Stephenson; an eco-thriller focusing on industrial pollution in Boston Harbor

Television

A number of popular television series are set in

, four of which were notably created by David E. Kelley, who grew up in suburban Boston. *''Ally McBeal'', romantic comedy popular in the late '90s, created by David E. Kelley of Belmont, Massachusetts *''Banacek'', detective series starring George Peppard as Thomas Banacek *''Being Human (North American TV series), Being Human'', a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire share a house in Boston *''The Best Years (TV series), The Best Years'', Canadian TV show set at a fictional Boston College *''Between the Lines'', short-lived TV series based on the movie of the same title *''Boston Common (TV series), Boston Common'', comedy about attending a fictional Boston college, featuring Anthony Clark (actor), Anthony Clark *''Boston Legal'', centered on a Boston law firm, created by David E. Kelley *''Boston Public'', centered on a Boston Public school (government funded), public school, also created by David E. Kelley *''Chasing Life'', about a journalist in Boston who is diagnosed with leukemia *''Cheers'', by Charles-Burrow-Charles Productions and Paramount Pictures; centered on a Boston bar, which in reality is the Bull & Finch Pub. In the sequel to Cheers, Frasier, Dr. Frasier Crane frequently refers to Boston. *''Crossing Jordan'', crime drama, follows the lives of Boston Medical Examiner Jordan Cavanaugh and her co-workers *''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'', in the episodes "Where the Heart is", Parts 1 and 2. *''Dawson's Creek'', teen drama 1998–2003; in Season 5 the main characters go to college in Boston *''Falling Skies'', sci-fi drama set in Boston and the surrounding areas *''Fringe (TV series), Fringe'', set in Boston and surrounding area *''Goodnight Beantown'', sitcom dating to 1983 *''How High'', set at Harvard *''James at 15'', later retitled ''James at 16'' *''Leverage (American TV series), Leverage'', set in Boston *''The Paper Chase (TV series), The Paper Chase'', based on the 1970 novel and the 1973 film of the same title *''Park Street Under'' *''Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers'', a short-lived 1974–75 situation comedy featuring Paul Sand as a double bass player for the Boston Symphony Orchestra *''

'', takes place in Boston following the establishment of a neo-Puritanic totalitarian state, Gilead. *''The Practice'', centered on a Boston law firm, also created by David E. Kelley *''Rizzoli & Isles'', drama starring Angie Harmon as Police Detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles *''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996 TV series), Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' *''St. Elsewhere'', drama set in the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston *''Spenser: For Hire'', featuring Robert Urich playing the Robert B. Parker character *'' Suite Life of Zack & Cody'', comedy made for the younger audience; takes place in a fictional hotel in Boston *''survivors remorse'', the family is from Dorchester, Boston, dorchester *''Two Guys and a Girl'' *''Unhitched'', about a group of newly single friends learning the lessons of starting over in their 30s *''The X-Files'', in "Medusa" (Episode 12 of Season 8), Agents Doggett and Scully investigate suspicious deaths on the Boston subway system

Film

A number of films have been set in Boston or Greater Boston. * ''21 (2008 film), 21'', a fictionalized account of the very-unofficial MIT Blackjack Team * ''

'', Ken Russell film based on Paddy Chayefsky's novel * ''Between the Lines'' * ''Black Mass (film), Black Mass'', about the criminal career of infamous Irish-American mobster Whitey Bulger * ''Blown Away (1994 film), Blown Away'', depicts the Boston Bomb Squad dealing with a mad bomber * ''Blue Hill Avenue (film), Blue Hill Avenue'', about four childhood friends from Dorchester, Massachusetts, Dorchester who grow up to become drug dealers * ''The Boondock Saints'', about two Irish diaspora, Irish immigrant brothers in Boston who become vigilantes * ''The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'', sequel to ''The Boondock Saints'', in which the brothers are forced to return to Boston * ''The Boston Strangler (film), The Boston Strangler'', depicting a famous serial killer, played by Tony Curtis * ''The Bostonians (film), The Bostonians'' * ''The Brink's Job'', about the famous robbery of the Brinks security transport in the North End, Boston, Massachusetts, North End * ''Celtic Pride'', about two diehard Boston Celtics fans * ''Charly (1968 film), Charly'', based on ''Flowers for Algernon'', about a mentally challenged man who receives treatment for his disability * ''A Civil Action'', about several families who attempt to sue a company for dumping toxic waste that gave their children leukemia; filmed all over Boston, ironically not in Woburn, Massachusetts, Woburn, where it takes place, but in Palmer, Massachusetts, Palmer * ''Coma (1978 film), Coma'' is set at the fictional Boston Memorial Hospital * ''The Company Men'', starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner * ''The Core'', in an early scene, people with pacemakers mysteriously drop dead during Green World Day; it is later known that the core stopped rotating * ''The Departed'', Martin Scorsese's 2006 hit film, takes place in Boston, with prominent use of Boston landmarks and culture; winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture * ''Dirty Tricks (film), Dirty Tricks'', 1981 film starring Elliott Gould as a Harvard professor involved in an historical crime caper * ''Edge of Darkness (2010 film), Edge of Darkness'', 2010 crime thriller starring Mel Gibson * ''The Equalizer (film), The Equalizer'', starring Denzel Washington * The 2005 remake of ''Fever Pitch (2005 film), Fever Pitch'', about a man's obsession with the Boston Red Sox * ''Field of Dreams'', Ray Kinsella's journey takes him through Boston to fetch Terence Mann and attend a game at Fenway Park. * ''The Firm (1993 film), The Firm'', film's opening takes place at Harvard * ''The Forbidden Kingdom'', martial arts comedy-drama about a Boston boy who enters a Chinese fantasy world, with Jet Li and Jackie Chan * ''The Friends of Eddie Coyle'', drama about an aging mob gun runner from Quincy, Massachusetts, Quincy who has to choose whether or not to inform on his Irish Mob friends to avoid jail time * ''Fuzz (film), Fuzz'', detectives from Boston's 87th Precinct's investigate a murder-extortion racket run by a mysterious deaf man * ''The Game Plan (film), The Game Plan'' * ''Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)'', in which the climactic kaiju battle starts in Fenway Park and destroys Boston * ''Gone Baby Gone'', directed by Ben Affleck, takes place and was filmed in Boston * ''Good Will Hunting'', takes place in Boston: the characters live in South Boston, and some other action is set at Harvard and M.I.T. * ''The Handmaid's Tale (film), The Handmaid's Tale'', set in the Harvard Square area * ''Harvard Man'', a basketball player strikes a deal with the mob to fix a basketball game * ''The Heat (film), The Heat'', a comedy starring Sandra Bullock based in Boston * ''Heaven's Gate (film), Heaven's Gate'', exterior Harvard scenes filmed at Oxford University * ''Hollow Point'' (1996) * ''Home Before Dark'' (1958), set in Boston and Cape Cod; adapted from the novel by Eileen Bassing; original negative is lost * ''House of the Damned (1996 film), House of the Damned'', all of the interior shots were done in the house of the director, Sean Weathers, in Brooklyn, New York; however, Weathers wanted a different feel for the exteriors so he and his cinematographer drove to Boston to reshoot the exteriors months later without the actors * ''The House of Magic takes place in Boston and its hospital. * ''Housesitter'' * ''Ice Princess'', takes place in Worcester, MA around the Greater Boston area, about a physics geek who dreams of becoming a professional ice skater and gets an offer to go to Harvard but turns down that offer * ''

'', 1957 Disney film based on the novel of the same name * ''Knight and Day'', starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz * ''Knowing (film), Knowing'' * ''The Last Detail'', about two United States Navy policemen who decide to take out a young sailor for one last night on the town (through Boston's Combat Zone (Boston), Combat Zone) before he goes to jail * ''

'' * ''Legally Blonde'', about a UCLA Valley Girl who attempts to get her boyfriend back by entering Harvard Law School * ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (film), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'', takes place in Boston, as seen on the envelope at the end of the movie; "28 Prospero Place, Boston, Massachusetts, USA" * ''Little Children (film), Little Children'', set in a fictional suburb of Boston * ''Looking Good'' by Keith Maillard set in 1969/70 with vivid account of Harvard Square riot * ''Love Story (1970 film), Love Story'' * ''Malcolm X (1992 film), Malcolm X'', Malcolm's Boston years are chronicled in this film, including his prison years, which led to his eventual conversion to Islam * ''The Matchmaker (1997 film), The Matchmaker'' * ''Mona Lisa Smile'', featuring Julia Roberts as a nonconformist Wellesley College professor * ''Moneyball (film), Moneyball'', featuring Brad Pitt, has a scene at Fenway Park in Boston * ''Monument Ave.'', about low level Charlestown, Massachusetts, Charlestown gangsters dealing with the repercussions that arise due to the code of silence * ''Motet'' by Keith Maillard * ''My Best Friend's Girl (2008 film), My Best Friend's Girl'' * ''Mystery Street'' * ''Mystic River (film), Mystic River'', Oscar-winning drama about three childhood friends who later reunite after the murder of one of their daughters; set in a fictional area of Boston called "Buckingham Flats"; filmed in East Boston, Massachusetts, East Boston and South Boston, Massachusetts, South Boston * ''The Next Karate Kid'', primary scenes are set in the Boston area; filmed partly in Newton, Massachusetts, Newton * ''Next Stop Wonderland'', takes place in Boston; the MBTA's Wonderland station takes special significance * ''Night School (1981 film), Night School'' * ''Now, Voyager'' * ''Once Around'' * ''The Paper Chase (film), The Paper Chase'', about a student struggling through Harvard Law School, based on the 1970 novel; John Houseman won an Oscar for his role as Professor Kingsfield * ''The Proposal (2009 film), The Proposal'' * ''Prozac Nation (film), Prozac Nation'', about a young woman who struggles with depression during her first year at Harvard * ''Sacco and Vanzetti (2006 film), Sacco and Vanzetti'', about the famous anarchists convicted of murder * ''Shutter Island (film), Shutter Island'', thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, takes place on an island in Boston Harbor * ''A Small Circle of Friends'', about Harvard in the 1960s and three students bonding together * ''The Social Network'', drama about the creation of Facebook; many scenes are set on the Harvard campus * ''Soul Man (film), Soul Man'', comedy about a man who poses as a black scholarship winner in order to attend Harvard Law School * ''Southie (film), Southie'', drama about a man who returns to Southie after leaving for several years to get away from the violence of the gangster life * ''Spotlight (film), Spotlight'', fact-based drama about the Boston Globe's investigation of the abuses of the Catholic Church. * ''The Spanish Prisoner'' * ''Starting Over (1979 film), Starting Over'', romantic comedy starring Burt Reynolds about a recent divorcee who relocates to Boston to restart his life * ''Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie'', a Documentary film, documentary chronicling the 2003 baseball season of the Boston Red Sox * ''Stonados'', a Syfy, Sci-Fi Channel television movie about Boston being ravaged by a rain of exploding rocks (starting with Plymouth Rock) from a freak meteorological event * ''The Story of Alexander Graham Bell'' * ''Surrogates (film), Surrogates'', futuristic police thriller starring Bruce Willis * ''Ted (2012 film), Ted'' (2012) and ''Ted 2'' (2015), starring Mark Wahlberg * ''The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film), The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968), about a wealthy businessman who robs banks for excitement * ''Titicut Follies'', documentary about Bridgewater State Hospital near Boston, and the lives of its mental patients * ''The Town (2010 film), The Town'', starring Ben Affleck * ''The Verdict'', legal drama about an alcoholic Boston lawyer * ''Vig (Money Kings)'', about an honest man who has to become a bookie * ''Walk East on Beacon!'' * ''War of the Worlds (2005 film), War of the Worlds'', film adaptation of the novel; the film ends with Tom Cruise and his kids finally reaching Boston where his ex-wife lives * ''What Doesn't Kill You (film), What Doesn't Kill You'' (2008) South Boston Irish mob crime drama. * ''What's the Worst That Could Happen?'', about a rich man who catches a thief burglarizing his Boston home and steals the thief's lucky ring, which the thief then tries to get back * ''What's Your Number?'', starring Chris Evans and Anna Faris * ''With Honors (film), With Honors'' (1994), with Brendan Fraser and Joe Pesci, about a Harvard student who loses the only copy of his thesis and traces it to a basement where it has been found by a homeless man who trades pages of the thesis for food and shelter * ''X2 (film), X2: X-Men United'', ''X-Men (film), X-Men'' sequel, in which two scenes take place in Boston, the home of Bobby Drake, alias Iceman * ''Yellow Lights'', college drama that takes place at Wellesley College as well as a fictional college set in Newton * ''Zookeeper (film), Zookeeper'', shot at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo

Other

* An unaired episode of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'', "Boston", makes reference to Boston, as it satires the 2007 Boston bomb scare.

References

{{reflist

External links

An annotated bibliography of fiction set in Boston
Boston in fiction, Boston-related lists, fiction United States in fiction by city

Video games

Literature

Television

Film

Other

See also

References

External links