Plymouth Township Home Featured in TV Series

It is not every day that one’s house becomes a movie set. Yet for Dr. Debra Christian, a speech language pathologist living in Plymouth Township, it has become a fairly regular occurrence.

In the last two years, Dr. Christian’s two-story colonial—perched high atop a hill overlooking trees, gardens and live roaming peacocks—has become a setting for local film and television producers. 

First and most recently was Lee Martin’s The Midnight Hour, the cult television series that has received national press over the years as the first sustained original scripted TV show to come out of Michigan. 

In 2010, the series filmed an episode called “Don’t Look Under the Bed” at Dr. Christian’s home. Now in its fifth season, the production returns on Feb. 9-10 to film the episode "Don’t Turn Out the Lights."

"The two stories have nothing to do with each other," Dr. Christian said. "But the producers thought it would be kind of a homage to reference the title of their first show they filmed in my house years ago." For the shows' producers, filming at the home represents an excellent opportunity. 

"It’s a beautiful place," says series creator Lee Martin. "And it has a striking foyer and staircase which are well suited to filming a murder mystery, which is what we’ll be doing there this weekend."

For Dr. Christian and her family, it’s all in a day’s work. Since registering her home with the Michigan Film Office as a potential filming location in 2010, she has worked with other producers and productions, as well. 

"I’ve become kind of a resource for the local film industry," she joked. "They love to film here and we enjoy helping people realize their dreams and seeing the finished product on screen."

You can see Dr. Christian’s home when “Don’t Turn Out the Lights” airs on “Midnight Hour” every Thursday and Saturday this May.  Visit http://leemartinsthemidnighthour.com for details.