Residents of Queens are used to having their lives disrupted by movie and television crews who take over their neighborhoods and line the streets with trucks, trailers and equipment.

Recently, it was Sunnyside’s turn as CBS’ “Unforgettable” took over 43rd Avenue around 43rd Street to film a couple of scenes.

The hour-long drama, starring Dylan Walsh and Poppy Montgomery, is wrapping up its first season. The show follows a female detective with an unusually detailed memory.
  Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and State Sen. Mike Gianaris (D- Astoria) — who championed the legislation giving the film industry a tax credit — have long supported any endeavor that brings people and new business to their districts.

But despite the thoughts of Van Bramer, Gianaris and other elected officials, not everyone likes having Hollywood in Queens. And though having film crews on local streets brings nice attention to the community, it certainly also adds some inconvenience to the lives of residents in the area.

“These shows come in and take over the entire neighborhood,” said Philipe Martinez, a resident of a building on 43rd Street and 43rd Avenue. “They end up taking up more than just one block, usually stay all day and then whatever they film ends up on screen for just a brief minute.”

“Unforgettable” filmed in a couple of different spots in Sunnyside. They filmed inside a pizzeria on 43rd Avenue and inside an apartment building on 43rd Street. But the scene that got the most attention from the locals involved a stunt driver, a suped-up Dodge Charger and a couple of guns.

Montgomery spots blood dripping out of a parked van and calls Walsh and Michael Gaston to help her investigate. The Charger sped down 43rd Street and slammed on its breaks — the three then drew their weapons and opened the back doors of the van.

You’ll have to watch the show to see what was inside.

“It was pretty interesting to watch them film,” said Louisa Palmero, who watched with her two young children after picking them up from school. “My kids were focused on all the activity from the actors and the crew. They thought it was really cool.”

“Unforgettable” airs on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on CBS.

As seen in the April 5 edition of the Queens Tribune