‘Delco Proper’ to explore the world of Delaware County in upcoming episodes shooting this November

As far as representations of the Philadelphia area in entertainment go, Delco Proper co-writer, co-star and director John McKeever just wants to present a more honest depiction than what's already out there.

"When people talk about Philadelphia, they talk about the Liberty Bell, the Phillies, stuff like that," he says. "Nobody ever talks about the guy that beat up their uncle for a couple of Percs."

Luckily, with Comedy Central having ordered three more episodes of Delco Proper last month, McKeever, a Northeast Philly native, will get his chance. As the guys behind the Web series — McKeever, Tommy Pope, and Tim Butterly — announced Thursday, new episodes are set to begin filming this November.

This time around, though, Delco Proper's protagonists as we know them won't be the focus so much as the universe of Delaware County itself, as well as the lumberyard where leads John and Tommy work. In that sense, the coming episodes are somewhat of a departure from the show's pilot, which McKeever says was "more of a character study."

"A huge part of the show is the area they live in," he says of the next three episodes. "People thought the show was originally about three buddies, but it's actually about the fact that John and Tommy work in this lumberyard, which is a family business. This will be more of a world thing."

To that end, McKeever and co. are currently scouting locations in Delaware County before the November shoot, with options like VFW halls, small mom-and-pop restaurants, and at least one lumberyard at the top of the list. That on-location style continues the theme from the Web series' first episode, which was filmed at O'Leary Funeral Home in Springfield earlier this summer.

But, please, don't expect any locale-based pandering from the Delco Proper guys.

"We're not going to make references to Delco or use landmarks," McKeever says. "Showing an exterior shot to get a local boner is lazy. We want the show to stand on its own."

Through following that path, McKeever hopes to put Delaware County on the same creative plane as The Simpsons' Springfield, or Family Guy's Quahog: A beloved, representative town that also happens to be filled with hilarious, one-of-a-kind characters. And with Delco Proper's creators — including Upper Darby native Pope — all hailing from the area, it very well could end up there.

"We want Delco to be this place that's just familiar enough for the regular person to relate to," he says of the show's aim. "But we also want to maintain that magical stupidity. You have to go to that world to get that feeling, and that's what we're trying to create."

No release date for Delco Proper's new episodes has yet been announced.