In the original novel, Larry journeys out of Manhattan with Rita Blakemoor. Blakemoor is much older than Larry and addicted to pills, eventually dying of a deliberate overdose in New England. In the miniseries, Rita's character is subsumed into that of Nadine, who continues on to the finale.
Outside Des Moines, Lucy and Joe find Larry sitting on the front end of a 1973 Oldsmobile convertible. This car belongs to Sam Raimi, who lets it appear in most of his films. Raimi plays Bobby Terry.
Interiors and some apparent exteriors (Mother Abigail's cabin and cornfield) were filmed at the Osmond Studios in Orem, Utah, where much of the "Donnie and Marie" show had been shot years earlier.
When Nadine is walking away from Larry at the entrance to Lincoln Tunnel she walks past a classic '70s Plymouth with luggage on the roof, primer grey left Fender and gold right fender, and a note pad on the dashboard. When they exit the tunnel they walk past the same car.