The Burbs: Season 1 – Review | Peacock

THE BURBS on Peacock is a new Dark Comedy series with a thriller mystery at its heart. Just like the 1989 movie it’s based on. This new 2026 series version is less silly, but still very funny and poignant. Also, the cast is full of familiar faces who are perfectly cast in their respective roles. All eight episodes in the series are out now. Read our The ‘Burbs series review here!

THE BURBS is a new Peacock series with eight episodes that are all out on the streaming service now. If you’re familiar with the 1989 movie starring Tom Hanks (who has a cool cameo in the series), then you’ll be familiar with the premise and setting. As I recall, that movie was even more silly, but it was also the 1980s, so it’s relative to the style of that time.

This 2026 version is very much a dark comedy mixed with a psychological thriller, and at its core, there’s a mystery. It may involve a murder or simply some gossip gone wild. It could also be a ghost story about a haunted house. You’ll just have to check it out to know more, and it is a lot of fun to get to the heart of the mystery, so do give it a shot.

Continue reading our The ‘Burbs series review below. Find it streaming on Peacock now.

Welcome to smalltown suburbia

Let me start by saying that I love The ‘Burbs tagline of “Every cul-de-sac has a dead end” because this perfectly sets the tone. Both for the style of this dark comedy and the actual plot. The story begins with Rob and Samira Fisher (Jack Whitehall and Keke Palmer) moving into Rob’s childhood home on Ashfield Place.

The young couple is new parents to cute little Miles, and they want the best for their child, so they swap out their city apartment for a home in this quaint cul-de-sac. The house is located in the idyllic suburb of Hinkley Hills. A place where, not unlike the series Cheers, everybody knows your name… and also, your business.

It has that small-town vibe where everybody gossips and is only too familiar with the drama of any and every household.

The Safest Town in America?

While the neighborhood seems safe, quiet, and welcoming (at least as soon as it’s established that the black woman does actually live there), there is one strange house in this cul-de-sac. In this house, which has stood abandoned and untouched for 20 years, a mysterious man moves in.

The house is a Victorian mansion that supposedly has “great bones”, so the mysterious man wants to renovate it. Samira soon learns about the local lore that will have you believe a girl died in the old Victorian house. Due to her being a lawyer on maternity leave, Samira is quick to accept this mystery as a challenge that she must get to the bottom of.

Joining her on this mission of discovery in The Burbs is a ragtag group of quirky neighbors, with whom Samira has struck up a nice friendship (and wine group). Until now, Hinkley Hills has enjoyed the reputation of being “The Safest Town in America”, but what Samira discovers could threaten this cherished status.

Loved the casting of The ‘Burbs

As a longtime fan of Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher (the stars of the 1989 movie), I was very curious to see how the new cast would work. Well, they work brilliantly. We have Keke Palmer (Nope) as Samira, who essentially takes on Tom Hanks’ role in the movie, as she is the protagonist of the story.

Jake Whitehall (Malice) is the nice husband, who adores his wife but also has a few secrets that we will discover later. Justin Kirk (Interview with the Vampire) takes on the role of the strange and mysterious man who moves into the long-abandoned Victorian house.

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The Netflix series No Good Deed which has a lot of the same elements >

Among the intriguing and quirky neighbors in Samira’s wine-drinking and sleuthing group, we see several familiar faces. For me, Mark Proksch immediately stood out, and I almost can’t help but refer to him as Colin Robinson, his character’s name in What We Do in the Shadows. And yes, he is just as strange as Colin Robinson in The ‘Burbs, just in a different way. Also, his name is “Tod”.

As the main wine drinker, Lynn Gardner, we have Julia Duffy, who you may recognize from Palm Royale. If you’re a fan of older TV shows, then surely you’ll know her from Newhart or Designing Women.

The resident “Handy Andy” and veteran is Dana Richards, and she’s portrayed by Paula Pell. This was an amazing character, who has so much heart and actually useful abilities. Also, she has a wife away on a secret mission, which means she’s lonely and up for any distraction. Paula Pell is an award-winning writer and actor known for Saturday Night Live and Die Hart.

Watch The ‘Burbs 2026 series on Peacock now

The ‘Burbs series was created by Celeste Hughey for Peacock. Previously, Celeste Hughey wrote episodes of the amazing Dead to Me series, and also Palm Royale. This is her first series as a creator, and I truly hope it will be far from the last. I’m already a fan of her style.

It’s based on the 1989 movie written by Dana Olsen, who obviously also gets due credit. She went on to co-write the 1992 movie Memoirs of an Invisible Man, which was directed by horror legend John Carpenter. In case you didn’t know (or remember), the 1989 movie The Burbs was directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Piranha), who is another iconic genre director.

It almost seems like it was meant to be that The Burbs would get an adaptation like this Peacock series. Sure, it is still a dark comedy, first and foremost, but it revolves around a creepy house, strange old lore, and possibly a murder case. That’s much darker and highlights the psychological thriller and mystery elements of the story. If you’re a fan of genre hybrids, then do not miss out on this Peacock series!

The Burbs series premiered on February 8, 2026, on Peacock, with all eight episodes released at once.

Details

Creator: Celeste Hughey
Directors: Rachel Goldberg, Yana Gorskaya, Nzingha Stewart
Cast: Keke Palmer, Jack Whitehall, Julia Duffy, Paula Pell, Mark Proksch, Kapil Talwalkar, Justin Kirk, Danielle Kennedy, Chad Lindberg