The white picket fences of suburbia hide dark secrets and sharp satire in Peacock’s upcoming series “The ‘Burbs,” a fresh reimagining of the 1989 cult-classic film. Premiering Friday with all eight episodes, the show swaps Tom Hanks for Keke Palmer, who leads a darkly comedic mystery exploring otherness, motherhood, and the eerie perfection of suburban life.
Palmer stars as Samira, a newlywed and new mother who moves into her husband’s family home in the fictional community of Hinkley Hills. As she struggles to find her place, she’s told “suburbia is a spectator sport.” Her curiosity is piqued by an abandoned house across the street, the site of a local teen’s disappearance decades earlier. Samira soon bands together with a trio of eccentric, wine-swilling neighbors (played by Julia Duffy, Mark Proksch, and Paula Pell) to investigate, even as clues suggest her own husband (Jack Whitehall) may be involved.
Series creator Celeste Hughey, who also serves as writer and executive producer, wanted to center a modern “fish-out-of-water” experience. “I really wanted to focus on… Samira as a Black woman in a white suburb who is a new mom, a new wife — new everything — and trying to figure out where she belongs,” Hughey explains.
The series deftly blends genres, packing comedy, mystery, horror, and social commentary into its narrative. “It’s got the comedy, it has the drama, it’s got the mystery, it’s got the horror, the thrills, the suspense — all of it,” says Hughey.
While the scripts are filled with witty, topical humor (from Marie Kondo references to calling brownies “the Beyoncé of desserts”), the show doesn’t shy away from heavier themes like microaggressions, racial profiling, and childhood trauma. Hughey believes comedy is the perfect vehicle for examination. “I think comedy is a way to be able to examine all these pretty heavy subjects, but in a way that’s accessible.”
For Palmer, the project echoes the influential work of Norman Lear, using satire and allegory to explore societal tensions. “When I read this script… it started to become clear that we had an opportunity to do the same thing,” Palmer says. “We can expose cliches, we can lean into things, which is one of the greatest tools of satire and comedy in itself, and horror as well.”
“The ‘Burbs” promises a binge-worthy mix of suspense, laughs, and social insight, proving that behind every manicured lawn, there’s a story waiting to unravel.
