The Peacock true-crime series recounts how a neighbor upended the lives of one family.
During the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, nominee Jake Lacy introduced the full-length trailer for A Friend of the Family, Peacock’s upcoming true-crime saga about the Broberg family kidnappings starring the actor as the friendly-yet-dubious neighbor Robert Berchtold.
The latest look at the limited series shows how Berchtold charmed and manipulated his way into the Brobergs family before upending their lives multiple times, most notably by kidnapping their daughter, Jan (Hendrix Yancey and Mckenna Grace), twice over several years.
He also created a wedge between Jan’s parents, Mary Ann (Anna Paquin) and Bob (Colin Hanks), who were both enchanted by their neighbor.
“No one thinks that their best friend is a monster. But he has all the hallmarks of a psychopathic personality,” says FBI Agent Peter Walsh, who is portrayed here by Austin Stowell. “He will lie and manipulate to get the only thing that he wants.”
The fascinatingly creepy trailer, which also features shots of Lio Tipton as Robert’s wife, Gail, looks to be another showcase for Lacy, who earned rave reviews for his turn as a disgruntled guest at a luxury hotel on HBO’s hit series, The White Lotus.
“This story will make you talk, shout, cry -- and it will make you angry,” says the real-life Jan Broberg, who serves as a producer on the series alongside her mother. She previously appeared on-camera in the hit Netflix docuseries, Abducted in Plain Sight, where she recounted this unbelievably true story, explaining how one man could have such an impact on all of their lives.
“We were a loving, trusting, educated family. We were not stupid or careless,” Broberg shares. “So, how could this happen in our neighborhood, where we knew everyone, and everyone was a friend? The truth is that most predators are not strangers but people we know -- people who can build trust, create special friendships, and separate family members psychologically.”
Adapted for the screen by showrunner, executive producer and writer, Nick Antosca, the limited true-crime series will run for nine episodes starting on Oct. 6.
Ahead of its premiere, Antosca, who also worked on The Act and Candy, said that “the series exists outside the typical categories of genre. It’s a thriller built around obsessive relationships, a family drama, and a nightmarish coming-of-age story.”
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