{"id":19837,"date":"2026-02-08T16:37:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=19837"},"modified":"2026-02-08T16:37:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:37:55","slug":"peacocks-the-burbs-blends-comedy-and-horror-in-suburbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=19837","title":{"rendered":"Peacock&#8217;s &#8216;The &#8216;Burbs&#8217; blends comedy and horror in suburbia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n                                        NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The suburbs are anything but bland in the new Peacock series \u201cThe \u2018Burbs,\u201d where strange things are going on. Like how jokes mix with the dread.<\/p>\n<p>Inspired by the 1989 <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/tom-hanks\">Tom Hanks-led<\/a><\/span> movie of the same name, \u201cThe \u2018Burbs\u201d follows a new mom as she navigates a foreign world of white picket fences and manicured lawns while also investigating a possible murder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s got the comedy, it has the drama, it\u2019s got the mystery, it\u2019s got the horror, the thrills, the suspense \u2014 all of it,\u201d says Celeste Hughey, the creator, writer and executive producer. All eight episodes drop Friday. <\/p>\n<p>Hanks is replaced by <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/keke-palmer\">Keke Palmer,<\/a><\/span> who plays a newlywed and new mom who moves into her husband\u2019s family home in fictional Hinkley Hills, where everyone is in everybody else\u2019s business. \u201cSuburbia is a spectator sport,\u201d she is told.<\/p>\n<p>Across the street is an abandoned home, where a local teen disappeared decades ago. Palmer\u2019s Samira soon joins forces with a band of off-beat suburbanites to help solve the case, even if her own husband had some sort of role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really wanted to focus on that fish-out-of-water feeling, centering Samira as a Black woman in a white suburb who is a new mom, a new wife \u2014 new everything \u2014 and trying to figure out where she belongs in the environment,\u201d says Hughey. <\/p>\n<h2>Jokes and social commentary<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"Enhancement-item\">\n<div class=\"ImageEnhancement\">\n<figure class=\"Figure\" data-openoverlay=\"\">\n<p>    <a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-f00000\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"Figure-content\">\n<div class=\"Figure-content-text\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\">Jack Whitehall and Keke Palmer. (Elizabeth Morris\/Peacock via AP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-slides\" data-slidescount=\"1\">\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-slide\" data-slidenumber=\"0\">\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-columns\">\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-info\">\n<p>                            <button class=\"ReadLess\"><\/p>\n<p>                            <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-info-description\">Jack Whitehall and Keke Palmer. (Elizabeth Morris\/Peacock via AP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-info-actions\">\n<div class=\"Page-actions-row Page-actions-left Page-actions-right\">\n&lt;!&#8211;            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=ap%20news\">&#8211;&gt;<br \/>\n            <button class=\"Page-actions-trigger Page-actions-google-trigger\" data-action-clicked=\"clickGooglePreferredSource\"><br \/>\n                Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n<p>                <span class=\"Page-actions-tooltip\"><br \/>\n        Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<br \/>\n                    <!-- NOTE: span instead of button --><br \/>\n        <span class=\"Page-actions-tooltip-close\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close tooltip\"><\/p>\n<p>        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/span><br \/>\n            <\/button><br \/>\n&lt;!&#8211;            <\/a>&#8211;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>            <button class=\" Page-actions-trigger\" data-action-clicked=\"clickShareIcon\" data-collapse-element=\"\">Share<\/p>\n<p>                <\/button><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"ReadBtn\">Read More<\/button><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The cast includes Jack Whitehall as Samira\u2019s husband and the trio of Julia Duffy, Mark Proksch and Paula Pell as her wine-swilling, investigating neighbors who form a sort of found family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe movie came out when I was quite young, but I remember seeing it as a kid and it being like this terrifying movie to me,\u201d says Hughey. \u201cBut revisiting it as an adult, it\u2019s just like the most timely movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-module=\"\" data-module-trackunsubscribe=\"\" class=\"PageListEnhancementGeneric Enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"Enhancement-item\">\n<p>    <a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"more-section-display-name\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"PageList-items\" data-list-loadmore-items=\"\">\n<div class=\"PageList-items-item\">\n<div class=\"PagePromo\" data-gtm-region=\"What to Stream: \u2018Splitsville,\u2019 J. Cole, \u2018Puppy Bowl,\u2019 Keke Palmer, Nick Jonas and Nioh 3\" data-gtm-topic=\"No Value\" data-align-top=\"\" data-mobile-alt-layout=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1770008460000\" data-updated-date-timestamp=\"1770008496000\">\n<div class=\"PagePromo-media\" data-animate=\"fromBottom\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"What to Stream: \u2018Splitsville,\u2019 J. Cole, \u2018Puppy Bowl,\u2019 Keke Palmer, Nick Jonas and Nioh 3\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/stream-tv-movies-music-2026-january-puppy-dd8d3b821ea0cdfea78c30d4b789aa3a\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"This combination of album covers shows &quot;Sunday Best&quot; by Nick Jonas, left, and &quot;The Fall-Off&quot; by J. Cole. (Republic Records\/ via AP, left, and Cole World Inc.\/Interscope via AP)\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770568674_4_\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"PageList-items-item\">\n<div class=\"PagePromo\" data-gtm-region=\"Michele Singer Reiner, photographer who inspired 1980s rom-com\u2019s happy end, dies\" data-gtm-topic=\"No Value\" data-align-top=\"\" data-mobile-alt-layout=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1765824233000\" data-updated-date-timestamp=\"1765843428000\">\n<div class=\"PagePromo-media\" data-animate=\"fromBottom\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Michele Singer Reiner, photographer who inspired 1980s rom-com\u2019s happy end, dies\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/michele-singer-reiner-dead-2760dfcd751244682fffee58b7ee2b29\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"ADDITION ADDS MAIDEN NAME: FILE - Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner arrive on the red carpet at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors gala dinner, Dec. 2, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Kevin Wolf, File)\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770568674_416_\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The scripts crackle with witty humor, from references to Marie Kondo to <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/baby-reindeer-lawsuit-netflix-gadd-martha-harvey-7de65030fbc704b78dc530404d616bc6\">\u201cBaby Reindeer,\u201d<\/a><\/span> and jokes often improvised by the actors. Chocolate brownies are described as \u201cthe Beyonc\u00e9 of desserts\u201d and there\u2019s a joke about how white ladies love salad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe \u2019Burbs\u201d also touches on more serious issues over its eight episodes \u2014 microaggressions, racial profiling, bullying and childhood trauma \u2014 but takes a kooky, off-beat approach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always look at things with a sense of humor,\u201d says Hughey. \u201cI think comedy is a way to be able to examine all these pretty heavy subjects, but in a way that\u2019s accessible, in a way that is clarifying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Palmer says she grew up watching <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/norman-lear-died-87300f0e49b54c05803ab315dfdf9933\">Norman Lear shows<\/a><\/span> and admired his ability to both entertain and address social tensions \u2014 something she found in \u201cThe \u2018Burbs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I read this script for the first time, then as we started doing the show, it started to become clear that we had an opportunity to do the same thing,\u201d Palmer says. \u201cWe 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, because horror can play as a good allegory for the issues in our life.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Play in both genres\u2019<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"Enhancement-item\">\n<div class=\"ImageEnhancement\">\n<figure class=\"Figure\" data-openoverlay=\"\">\n<p>    <a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-590000\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Jack Whitehall, from left, Julia Duffy, Keke Palmer, Celeste Hughey, Paula Pell and Kapil Talwalkar from &quot;The 'Burbs&quot; pose backstage following a screening at The 92nd Street Y on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa\/Invision\/AP)\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770568674_629_\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"Figure-content\">\n<div class=\"Figure-content-text\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\">Jack Whitehall, from left, Julia Duffy, Keke Palmer, Celeste Hughey, Paula Pell and Kapil Talwalkar. (Photo by Andy Kropa\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-slides\" data-slidescount=\"1\">\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-slide\" data-slidenumber=\"0\">\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-columns\">\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-info\">\n<p>                            <button class=\"ReadLess\"><\/p>\n<p>                            <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-info-description\">\n<p>Jack Whitehall, from left, Julia Duffy, Keke Palmer, Celeste Hughey, Paula Pell and Kapil Talwalkar. (Photo by Andy Kropa\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"CarouselOverlay-info-actions\">\n<div class=\"Page-actions-row Page-actions-left Page-actions-right\">\n&lt;!&#8211;            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=ap%20news\">&#8211;&gt;<br \/>\n            <button class=\"Page-actions-trigger Page-actions-google-trigger\" data-action-clicked=\"clickGooglePreferredSource\"><br \/>\n                Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n<p>                <span class=\"Page-actions-tooltip\"><br \/>\n        Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<br \/>\n                    <!-- NOTE: span instead of button --><br \/>\n        <span class=\"Page-actions-tooltip-close\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close tooltip\"><\/p>\n<p>        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/span><br \/>\n            <\/button><br \/>\n&lt;!&#8211;            <\/a>&#8211;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>            <button class=\" Page-actions-trigger\" data-action-clicked=\"clickShareIcon\" data-collapse-element=\"\">Share<\/p>\n<p>                <\/button><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"ReadBtn\">Read More<\/button><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Whitehall, who grew up in the London suburb of Putney, says he appreciates that the social commentary never feels that heavy handed between the comedy and horror: \u201cIt was great to sort of be able to play in both genres.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>There are multiple nods to the original movie, like picking the last name Fisher after <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/743b0fa49dd742568fa2ac397647dc45\">the late actor Carrie Fisher,<\/a><\/span> who appeared in the Hanks-led version, and naming a dog Darla after the name of the pup who starred in the 1989 version. Hanks, himself, appears in a blink-or-you\u2019ll-miss-it image. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a scene where Samira steps onto her neighbor\u2019s grass and leaves suddenly swirl around her feet menacingly, an echo to the original. And there\u2019s a moment when sardines and pretzels are served, a riff off a classic moment in the movie. The creators even asked original actor Wendy Schaal to return to play the town librarian.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really wanted to honor the original fans of the movie and make sure that they see that someone who respects the original material and loves the movie had it in their hands,\u201d says Hughey. \u201cI see the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hughey said she wrote the series with Palmer\u2019s voice in mind, a piece of manifesting that turned out to actually work when she first met Palmer over a year later. <\/p>\n<p>The music ranges from <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/health-music-wv-state-wire-us-news-ap-top-news-e19138ee60f29a319e45bcfba3e39331\">Bill Withers\u2019<\/a><\/span> \u201cLovely Day\u201d to Steve Lacy\u2019s \u201cDark Red\u201d to Doechii\u2019s \u201cAnxiety\u201d and Big Pun\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m Not a Player.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusic is very much a part of my creative process and something that I wanted to stand out in the show as well,\u201d says Hughey. \u201cI got to pull in so many of my inspiration songs.\u201d\n                                    <\/p><\/div>\n<p>window.fbAsyncInit = function() {<br \/>\n      FB.init({<\/p>\n<pre><code>          appId : '870613919693099',\n\n      xfbml : true,\n      version : 'v2.9'\n  });\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>};<\/p>\n<p>(function(d, s, id){<br \/>\n     var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];<br \/>\n     if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}<br \/>\n     js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;<br \/>\n     js.src = &#8220;https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js&#8221;;<br \/>\n     fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);<br \/>\n   }(document, &#8216;script&#8217;, &#8216;facebook-jssdk&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/burbs-tv-show-2026-keke-8c50380193cd8e283ba883b17ab01c60\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The suburbs are anything but bland in the new Peacock series \u201cThe \u2018Burbs,\u201d where strange things are going on. Like how jokes mix with the dread. Inspired by the 1989 Tom Hanks-led movie of the same name, \u201cThe \u2018Burbs\u201d follows a new mom as she navigates a foreign world of white &#8230; <a title=\"Peacock&#8217;s &#8216;The &#8216;Burbs&#8217; blends comedy and horror in suburbia\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=19837\" aria-label=\"Read more about Peacock&#8217;s &#8216;The &#8216;Burbs&#8217; blends comedy and horror in suburbia\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Peacocks-The-Burbs-blends-comedy-and-horror-in-suburbia.com2Fe52Fcf2Fbc8c073cab1fc34dd7df9cab72c72F6288e5d747e040b89cb4.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19839,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19837\/revisions\/19839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}