Peacock’s version of The Burbs featured murder, a missing persons case and a surprise kidnapping that set up for a second season.
The dark comedy, which premiered on Sunday, February 8, is an adaptation of the 1989 film of the same name. After fictional couple — and new parents — Samira (Keke Palmer) and Rob (Jack Whitehall) moved to his childhood neighborhood, old secrets resurfaced about his missing friend Allison (Erica Dasher).
Samira, Rob and his friend Naveen (Kapil Talwalkar) realized Allison wasn’t kidnapped but in hiding because she thought she was a target. They were able to help Allison find the person responsible for the deaths in town, which allowed her to move away.
Season 1 didn’t end there though because Naveen found himself kidnapped before the finale was done.
“Personally, I didn’t want him to get out of the trunk,” Whitehall, 37, quipped during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “We were winding him up for the whole series that his character was going to get bumped off in the end.”
He continued: “Then when we got that eighth episode, we were like, ‘Oh, this is so awkward. Now it might actually happen.’ We couldn’t cope without him so we’ve got to get him back. We’ve got to find our friend, and we’ve got to crack him out of the back of that car.”
Talwalkar, meanwhile, isn’t too worried about his character’s fate.
Keke Palmer and the cast of The ‘Burbs. Peacock/NBC
“I haven’t prepared for Naveen’s funeral yet,” he joked. “I actually have no clue — I was shocked when I read that.”
For Palmer, 32, the most shocking part of the season so far was “the Allison reveal,” with her telling Us, “We’re trying to find this girl and she was right in front of us the whole time. It was right there. So I love that. But then obviously that leads us to another big underworld that we have to figure out.”
Looking ahead at season 2, Julia Duffy, who played Lynn, is hopeful about meeting new characters.
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“We haven’t met my children but there was a line where I mentioned them,” she noted. “We really want to meet these children.”
Duffy, 74, pointed out that Jack’s parents haven’t been introduced. She also expressed interest in cameos from the original movie’s cast — starting with Tom Hanks.
“I had not seen The ‘Burbs. I had not seen the movie when I read the script but then I saw the movie and to me they’re very, very different. But the whole concept was a great thing to take to a TV series because it’s endless what you can do,” she told Us. “You have all those ages living on a cul-de-sac.”
Talwalkar hinted at “tiny nods” everywhere, adding, “If you are a deep fan of The ‘Burbs, you’ll find it. But what’s also great is if you like those types of movies and films in general, you can get a whole new story out of this one. You can appreciate all the tiny details and Easter eggs that are in there but you get a brand new experience.”
The ‘Burbs is streaming on Peacock.
