or


[02/15/22 - 11:11 AM]
Peacock Announces New True Crime Drama Series "A Friend of the Family" Starring Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks and Lio Tipton from Nick Antosca and UCP
The limited series will be based on Jan Broberg's stranger-than-fiction kidnapping story.

[via press release from Peacock]

PEACOCK ANNOUNCES STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES ORDER OF TRUE CRIME LIMITED DRAMA "A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY" FROM WRITER NICK ANTOSCA AND UCP, WITH ANNA PAQUIN, JAKE LACY, COLIN HANKS AND LIO TIPTON STARRING; ELIZA HITTMAN TO DIRECT

Antosca (The Act, Channel Zero) Serves as Showrunner, Writer, and Executive Producer and Will Adapt the Series Based on Jan Broberg's Stranger-Than-Fiction Story.

www.PeacockTV.com

· Peacock announced today the straight-to-series order of true crime drama A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY from Nick Antosca (The Act, Channel Zero), who will serve as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Antosca, under his production banner Eat the Cat, will produce via his overall deal with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.

· Peacock also announced series stars Anna Paquin (Flack, The Irishman and True Blood), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus, Being the Ricardos), Colin Hanks (The Offer, Impeachment: American Crime Story) and Lio Tipton (The Edge of Sleep, Why Women Kill).

· The limited series comes from UCP and will be based on Jan Broberg's stranger-than-fiction kidnapping story.

· Acclaimed director Eliza Hittman (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) is set to direct and executive produce multiple episodes, including the first episode (101).

· Jan Broberg and Mary Ann Broberg will also serve as producers.

· A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY is based on the harrowing true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by a charismatic, obsessed family "friend." The Brobergs - devoted to their faith, family, and community - were utterly unprepared for the sophisticated tactics their neighbor used to exploit their vulnerabilities, drive them apart, and turn their daughter against them. This is the story of how their lives were permanently altered - and how they survived.

· "Nick Antosca has created a compelling series in A Friend of the Family that explores one family's unimaginable experience with great insight and sensitivity," said Lisa Katz, president scripted content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. "We can't wait to see Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks, and Lio Tipton bring these complex characters to life, and we know Peacock audiences will connect with this incredible story of deception and resilience."

· "Alongside Jan and Mary Ann Broberg, Nick and Alex have brought humanity to a delicate and haunting story," said Beatrice Springborn, President, UCP. "As he demonstrated with 'The Act,' and now with this series, Nick treats real people not as caricatures but as complex and layered. We're proud to bring that quality and care in storytelling to Peacock."

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:

ANNA PAQUIN (Flack, The Irishman, True Blood) will play the role of Mary Ann Broberg. Mary Ann is the mother of three daughters, and her life has felt safe, happy and rewarding until recently. She has realized too late that she may have missed warning signs and made a terrible mistake by becoming close to her charismatic neighbor Robert Berchtold - and trusting him around her oldest daughter, Jan.

JAKE LACY (The White Lotus, Being the Ricardos) will play the role of Robert "B" Berchtold, a charming local businessman who appears to be a genial Mormon father and husband. An expert in manipulation, he puts everyone around him at ease as he carefully plots the abduction of Mary Ann's daughter.

COLIN HANKS (The Offer, Impeachment: American Crime Story) will play the role of Bob Broberg, Mary Ann's husband and Jan's father, Bob is big-hearted, kind, and everyone's best friend, the very model of a suburban patriarch. As his family gets closer to neighbor Robert Berchtold, Bob begins to fear that something is amiss.

LIO TIPTON (The Edge of Sleep, Why Women Kill) will play the role of Gail Berchtold. Gail is Robert Berchtold's wife and the mother of a large family. Her husband suffers from mood swings and this has led him to act erratically. Gail's concerns about her husband may keep her on edge, but she never could have expected what her husband would eventually do.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

· Showrunner / Executive Producer / Writer: Nick Antosca

· Executive Producer: Alex Hedlund

· Executive Producer / Director (multiple episodes, including 101): Eliza Hittman

· Producers: Jan Broberg, Mary Ann Broberg

· Consulting Producer: Skye Borgman for Top Knot Films

· Produced by: UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group

· Format: True crime limited drama series





  [february 2022]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, A (PEACOCK)





[12/06/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "The Boys" Explosive Final Season Premiere Date & Teaser Drop at CCXP Brazil
The fifth and final season will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on April 8, 2026.

[12/06/25 - 02:46 PM]
Paramount and UFC Announce New Seasons of "Dana White's Contender Series" and "The Ultimate Fighter"
Beginning in 2026, Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, and Australia will become the exclusive home for all episodes of both series.

[12/06/25 - 02:27 PM]
Video: "School Spirits" Returns - Paramount+ Drops First Look at Season Three Premiering January 28
The date was unveiled alongside first look images at today's Paramount+ CCXP panel in São Paolo, Brazil featuring series lead and executive producer Peyton List.

[12/06/25 - 02:12 PM]
Video: Oscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Surprises Fans at CCXP and Reveals Exclusive Scene from "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy"
The series will premiere globally with two episodes on Thursday, January 15 on Paramount+, and in Japan on Tuesday, January 23.

[12/06/25 - 10:47 AM]
Hulu Debuts First-Look Images from "The Testaments" Out of Brazil Comic Con
"The Testaments," a new chapter from the showrunner and executive producers of "The Handmaid's Tale," is coming in April 2026 to Hulu.

[12/06/25 - 10:31 AM]
Video: Date Announcement & Teaser Debut - Hulu's "Paradise" Season 2
The second season of the Emmy Award-nominated series premieres Monday, February 23 with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly on Hulu and Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US and Disney+ internationally.

[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, hitting nine-week highs in both measures.

[12/05/25 - 03:30 PM]
In Anticipation of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," ABC News to Premiere Two New Specials This December
First up: "Avatar: A New Era - Special Edition of 20/20" premieres Friday, December 12 on ABC.

[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.

[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.

[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.

[12/05/25 - 10:05 AM]
"Landman" Booms Into a Third Season Renewal and Breaks Viewing Records on Paramount+
The second season is set to be a top three series among all original content the week of November 17 and a top two series for the week of November 24 according to Nielsen preliminary data.

[12/05/25 - 09:45 AM]
Video: "Taylor" - A CW Documentary Special - Trailer
The special - airing Saturday, December 13 - explores the global phenomenon of Taylor Swift and digs deep across the musician's 20-year career, a period that has seen her transcend the realm of pop star to become a cultural icon like no other.

[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.

[12/05/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams Monkeypaw Productions' "Him" Beginning December 19
The film stars Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies and more.