Peacock’s debuted an official trailer for the limited true crime series A Friend of the Family starring Colin Hanks and Anna Paquin. The nine-episode drama is based on a bizarre true story, and the trailer introduces the key players including the titular friend of the family who turns out to be a complete psychopath.
The cast also includes Jake Lacy, Lio Tipton, Mckenna Grace, and Hendrix Yancey. Nick Antosca serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner, with the real kidnap victim at the heart of the story – Jan Broberg – involved as a producer.
Peacock’s official synopsis describes the series as “based on the harrowing true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped multiple times over a period of a few 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 notes that when he first heard the Brobergs’ story, he empathized with their vulnerability. ” I felt like I understood their story from the outside,” explained Antosca. “But it stayed with me, and I wanted to understand from the inside — to know what their lives felt like, to live in each family member’s experience, to see how they were caught in such a bizarre web, and to help audiences empathize with them too.”
Antosca believes the Brobergs’ story is relatable. “The Brobergs’ story is an extreme point on a continuum that more of us are on than we realize,” stated Antosca, adding, “It was a wrenching, complicated story to work on. In addition to the thousands of pages of trial transcripts, FBI notes, interviews, and childhood diaries that we were able to use to tell the story, we have had the privilege of working with Jan Broberg herself. We could not and would not tell this story without Jan and her family’s blessing and participation.”
Mary Ann Broberg serves as a producer, with Alex Hedlund and director Eliza Hittman executive producing.
A Friend of the Family premieres on Peacock on October 6, 2022.
The Cast and Characters, Courtesy of Peacock:
ANNA PAQUIN plays 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 plays 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 plays 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 plays 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.
MCKENNA GRACE plays the role of Jan Broberg in the later years. Jan is the oldest daughter of Bob and Mary Ann Broberg and leads a happy, traditional life in an idyllic American city. Jan trusts family friend and neighbor Robert Berchtold, though he has plans for her abduction that she doesn’t suspect.
HENDRIX YANCEY plays the role of Jan Broberg in the early years. Jan is the oldest daughter of Bob and Mary Ann Broberg and leads a happy, traditional life in an idyllic American city. Jan trusts family friend and neighbor Robert Berchtold, though he has plans for her abduction that she doesn’t suspect.
