Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to the true crime series “A Friend of the Family,” which tells the story of the multiple kidnappings of Jan Broberg.
Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks, and Lio Tipton will all star in the series, which hails from “The Act” co-creator Nick Antosca. The show was originally announced as being in development back in May 2020.
“A Friend of the Family” is based on the 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 of scripted content for 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.”
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Paquin (“Flack,” “True Blood”) will star as 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.
Lacy (“The White Lotus”, “Being the Ricardos”) will play the 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.
Hanks (“Impeachment: American Crime Story,” “Fargo”) 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.
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.
Paquin is repped by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Hanks is repped by UTA, MGMT Entertainment, Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson. Tipton is repped by Mosaic, ICM, and McKuin Frankel Whitehead. Lacy is repped by UTA, Beth Rosner Management, and The Lede Company.
Jan Broberg and Mary Ann Broberg will serve as producers on the series. Antosca is the writer, showrunner, and executive producer. Eliza Hittman will executive produce and direct multiple episodes, including the first episode. Alex Hedlund also executive produces. Skye Borgman of Top Knot Films will be consulting producer. UCP is the studio on the series. Antosca and his Eat the Cat banner are currently under an overall deal at UCP.
“Alongside Jan and Mary Ann Broberg, Nick and Alex have brought humanity to a delicate and haunting story,” said Beatrice Springborn, president of 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.”
