This new Peacock mystery is the only thing you should binge this weekend

I love sinking my teeth into a meaty drama, but sometimes you want something a bit less demanding. There are lots of comedy shows out there that just want to make you laugh, and if you end up doing a little thinking in between, all the better.

Such is the case with The ‘Burbs, a new Peacock original series based on the Tom Hanks movie of the same name from 1989. In that film, Hanks is a suburban native who teams up with his wacky neighbors to investigate his creepy neighbors. Is there really something wrong afoot, or is suburban malaise just getting the best of him? The new show remixes the movie in a way that feels fresh, fun, and watchable.

The ‘Burbs is a solid comfort watch

The actors elevate everything

The ‘Burbs revolves around Samira (Keke Palmer), a new mother who moves from the city to the suburbs with her husband Rob (Jack Whitehall). Immediately, that’s a win for the show, because Palmer has been charming ever since her breakout role as a child star in Akeelah and the Bee (2006) right up through dramas like Hustlers and sci-fi odysseys like Nope (2022). She effortlessly holds down the for here. It’s very easy to sympathize with her character, a lawyer who’s on maternity leave and turns to neighborhood gossip to occupy her brain.

True to form, Palmer has chemistry with everyone in the cast, including the show’s new group of wacky neighbors. There’s bored ex-marine Dana (Paula Pell), skittish widow Lynn (Julia Duffy), and socially awkward rich nerd Tod (Mark Proksch). This quartet takes it upon themselves to investigate when a creepy guy named Gary (Justin Kirk) moves into the spooky old house across the street, which has stood vacant ever since a girl died there decades ago. Every one of these actors is a veteran comic performer who all make the most of the lines they’re given. We spend a lot of time with them, so if it wasn’t fun to hang out with them, the show would have a big problem. Happily, it is.

Apart from the central mystery, we dig into the lives of all of these characters, and the show works best when you just relax and enjoy the company. The ‘Burbs has been compared favorably to the Hulu show Only Murders in the Building: the subject matter is technically kind of serious, but the tone is light and inviting.

Also, at only eight episodes of about 45 minutes apiece, The ‘Burbs is easy to binge, and you can always duck out between episodes if you need a break.

The ‘Burbs blends genres

It’s a comedy with a bit of horror and mystery thrown in

At the same time, The ‘Burbs has a little more on its mind than just comedy. The idea of suburbia hiding dark secrets beneath a glossy exterior is pretty old hat — the original movie got at that idea in the ’80s and the show is returning to it almost 40 years later — but the Peacock series gives it a bit of an update by centering itself around a Black woman who already feels like a bit of an outsider when she arrives in this racially homogenous neighborhood. The show is about Samira and her new friends investigating their weird neighbor, but in some ways, she’s the weird neighbor, and the show doesn’t shy away from interrogating what that means.

We also get some light horror and mystery vibes as our characters dig into the neighborhood’s history. There’s even some unease at home. Samira and Rob are living in the same house that Rob grew up in, his parents having vacated it to live on a cruise ship. Although Samira and Rob mostly function as a healthy couple, they haven’t been together that long, and there are a few things about his past that he’s kept hidden from her. That provides the show with some tension as the season goes on.

Finally, if there are any die-hard fans of the original The ‘Burbs movie out there, the show does include plentiful easter eggs, but it’s never so slavishly faithful that it forgets to tell an original story. In the end, this new show is very much its own thing, which is for the best.

Pacing problems

Whither season 2?

The ‘Burbs is by no means a perfect show. It takes a while for the ensemble to come together, in part because the show wants to prolong the possibility that anyone in the neighborhood could be part of the nefarious conspiracy that Samira and her friends are investigating…including her friends. That means the show has to keep some of the characters at arms’ length for a while.

That ends partway through the season, when the real menace comes into focus and we know where most of our characters stand. But that twist comes so early that it drains some of the tension out of the later going. In general, The ‘Burbs has some trouble stretching the plot over eight episodes.

Moreover, this first season ends on a cliffhanger, and it’s unclear whether Peacock will renew it for more episodes. That could upset people who want the whole story right now.

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Get to binging

But overall, the good outweighs the bad. I haven’t even mentioned highlights like Samira’s brother Langston (RJ Cyler), who only appears in Zoom calls with Samira but still manages to steal scenes. It really always does come back to the cast with this show. They carry it and make the watch worthwhile.

And if The ‘Burbs doesn’t do it for you, there are lots of other great comedies out there to stream, both beloved classics and promising new shows to look out for.