A Friend of the Family

The Brobergs are completely unprepared for the sophisticated tactics a neighbor of theirs uses to exploit their vulnerabilities, separate them and turn their daughter against them.

A Friend of the Family (2022) is a United States limited series created by Nick Antosca for Peacock. Across nine hour-long episodes, it dramatizes a true story of a family's slow unraveling. Parents Bob Broberg (Colin Hanks) and Mary Ann Broberg (Anna Paquin) are trusting, warm people who welcome a charming neighbor, Robert Berchtold (Jake Lacy), into their everyday routines. Their daughter Jan (Mckenna Grace) becomes the focus of his calculated campaign to pull her away from her parents and win her loyalty. The engine of the series is the slow accumulation of small, plausible moves, each one easy to excuse, as the Brobergs struggle to recognize what is happening to their home. Each episode builds quiet dread through domestic routine, suburban friendships, and the gap between what adults see and what a child cannot articulate. The tone is restrained and unsettling, with a grounded realism that leans on ordinary settings rather than spectacle. Fans of The Act, Big Little Lies and Mare of Easttown will find resonance in its true crime roots, intimate family conflict, and patient, character-driven suspense. Its atmosphere of creeping unease makes it a demanding but absorbing watch for adults who appreciate true crime dramatizations.

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the unsettling true-story drama and its performances.

• The Acttrue story based predatory manipulation of a family, serialized dread, grounded crime drama
• Big Little Liesslow burn domestic dread, a family undone from within, prestige limited crime drama
• Mare of Easttowntrue events dramatized as limited series, intimate suburban crime, unsettling realism

Created by

Nick Antosca

Release Date

2022-10-06

Episode runtime

52 min

Rating

7.3 / 10 (74)

What is A Friend of the Family about?

A neighbor's sophisticated manipulation tears a trusting family apart and turns their daughter against them.

What is A Friend of the Family like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Friend of the Family as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is A Friend of the Family violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in A Friend of the Family as mild.

What did critics think of A Friend of the Family?

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the unsettling true-story drama and its performances.

Which shows are like A Friend of the Family?

Shows with a similar feel include The Act, Big Little Lies, and Mare of Easttown.

How long is A Friend of the Family?

A Friend of the Family: 1 season, 9 episodes.

Is A Friend of the Family still running?

No, A Friend of the Family has ended.

Where can I watch A Friend of the Family?

In United States, A Friend of the Family streams on Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus.