Anna Paquin and Colin Hanks are the big names in new Peacock true crime drama ”A Friend of the Family” which will be shooting in metro Atlanta.
“A Friend of the Family” is based on the true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan in the 1970s was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by a charismatic, obsessed family “friend.” The neighbor, Robert Berchtold, who went by the nickname “B,” used sophisticated tactics to exploit the family’s vulnerabilities, drive them apart, and turn their daughter against them.
Hulu true crime drama “The Act” co-creator Nick Antosca is overseeing the series.
“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, who describes it as a story “of deception and resilience.”
Paquin (“The Irishman,” “True Blood”) will play Mary Ann Broberg, Jan’s mom who thinks life is just fine until it’s too late. Hanks (”Life in Pieces”) plays her husband Bob, who is big-hearted, kind and everyone’s best friend.
Jake Lacy (”The White Lotus,” “The Office”) plays the evil neighbor Berchtold, a local businessman who on the surface appears to be a genial Mormon father and husband.
Jan Broberg was the subject of 2019 Netflix documentary “Abducted in Plain Sight.” Broberg will serve as a producer on this scripted series, along with her mother.
