Why Keke Palmer Says The 'Burbs Hits Harder in 2026
The wildly popular show has racked up 1.7 billion viewing minutes on Peacock since premiering in February. And it's just been renewed for Season 2.
Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall's comedy series The 'Burbs has been renewed for a second season on Peacock following its blockbuster debut in February.
The eight-episode series — based off the 1989 film of the same name starring Tom Hanks — has made a tremendous splash on streaming, racking up 1.7 billion viewing minutes in just over two months. It also ranked as a top 10 streaming original season for four straight weeks based on minutes-viewed data from Nielsen. In its 50 first days on Peacock, it's become the platform's number-one scripted series of all time in overall reach. And get this: The series has been sold to more than 100 territories worldwide.
The 'Burbs centers on a young couple, Rob and Samira, (Whitehall and Palmer), who reluctantly move in to Rob's childhood home and quickly discover their peaceful, quiet suburban neighborhood isn't what it seems. But why is this story resonating so deeply with viewers in 2026? Palmer has a few theories.
While comparing her new series to the original Tom Hanks film from 1989, Palmer told TV Insider, “I think maybe in 1989, it was fun and interesting to be like, ‘Oh, the ‘burbs have something crazy going on.’ But in 2026, the ‘burbs do have something crazy going on, or there are at least things that we want to revisit about these archetypes that we imagine in the ‘burbs. And I think that was maybe part of the reason why they wanted to do it.”
She added, “When I looked at the pilot and met with the team, I thought, OK, this is a great opportunity to talk about some heavy topics, but to use the horror genre and comedy, almost in a similar sense [to shows] I used to love back in the day, with the old sitcoms of Norman Lear, where they wouldn’t shy away from some weird stuff or some heavy things, but they found a way to make it able to be metabolized by the public, and really just kind of get it out there and start the conversation."
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Why The 'Burbs on Peacock resonates so hard in 2026
Showrunner Celeste Hughey also has some thoughts on why this show is connecting. “We all have neighbors. We’re all in these communities of proximity. And it’s a theme that carries forever, from the ’80s to now,” she told TVInsider. “And I think it’s still timely. It’s still a world that’s fun and ripe for suspicion and stories and fun characters.”
“We’re so thrilled that audiences loved Season 1 of The ’Burbs and are going to get to spend more time in Hinkley Hills with Keke and the rest of this incredible cast,” said Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content, NBC & Peacock. “A huge congratulations to all of the writers, producers and crew who updated the beloved original film and made something funny, warm, and highly contemporary.”
