Peacock’s upcoming true crime limited drama A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY rounds out casting with Austin Stowell (The Hating Game, Three Women), Patrick Fischler (American Crime Story: Impeachment, The Right Stuff), Bree Elrod (Red Rocket), and Philip Ettinger (First Reformed, Angelyne).
The series is from Nick Antosca (The Act, Channel Zero), who will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Antosca, under his production banner Eat the Cat, will produce via his overall deal with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Stowell, Fischler, Elrod, and Ettinger join previously announced series stars Anna Paquin (Flack, The Irishman, True Blood), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus, Being the Ricardos), Colin Hanks (The Offer, Impeachment: American Crime Story), Lio Tipton (The Edge of Sleep, Why Women Kill), Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Handmaid’s Tale) and Hendrix Yancey (George & Tammy, Unbelievable).
A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY is based on the harrowing 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.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
AUSTIN STOWELL (The Hating Game, Three Women) will play the role of FBI Agent Pete Welsh, a young investigator dead set on returning Jan Broberg to her family. As a father himself, Pete invests in Jan’s case and grows frustrated by Robert Berchtold’s ability to continue manipulating everyone around him.
PATRICK FISCHLER (American Crime Story: Impeachment, The Right Stuff) will play the role of Garth Pincock, Bannock County’s seasoned district attorney. A Mormon, Pincock leads the state’s prosecution against Berchtold, coaching the Brobergs and becoming increasingly baffled by the failures of the justice system.
BREE ELROD (Red Rocket) will play the role of Jennifer Ferguson, a friendly local lawyer and longtime customer of the Brobergs’ flower shop. A seeming ally at first, her relationship to the Brobergs becomes complicated when she takes on Berchtold as a client.
PHILIP ETTINGER (First Reformed, Angelyne) will play the role of Joe Berchtold, a used car salesman who is forced into a tough position when his older brother kidnaps Jan Broberg. Despite his discomfort with his brother’s abduction of a 12-year-old girl, Joe remains close with him, even as he agrees to cooperate with the FBI.
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED CHARACTERS / DESCRIPTIONS:
ANNA PAQUIN (Flack, The Irishman, True Blood) will play the role of 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.
JAKE LACY (The White Lotus, Being the Ricardos) will play the role of 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.
COLIN HANKS (The Offer, Impeachment: American Crime Story) 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.
LIO 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.
MCKENNA GRACE (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Handmaid’s Tale) will play the role of Jan Broberg in the later years. HENDRIX YANCEY (George & Tammy, Unbelievable) will play the role of Jan Broberg in the early years. Jan is the oldest daughter of Bob and Mary Ann Broberg and leads a happy, traditional life in an idyllic American city. Jan trusts family friend and neighbor Robert Berchtold, though he has plans for her abduction that she doesn’t suspect.
Acclaimed director Eliza Hittman is set to direct and executive produce multiple episodes, including the first episode (101).
The limited series comes from UCP and will be based on Jan Broberg’s stranger-than-fiction kidnapping story.
Jan Broberg and Mary Ann Broberg will also serve as producers.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
· Showrunner / Executive Producer / Writer: Nick Antosca
· Executive Producer: Alex Hedlund
· Executive Producer / Director (multiple episodes, including 101): Eliza Hittman
· Producers: Jan Broberg, Mary Ann Broberg
· Consulting Producer: Skye Borgman for Top Knot Films
· Produced by: UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group
· Format: True crime limited drama series
