When I was younger, my dad owned “Big,” “Money Pit” and “Forrest Gump” on DVD. These movies served as my introduction to Tom Hanks. Naturally, I was intrigued when I saw Peacock planned to reboot “The ‘Burbs,” another Hanks classic, into a TV series.
In “The ‘Burbs” (1989), Ray Peterson’s (Tom Hanks) much needed staycation is interrupted when he and his friends suspect his new neighbors, The Klopeks, of participating in a deadly cult. Peterson, Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern) and Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun) comedically try to uncover what’s really going on.
“The ‘Burbs” (2026) honors its source material and pushes the characters past the one-dimensional personality barrier, but still comes up short in some crucial aspects.
Samira Fisher (Keke Palmer) is a litigator and newlywed wife to book editor Robert Fisher (Jack Whitehall). After being robbed while living in the city, the Fishers decide to move out to Rob’s childhood home in “the safest town in America,” Hinkley Hills, to protect their newborn baby, Miles. Samira is immediately suspicious of the worn-down pink Hinkley House across the street from their Ashfield Place home. When her maternity leave allows for extra time at home, she launches an investigation that reveals their ominous neighbor, Rob’s past and an ensuing whodunit mystery.
The show often directly references the movie. Almost every episode is titled after the film’s best lines. They even recreate the scene where the mysterious neighbor offers sardines and pretzels as a snack. The line “it came with the frame” was used in that same scene. Other references include the dog finding a presumably human bone, the car pulling out of the garage similarly, digging in the neighbor’s basement and a quick cameo from Ricky Butler (Corey Feldman) coming out of the local bar.
The stark differences between Samira and Ray help create necessary distinctions between the show and the movie. Samira was much more successful when figuring out what actually happened. She used her investigative lawyer skills to get to the truth. Ray does find out what’s really going on, but it’s not before his destructiveness results in the explosion of the Klopeks’ house and him almost getting killed.
Samira is also a Black woman in a predominantly white suburb. During the series, she deals with racial comments and microaggressions that Ray never had to deal with.
Unlike its predecessor, “The ‘Burbs” doesn’t take full advantage of the cul-de-sac setting. The 104-minute movie develops a mental map of where every character lives. I couldn’t develop that same map in eight episodes. The show often sets scenes inside homes instead of a porch, lawn, garage or backyard.
Furthermore, the plot doesn’t revolve around the mystique of the haunted house like the original. The movie hints and teases at what could possibly be inside the house. It’s not until around the third act that they are let in. But by the end of the first episode in the reboot, they are already inside the Hinkley House. The focus lies instead on the kidnapping of Rob’s childhood friend.
Beyond the plot, the music was underwhelming. The movie featured a memorable orchestral soundtrack composed by Jerry Goldsmith, bringing mystery, adventure and the risk to life. But in the show, the music relied heavily on modern tracks that didn’t capture the atmosphere of the cul-de-sac and its residents as much. However, credit is due for their use of Rihanna’s “Disturbia” in the season finale.
Due to runtime constraints, most of the movie’s characters don’t have much to their personalities, making them less fleshed out, while the show offers dedicated runtime for supporting characters to deal with their secrets, allowing viewers to care about them rather than viewing them as just comics.
While there wasn’t really a need for a reboot — besides sardines propaganda — I’m totally down with it. The reboot doesn’t contend with the original, but I would happily watch a second season with the unresolved events of the season finale. If there’s anything I took away from this, it’s that I hate cul-de-sacs.
