True crime thrillers are something we can’t get enough of- and a new upcoming series from Peacock takes one of of the best crime docs of the past few years, Abducted In Plain Sight, and turns it into a dramatised nine part drama, arriving in the UK on Sky and NOW in October.
Back in 2017, film director Skye Borgman released the documentary Abducted In Plain Sight, a 90 minute film that told the story of Idaho teen Jan Broberg Felt, who was abducted in the 1970s on two separate occasions. It was based on a 2003 memoir by Broberg Felt and her mother and it gained viewers and interest in the case after it was released on Netflix in 2019.
A Friend Of The Family takes the harrowing case and puts it into the miniseries format, following Robert Berchtold, the neighbour of Jan Broberg-Felt and her family and who plots to kidnap her.
Idaho teen Jan Broberg Felt was abducted twice in the 1970s...
The upcoming drama also boasts a pretty strong cast, the most high profile one being Oscar winning actress Anna Paquin, who stars as Mary Ann Broberg, Jan’s mother. Also starring are Colin Hanks (son of Tom and has appeared in Band of Brothers, Dexter and Fargo) as Jan’s father Bob, Lio Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Warm Bodies), McKenna Grace (Ghostbusters Afterlife, Gifted) and Patrick Fischler (Mad Men, Lost). Meanwhile, Jake Lacy (The White Lotus, The Office) plays the central role of Robert Berchtold.
The series, despite the disturbing events, has the seal of approval from both Jan and her mother. Jan, who’s done some acting work in TV and film, is one of the producers on the show, along with her mother. According to an article in Vanity Fair, Jan left a letter in Jake Lacy’s trailer, encouraging him to adopt the charming, warm persona of Berchtold, that in reality “disguised his monstrous nature”. Peacock dropped the official trailer for the series recently, giving a glimpse at the performances of the cast, with Anna Paquin’s Mary Ann and Jake Lacy’s Robert Bechtold taking the spotlight.
Fore more to watch on streaming, why not check out our Best of Streaming in September guide?
A Friend of the Family is set to debut in the UK on 7th October, on both Sky and NOW.
