{"id":463634,"date":"2026-02-12T06:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/463634\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T06:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:09:09","slug":"the-burbs-series-creator-on-connections-to-1989-film-season-2-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/463634\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Burbs’ Series Creator On Connections To 1989 Film, Season 2 Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAs Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall get settled into The \u2018Burbs, series creator Celeste Hughey<\/a> hopes to revisit Hinkley Hills soon.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile discussing her Peacock<\/a> series reboot of the 1989 horror comedy with Deadline, the Emmy nominee teased that \u201cthere\u2019s so much more mystery to unfold\u201d in a potential sophomore season.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI would love a Season 2, and we really wrote to continue the story,\u201d said Hughey. \u201cI think you\u2019ll find that there\u2019s a really compelling cliffhanger at the end. I think people will really attach these characters and really want to come back and hang out with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNow available to stream, The \u2018Burbs sees new parents Samira (Palmer) and Rob (Whitehall) move into his parents\u2019 house in the suburbs, where the housebound mom bonds with her neighbors over the mystery of a missing young girl who lived at the creepy Victorian across the street.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile the series serves as more of a spiritual sequel to the Joe Dante-helmed original, which starred Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern and Corey Feldman, the film is not directly connected to the show.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou know, an original idea around how I wanted to adapt it, there was a moment where I was like, \u2018OK, can Carrie Fisher and Tom Hanks\u2019 son be the same age in modern time?’\u201d explained Hughey. \u201cI was trying to figure out how to tie it together. And then ultimately, it felt best to create an entirely new world with new characters, but still that echo of, it\u2019s still called Hinkley Hills, but the street\u2019s a different name. The facades of the houses are different, but we wanted to have that just DNA tied to it, but still not have it be of the same world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFeaturing a cameo from Wendy Schaal<\/a>, who played housewife Bonnie Rumsfield in the film, Hughey explained that she \u201creally wanted to honor\u201d the movie\u2019s legacy. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo, having her cameo is amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving a little Tom Hanks moment as the founder of Hinkley Hills, H. Horace Hinckley, in the first episode, and then there\u2019s another really great cameo in the finale, which I\u2019m not gonna spoil for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Jack<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJack Whitehall as Rob and Keke Palmer as Samira in \u2018The Burbs<\/a>\u2018<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElizabeth Morris\/Peacock<\/p>\n

\n\tRead on about how Celeste Hughey updated suburban horror in The \u2018Burbs for 2026, now available to stream on Peacock.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: I was a huge fan of the original movie. I watched it with my dad all the time when I was a kid. What was your association with the original and what made you want to update it for a new generation?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tCELESTE HUGHEY: Well first, I hope you were able to pick up on Easter eggs because I love when fans of the movie watch it, and they can see stuff in it that were like little winks and nods. It came out when I was quite young, so I watched it when I was probably too young to understand the awesome commentary and the humor. It was terrifying to me. But revisiting it as an adult, I saw so much possibility for commentary, and I think it\u2019s still so timely. And then Brian Grazer, who produced the original movie, and Seth MacFarlane, Fuzzy Door, they wanted to make it into a movie originally during COVID, and then they started talking more about it and said it should be a series, and then I was brought on to adapt it. I very quickly had a very clear vision of what it should be because the movie, it\u2019s about kind of the community coming together and terrorizing the outsiders of the neighborhood, but I wanted to come in from the outsider perspective and find what it\u2019s like to ingratiate themselves into a community, and then, using the original DNA of the film to kind of inspire a whole new story, a whole new world and new characters. But as I mentioned with the old fans, I think you\u2019ll see throughout it that we kept the essence alive, and I think Keke was an immediate person who I wanted to star in this. I have a text message from my best friend in 2022, where we\u2019re like, \u201cWho should it be?\u201d And we both say Keke Palmer at the same time. She\u2019s just everything. She has the same charisma we love Tom Hanks for, and I felt would be the perfect person to carry that torch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: I love how the idea of suburbia has changed over the years, like the fact that they\u2019re moving into his parents\u2019 house because that\u2019s the only way they can afford to own. Can you tell me a little bit about how you updated that part?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHUGHEY: In the past, the suburbs was the dream. That was the goal, was to get that space, the yard, the picket fence, and a great place to grow up, as we say in the show. But I think for me, I\u2019m in my late 30s and a lot of my friends had kids in the past several years and they found, \u201cOK, the city of my youth where I could go out and be connected in this community of people my age around me is fading.\u201d They don\u2019t have space. They have a four-story walkup, you can\u2019t have kids there. So, a lot of my friends moved back home, to be closer to family, for the support or to even live at home because they couldn\u2019t afford a house otherwise. So that to me was kind of the way in the modern times, less for the safety, and more for the actual practicality of raising a kid, not in the city, but in a place that they could have some help from family or support from the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Keke<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeke Palmer as Samira in \u2018The Burbs\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElizabeth Morris\/Peacock<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: And you said Keke was the only person who could play this role. What was it like casting her and also Jack Whitehall, finding that pairing?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHUGHEY: Keke, her involvement goes way back before she even knew she was involved. Essentially, as I said, I immediately knew I wanted it to be her. I pitched her to the studio and they very quickly were like, \u201cOh, absolutely, that\u2019s a great idea.\u201d We have a mutual friend and I saw her at a birthday party, and I walked out of the bathroom, and we locked eyes, and I just said, \u201cHi, how are you?\u201d And then she said, \u201cGood, how are you?\u201d And in my head, I was like, \u201cShe doesn\u2019t know, in exactly a year, she\u2019s gonna read my script that\u2019s not written yet, and we\u2019re gonna work together.\u201d And then almost exactly a year later, we sent her the script and, and she and I Zoomed, and very immediately, she understood this character. I think she was excited to play a new mom since she has a 2-year-old, Leo, who\u2019s the cutest kid. And she just really saw the opportunity to discuss these themes, and she loved the tone and really loved the character. I had written the character with her voice in mind. nd then when it came to casting all these amazing people around her, Jack, I\u2019d only known a little bit about him before I\u2019d seen some of his stand-up. And when he came in for the chemistry read, they instantly were making each other laugh very naturally. They would do the scenes, and Jack ad-libbed some stuff and Keke just cracked up, and that was kind of what made us say, \u201cOK, there is something here, this is a couple we\u2019d want to watch.\u201d We actually adjusted the story a little bit for this couple, we made them a new couple versus a couple that have been together for a little bit. Because they still have this energy of like, we\u2019re still getting to know each other, but we adore each other and we have this great chemistry, but there\u2019s still some stuff to find out about each other. So, that is infused in the story as well.\u00a0And then, we have comedic geniuses in this cast, not just Jack, but we brought in all these amazing comedic character actors, Paula [Pell], Mark [Proksch] and Julia [Duffy].\u00a0I\u2019ve worked with Julia before on Palm Royale. Everyone was so excited about Colin Robinson. Being on the show, and Paula, I\u2019ve just always loved. And they really were excited, I think, to be able to show their full range of talent. These characters all carry secrets, they have shame, they\u2019re loners, they\u2019re weirdos, and for all of them to be able to show pathos and show off their dramatic side, I think was really exciting for all of them, and for Jack too. And Kapil [Talwalkar] is so awesome as well, and he and Jack, in their chemistry read, they literally had this moment where I think Jack\u2019s computer froze and then came back, and they just started giggling hysterically, and they became really good friends as well. And so, it was just really building a group of good people, and people who could do the comedy, could do the drama. I think the cast had so much fun, and I think the fun comes across in the show as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Paula<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tPaula Pell as Dana, Keke Palmer as Samira, Julia Duffy as Lynn and Mark Proksch as Tod in \u2018The Burbs\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElizabeth Morris\/Peacock<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: I also loved Wendy Schaal\u2019s cameo.\u00a0That was so cool to see how she continues the legacy of the original film in the series.<\/p>\n

\n\tHUGHEY: Yeah, again, we really wanted to honor that. So, having her cameo is amazing, having a little Tom Hanks moment as the founder of Hinkley Hills, H. Horace Hinckley, in the first episode, and then there\u2019s another really great cameo in the finale, which I\u2019m not gonna spoil for you.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: I was curious, does the show connect to the original at all? Do you want it to connect? Could Judy [ Schaal] be like Bonnie\u2019s brainy twin sister or something like that?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHUGHEY: You know, an original idea around how I wanted to adapt it, there was a moment where I was like, \u201cOK, can Carrie Fisher and Tom Hanks\u2019 son be the same age in modern time?\u201d I was trying to figure out how to tie it together. And then ultimately, it felt best to create an entirely new world with new characters, but still that echo of, it\u2019s still called Hinkley Hills, but the street\u2019s a different name. The facades of the houses are different, but we wanted to have that just DNA tied to it, but still not have it be of the same world. So, we had thought maybe the librarian is Bonnie Rumsfield all grown up, but we wanted to be a different character, entirely. I love that, her brainy, her brainy sister.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: As far as the mystery, it seems like Rob and Naveen appear to know more than what they\u2019re letting on about what happened across the street. Can you tell me about that?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHUGHEY: I think it was fun in crafting the story to give everyone a secret and I feel like you find that every character, at a certain point, you are suspicious of, and it keeps people on your toes. And I think it\u2019s a common trope that the husband did it. So, I wanted to make sure that we explored that, but I think you\u2019ll be surprised as you continue watching, just how the story weaves.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Julia<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJulia Duffy as Lynn, Mark Proksch as Tod, Paula Pell as Dana, Jack Whitehall as Rob and Keke Palmer as Samira in \u2018The Burbs\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElizabeth Morris\/Peacock<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: I also love Justin Kirk as the creepy neighbor, and him and his wife\u2019s dynamic feels so reminiscent of the original movie and that family across the street. Can you tell me a little bit about that?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHUGHEY: I\u2019ve actually known Justin for 14 years at this point, and I always thought of him to play Gary. I was like, again, \u201cIn a year, your agent\u2019s gonna send you the script.\u201d So, we called the character Justin Kirk in the room. To me, it was like it, it can only be Justin, and he has that like suave, handsome, debonair, but kind of creepy air that I think the doctor in the original movie kind of has, where you\u2019re like, \u201cI think I like you. You do have a certain charm to you, but you\u2019re also terrifying me at the same time.\u201d And when Justin read the script, he was so sweet.\u00a0He was like, \u201cI don\u2019t say yes just because I\u2019m friends with somebody.\u00a0It\u2019s because I really like the story and the script.\u201d And so, I was so grateful that he said yes. I feel like he is such an incredible actor. Even before I knew him, I loved him in Angels in America and Weeds, and I think he just adds such great heft and gravitas.\u00a0All the directors were excited to work with him.\u00a0All the actors loved to work with him, and he\u2019s just the best.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: Yeah, he\u2019s really fun to watch.\u00a0Is there any possibility for a Season 2?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHUGHEY: I would love a Season 2, and we really wrote to continue the story. I think you\u2019ll find that there\u2019s a really compelling cliffhanger at the end. I think people will really attach these characters and really want to come back and hang out with them. And there\u2019s so much more mystery to unfold in The \u2018Burbs. There\u2019s endless inspiration as well. I think everyone has a crazy neighbor story. I love asking people, \u201cWho\u2019s the most insane person, the weirdest person you\u2019ve lived next to?\u201d I had one neighbor shoot another neighbor in the leg because the other neighbor was trespassing on their property. I live in a cul-de-sac, and crazy stuff happens all the time. It\u2019s quiet, but when it\u2019s not quiet, it\u2019s gunshots basically. But there\u2019s so much more we want to tell, and I really hope that Peacock gives us a second season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall get settled into The \u2018Burbs, series creator Celeste Hughey hopes to revisit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[215964,88,220,192500,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-463634","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-celeste-hughey","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-peacock","11":"tag-the-burbs","12":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=463634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/463635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=463634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=463634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=463634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}