Keke Palmer isn’t your average girl next door in the latest dark comedy, The ‘Burbs, which is the 2026 reimagining of the cult-classic horror comedy of the same name.
In fact, Palmer plays a mother looking to adjust to suburban life without losing sight of who she is—outside of the new, rapid lifestyle she’s attained after meeting, marrying, and having a child with the love of her life within the span of eight months.
On embracing motherhood on-screen while simultaneously handling it off-screen
“Anytime I played a mom before, I was not a mom, so this is definitely like the first time, [and] I think that makes us very similar,” Palmer told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “I really related to a lot of the themes that we’re covering this first season—just how you are changed after having a child, and how you have to get adjusted to never being the person that you were before, but really loving this new person and finding a way to reconnect with her.”
She added, “I love that opportunity to kind of have a bit of a moment of catharsis with myself that hopefully the viewers enjoy as well, whether they are a new parent or have been a parent for a long time. I think it’s really relatable in that sense.”
‘The ‘Burbs’ unearths childhood trauma in a way that’ll make you laugh
“That was always the balancing act with this show,” said Jack Whitehall, who stars opposite Palmer as her on-screen husband, Rob Fisher.
“It did lurch between comedy and drama, and it had some quite hard, like, sort of tonal shifts,” he continued. “But, thankfully, a lot of that was there in the script and in the writing. It was a challenge as actors to make sure that you sort of grounded everything, but that’s what makes the show work—it’s the heart of it. There is real emotional truth, and there are really strong character arcs, and then you can have so much fun around that, and have sort of sillier scenes and those moments of light and shade. But I think it was just making sure that it was all sort of anchored with a proper emotional core.”
A peek inside the minds that make up the cul-de-sac
Along with Palmer and Whitehall, series regulars include Julia Duffy as Lynn Gardner, Paula Pell as Dana Richards, Mark Proksch as Tod Mann, and Kapil Talwalkar as Naveen Varma.
To get a further look inside what lies ahead in the debut season of The ‘Burbs, inspired by the 1989 horror-comedy film of the same name and set in present-day suburbia, we asked what each character would talk about in their diary entries.
“Samira, I feel she’d be writing about what she sees,” said Palmer.
“She would be on conspiracies,” Whitehall chimed in.
What the rest of the cul-de-sac would be saying
“My character would probably talk about my wife, because I’m longing for her,” said Pell. “I have a lot of shame and fear that she’s not going to come back, and there’s just a lot going on. I’m always calling and leaving her messages, so I think my diary would be almost like I’m writing to her. I have a fantasy that I’m going to read it to her over a candlelit dinner if she ever comes back.”
“I would just be writing about what I cooked today, and why don’t they bring better wine to wine night?” said Duffy of her character, Lynn.
Talwalkar added, “I think Naveen would be blind ranking different genres of music.”
The ‘Burbs is now streaming on Peacock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new movie with Keke Palmer in 2026?
Keke Palme is poised to have multiple film projects in 2026, one of them is Boots Riley’s film I Love Boosters, which will premiere at SXSW.
What is the new show ‘The ‘Burbs’ about?
Per the official description from Peacock, “Inspired by the 1989 horror-comedy film of the same name and set in present-day suburbia, The ‘Burbs follows a young couple who have reluctantly relocated to the husband’s childhood home. Their world is upended when a new neighbor moves in across the street, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood.”