New Things: THE BURBS

I went in with low expectations for The Burbs on Peacock and the show couldn’t even surpass the low bar I had set. The first and most glaring issue with the show is that it isn’t one season. A few episodes in, I thought the show already felt too long - both in episode length and season length - and then in the end you realize that it’s not a one-and-done series.

I saw one review that said the show was hilarious but I don’t see it. It’s not devoid of laughs but it’s not really a comedy. The show wants to keep red herrings and mysteries alive which means they don’t really get that deep into any of the characters. I’m surprised that it was produced by Seth MacFarlane because I thought he might have gone more over-the-top with it but instead it’s just kind of a middling whodunnit. Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall are an odd couple, which is kind of addressed but - like everything else - not really explored. But the real weakness of this show was the inability to sell any of the “twists”. Every time something came up, you knew that it was a red herring and the explanations for the red herrings were often just plain stupid. (Yet still not as stupid as His & Hers.)

At the very least, The Burbs should have been a Fargo-esque anthology, start with a new creepy house or creepy neighbor each season. There are countless ways to tell that story. I definitely will not be tuning in for season 2, should it get picked up.