Rosario Monachino
A Friend of the Family is a new true crime series about child abduction that has left viewers ‘screaming at the TV’.
The show is based on the same story as the jaw-dropping documentary Abducted In Plain Sight – which shocked audiences after it was released on Netflix in 2019.
It follows the Broberg family and their daughter Jan, who was kidnapped twice during the 1970s by Robert Berchtold.
Watch the trailer here…
The synopsis for the new programme reads: “Based on true events, it follows Robert Berchtold, a close friend of the Broberg family, who kidnaps Jan Broberg twice over a period of two years.”
It debuted its first four episodes on Peacock at the beginning of October and has since been releasing episodes weekly, with the most recent episode released on October 13.
The new show has left viewers confused, shaken and shocked.
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One person commented: “So I started A Friend of the Family last night. I was definitely screaming at the TV because what the f***.”
“I mean anyone who wants to watch actual well-done horror should look no further than A Friend of the Family is all I’m saying,” added a second viewer.
Someone else shared: “A Friend of the Family on Peacock is INSANE!!!!!! The acting is so great that it has me upset beyond belief!!! This story is NUTS!!!”
“Watching A Friend Of The Family, and yep, the story is as bat s*** crazy as it was the first time I heard it,” another viewer mentioned.
A fifth person said: “I’m watching A Friend of the Family and I am screaming at the TV.
“People seem to care about appearances, and how the adult would NEVER do anything like that, rather than THINKING ABOUT THE KID.”
The cast of A Friend of the Family includes Colin Hanks (Jumanji: The Next Level), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus), McKenna Grace (Ghostbuster: Afterlife), and Anna Paquin (True Blood).
Since the show aired, it has received positive reviews with Lucy Mangan from The Guardian labelling it as ‘the most jaw-droppingly incredible true-crime story there is’.
Related Article: Viewers Urge Netflix To Add Trigger Warning At Start Of ‘Horrifying’ New Film
Jen Broberg and her mother Mary Ann serve as producers for A Friend of the Family.
Speaking to TODAY, she explained how she wanted to be involved with the show to ‘raise awareness’ and help people deal with the trauma that she also suffered from.
Broberg said: “With these actors and this production team who cared about the bigger purpose of telling my story, which is to raise awareness and prevention.
“For people to have hope that they can heal after such terrible trauma, and for families to talk and stop hiding their story in the shadows.”
A Friend of the Family releases every Thursday and is available to stream through Peacock in the US and can be watched on Sky and NOW TV in the UK.
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