‘The ‘Burbs’ rehashes the same scenes we’ve seen before

TV poster for “The ‘Burbs.” (Courtesy of Peacock)

The television reboot of the 1989 murder-mystery dramedy has little vision of its own

Peacock premiered its comedy-mystery television series “The ‘Burbs” on Feb. 8, marketed as a modern-day adaptation of the 1989 film of the same name, which was a dark-comedy murdery mystery set in suburbia that featured Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher. However, no prior knowledge is necessary to understand the series.

Following the format of its predecessor, the television reboot of “The ‘Burbs” stars Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall as Samira and Rob Fisher, a newly married couple who move into the seemingly picturesque town of Hinkley Hills. Their new home is touted by its residents as “the safest town in America,” which couldn’t be more cliché and immediately signals that the married couple is in for it.

Indeed, Samira, an attorney and new mother, rapidly comes to believe that something nefarious is afoot in her suburban idyll after seeing figures in the windows of the run-down mansion across the street, which bears the grand title of Hinkley House. Her growing obsession with the supposedly haunted pink abode spirals into a series of attempts to prove that its new owner, Gary Wilson (Justin Kirk), is responsible for the disappearance of a local teenage girl from 20 years ago.

Roped into these misadventures are her quickly solidified friend group of suburban neighbors who are each battling their own ghosts and demons, some of which are literally stored in the kitchen freezer.

Samira’s husband Rob is not exempt from having a tragic backstory, either — it’s hinted at for a couple of episodes, then made explicit through flashbacks that might be surprising to those who were scrolling through their phone during the series’ runtime thus far.

As a whole, the mystery aspect of the plot lacks intrigue. Clues and character motives are hinted at and then immediately explored, leaving little time for heavy suspense to build up. Emotionally, the series fares little better. Disregarding the inherent drama of keeping sordid secrets from one’s partner, Palmer and Whitehall barely have enough chemistry while delivering uninspired lines about co-parenting their 10-month-old to sell their characters as the loving newlyweds they are supposed to be.

Running — or dragging — alongside the main mystery are a few subplots, which all feel shoehorned in. “The ‘Burbs” runs the gamut of classic trouble-in-suburbia tropes, including extramarital affairs, vengeful partners, illegal activities, legal house arrest and an overbearing and maybe evil homeowners association. With such a range, it is nearly astonishing that none of them truly hit the mark.

Instead, the show’s overuse and combination of these tropes transforms its cast of characters into a bunch of unreal, one-dimensional cutouts who make nonsensical choices, solely for the sake of adding to the town’s mysterious, vaguely threatening atmosphere. Their behavior and decisions are never recognizable as the outcome of rational human thought or as understandable emotional responses to their circumstances, which becomes a testament to how formulaic and trope-dependent the show’s writing is.

Underpinning all of the above is an inexplicably curated soundtrack whose songs rarely seem appropriate for the scenes they are featured in. Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.” hardly seems to deliver convincing suspense during the mid-season reveal of Rob’s origin story. Similarly, Rihanna’s “Disturbia” is used twice during the final episode, probably in an attempt to establish some sort of musical throughline. Both times, it fails to serve its purpose, whether as romantic background noise or as climactic cliffhanger material.The effect is a perplexing experience where the actors, plot and music all seem to be straining to achieve something, but as if they were separate entities, not a cohesive show.

All in all, “The ‘Burbs” is not so bad that it is unwatchable, but it is not good enough to be memorable, even with the contrived cliffhanger that caps off the first and only season (for now).

More confusing than its own purported mystery is why this reboot was even attempted — instead of piggybacking off the aura and plot structure of a film from over 30 years ago, why not write an original story?

Written by: Julie Huang — arts@theaggie.org