The brand new Peacock series The Burbs, starring Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall, dropped all eight episodes of its first season on February 8, 2026. Viewers who finished the binge were hit with a shocking final scene that did not wrap things up. Instead, one main character got drugged and stuffed into a car trunk, driving away as the screen cut to black.
While the streamer has not yet officially greenlit a second season, the show’s creator Celeste Hughey and star Keke Palmer are already speaking openly about where the story goes next. They confirm the kidnapping is not just a random shock—it is the exact launching point for the larger conspiracy they mapped out from the very beginning.
The ‘Alive and Well’ Alison Twist Was Only the First Layer of the Mystery
The biggest surprise of the first season was the discovery that Alison Grant, the girl who vanished from Hinkley Hills in 2005, never actually died. Viewers learned she had been living right across the street under the fake identity of Betsy, the wife of Gary Wilson (Justin Kirk) . She escaped her captor years ago but stayed hidden out of fear.
Celeste Hughey told TheWrap she intentionally revealed this secret halfway through the season rather than saving it for the finale.
“The Allison twist was always something we wanted to do, but we wanted to make sure it wasn’t the entire length of the season, otherwise people would start to suspect something,” Hughey explained. “We wanted to have that reveal happen halfway through the season to kick start the latter half of the season’s mystery.”
Once Alison’s survival was out in the open, the show shifted focus. The real villain was not just one creepy garbage man. Walters (Chad Lindberg) , the town trash collector, was taking orders. He admitted to murdering Gary and his brother Hank, but he was getting paid to remove specific people from the neighborhood.
The Cul-de-Sac Crew Realizes the HOA Is Running a Dark Operation
Samira Fisher (Keke Palmer) , the sharp former civil rights lawyer, connects the dots by the finale. Every victim who disappeared over the years shared one thing in common: they upset the Home Owners’ Association president, Agnes (Danielle Kennedy) , or her late ally, former police chief Dan Daniels.
The victims included a rebellious teenage girl (Alison), a teacher who did not fit in, a man selling handbags from his trunk, and Gary’s brother Hank. Samira concludes that Walters was the hitman, but Agnes and Dan were the ones ordering the hits to protect Hinkley Hills’ image as the safest town in America.
Hughey confirmed this larger conspiracy is the real story.
“There is a larger conspiracy afoot. The HOA is involved, and we are figuring out who exactly is pulling the strings,” she said. “Obviously, finding Naveen is the biggest important thing going into a potential second season, and then figuring out, really, what is going on in this town and who’s behind it.”
Naveen’s Kidnapping Sets the Stage for Everything Coming Next
The most personal blow came in the final minutes. Naveen (Kapil Talwalkar) , Rob’s childhood best friend, finally signs his divorce papers and tries to move on. He goes on a date with Kate (Georgia Leva) , the widow of the late police chief. She turns out to be one of Agnes’s loyal operatives.
Kate drugs Naveen, locks him in her trunk, and drives away. Samira and Rob realize what happened but cannot stop the car in time.
Samira delivers the final line of the season: “No one kidnaps our friend in our neighborhood and gets away with it!”
Kapil Talwalkar admitted he has no idea what happens to his character next.
“This could be the end or this could not,” Talwalkar told TheWrap. “This is a conversation I’ve had with people higher above me. You really don’t know.”
Hughey teased that Naveen is not necessarily gone for good. She chose him as the target because losing him would hurt the audience the most.
The Cast and Creator Are Already Deep in Season 2 Planning
Even though Peacock has not yet ordered more episodes, the creative team is not waiting around.
Keke Palmer, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, made it clear she expects to continue.
“I really feel like we have to have a Season 2,” Palmer said. “When you think about a town like Hinkley Hills, where their main phrase is, it’s the safest town in America. There has to be a reason for that. The uncovering, it can’t end here. We need to know more of what was the lie underneath that lie underneath that lie.”
Hughey confirmed she is already thinking about specific storylines. The next chapter will focus on Samira and Rob settling into the Victorian house they inherited from Alison. But more importantly, it will dig into how deep Agnes’s network actually runs.
The conspiracy does not stop at the HOA president. It likely involves the police, real estate agents, and town government officials who have been protecting the brand of Hinkley Hills for decades.
What a Second Season of The Burbs Will Look Like
If Peacock gives the green light, the show will shift from a single creepy house mystery to a full-blown town-wide takedown.
The cul-de-sac neighbors—Lynn (Julia Duffy) , Dana (Paula Pell) , and Tod (Mark Proksch) —already proved they are willing to break the law to protect each other. Lynn kept her dead husband Marty in the freezer for months. Dana was living with an ankle monitor. Tod is always watching. They buried Marty’s body in the Victorian basement to keep Lynn out of trouble.
These characters are not heroes. They are messy, nosy, and desperate. But they are also the only people willing to fight the system.
Julia Duffy told Us Weekly she hopes to meet new characters in a second season, including Lynn’s children and Rob’s parents. She also teased the possibility of cameos from the original 1989 movie cast, starting with Tom Hanks.
The Rotten Tomatoes Score and Critical Reception
Critics have responded mostly positively to the series. The Burbs holds a 77% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on early reviews.
Judy Berman of Time Magazine wrote that the show “finds a unique voice fast, revealing a sense of humor that is gentler than that of its influences and unusually nuanced in its take on suburban secrets.”
Alan French of FandomWire praised Keke Palmer’s lead performance, saying the role lets her “show off her comedy while still grounding her performance in something real.”
Audience scores are more mixed. Some fans of the original 1989 film feel the remake is too focused on social commentary. Others say the show is genuinely funny and weird in the best way.
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Where to Watch The Burbs Season 1
All eight episodes of The Burbs Season 1 are currently streaming exclusively on Peacock in the United States.
For viewers in the United Kingdom, the series is available on Sky Max and NOW TV.
Canadian viewers can stream the show on Amazon Prime Video through StackTV.
In Australia and India, the series has not yet secured a specific distributor, but Peacock originals typically find homes on Amazon Prime Video or Paramount+ in those regions.
Global audiences outside the US should check local streaming guides for availability.
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