Peacock’s latest black-comedy series, The ‘Burbs, led by Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall, has received mostly positive reviews from critics, leading to a considerably high score on the review-aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes. Celeste Hughey created the series as an adaptation of the 1989 Tom Hanks movie of the same name.
What the critics are saying about The ‘Burbs in reviews
Amber Dowling of TheWrap gave The ‘Burbs a positive review. “By centering women, and specifically a Black woman, in a space historically coded as safe, white and male, The ’Burbs doubles as an exploration of who gets to feel secure in suburbia, and who never really has,” Dowling wrote.
Sarah Fields of Tell-Tale TV noted that The ‘Burbs isn’t “groundbreaking TV” before adding that “it’s not meant to be.” Fields elaborated, “It is intended to be some fun escapism with endearing characters you enjoy spending time with. By that metric, it more than meets the mark. And frankly, sometimes that’s all you really need from a show.”
Meanwhile, Alan French of FandomWire praised Palmer’s performance in the series. “The ‘Burbs gives Keke Palmer an excellent role to show off her comedy while still grounding her performance in something real,” French noted. “After all, Palmer investigating a decades-old murder mystery was always going to make for a great showcase.”
Time Magazine‘s Judy Berman underscored that The ‘Burbs “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.”
The ‘Burbs gets a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes
At the time of this article’s composition, The ‘Burbs has a 77% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes after 13 reviews. This is significantly better than the 56% score that the original movie holds on the website.
The ‘Burbs debuted on Peacock on February 8, 2026. All eight episodes of the series are currently streaming on the platform.
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on ComingSoon.
