Mckenna Grace has joined Peacock’s A Friend of the Family in a key role.
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife actress will play Jan Broberg in the upcoming true crime drama. Based on true events, the series follows the story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by a charismatic, obsessed family “friend.”
A Friend of the Family comes from showrunner, writer, and executive producer Nick Antosca (The Act, Channel Zero). Acclaimed director Eliza Hittman will direct multiple episodes, including the pilot.
Grace joins previously announced cast members including Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks, and Lio Tipton. You can find descriptions for each of their roles in the series below.
A Friend Of The Family Cast & Characters
MCKENNA GRACE (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Handmaid’s Tale) will play the role of Jan Broberg in the later years. Jan is the oldest daughter of Bob and Mary Ann Broberg and leads a happy, traditional life in an idyllic American city. Jan trusts family friend and neighbor Robert Berchtold, though he has plans for her abduction that she doesn’t suspect.
ANNA PAQUIN (Flack, The Irishman, True Blood) will play the role of Mary Ann Broberg. Mary Ann is the mother of three daughters, and her life has felt safe, happy and rewarding until recently. She has realized too late that she may have missed warning signs and made a terrible mistake by becoming close to her charismatic neighbor Robert Berchtold — and trusting him around her oldest daughter, Jan.
JAKE LACY (The White Lotus, Being the Ricardos) will play the role of Robert “B” Berchtold, a charming local businessman who appears to be a genial Mormon father and husband. An expert in manipulation, he puts everyone around him at ease as he carefully plots the abduction of Mary Ann’s daughter.
COLIN HANKS (Impeachment: American Crime Story) will play the role of Bob Broberg, Mary Ann’s husband and Jan’s father. Bob is big-hearted, kind, and everyone’s best friend, the very model of a suburban patriarch. As his family gets closer to neighbor Robert Berchtold, Bob begins to fear that something is amiss.
LIO TIPTON (The Edge of Sleep, Why Women Kill) will play the role of Gail Berchtold. Gail is Robert Berchtold’s wife and the mother of a large family. Her husband suffers from mood swings and this has led him to act erratically. Gail’s concerns about her husband may keep her on edge, but she never could have expected what her husband would eventually do.
About A Friend of the Family
The Brobergs – devoted to their faith, family, and community – were utterly unprepared for the sophisticated tactics their neighbor used to exploit their vulnerabilities, drive them apart, and turn their daughter against them. This is the story of how their lives were permanently altered – and how they survived.
A Friend of the Family will premiere on Peacock. The streamer has not announced a release date, so check back to THS for more updates.