A Friend of the Family is an American biographical crime drama miniseries. Based on true events, it follows Robert Berchtold (Jake Lacy), who, in the 1970s, sexually abused and twice kidnapped Jan Broberg (Hendrix Yancey and Mckenna Grace). Colin Hanks, Lio Tipton, and Anna Paquin appear in supporting roles. The series was released between October 6 and November 10, 2022, on Peacock.
Nick Antosca created the show after reading Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story (2003) and watching Abducted in Plain Sight (2017), both of which discuss Broberg's kidnappings. Antosca thought Broberg's story was too intricate for Abducted in Plain Sight 90-minute runtime and sought to retell the events with more context and depth. Broberg and her mother, Mary Ann, served as producers on the show; Jan was often invited to the writers room to provide suggestions. Production occurred between February and August 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia; and Los Angeles, California. Critics gave A Friend of the Family positive reviews, and praised Eliza Hittman's direction and Lacy's performance.
Cast and characters Main Jake Lacy as Robert Berchtold Colin Hanks as Bob Broberg, Mary's husband and Jan's dad Anna Paquin as Mary Ann Broberg, Bob's wife and Jan's mom Lio Tipton as Gail Berchtold, Robert's ex-wife Mckenna Grace as Jan Broberg Hendrix Yancey as young Jan Broberg
Recurring Austin Stowell as FBI Agent Peter Walsh Patrick Fischler as Garth Pincock Philip Ettinger as Joe Berchtold Maggie Sonnier as Karen Broberg Mila Harris as young Karen Broberg Norah Murphy as Susan Broberg Elle Lisic as young Susan Broberg Tyler Wojton as Joel Berchtold Bree Elrod as Jennifer Ferguson Ella Jay Basco as Sofia Callie Johnson as Cop #4 Kate Adams as Eileen Keilah Davies as Young Caroline Hansen Jan Broberg as Jan's psychologist
Episodes
Production Development
Robert Berchtold, a close family friend, kidnapped and sexually assaulted Jan Broberg at ages 12 and 14. Jan and her mother, Mary Ann Broberg, wrote a memoir titled Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story (2003) about these events. In 2017, Broberg told her story in the television documentary Abducted in Plain Sight. After watching the documentary, Nick Antosca was preoccupied with it and considered Broberg's family fascinating. He later read Stolen Innocence, which he said "was relatable in that we all have vulnerabilities that somebody can use against us". Despite admiring Abducted in Plain Sight, Antosca thought the story was too intricate for an 90-minute runtime; he wanted to work with Broberg and her family to retell the events with more context and depth. Antosca and his colleagues studied many trial transcripts, FBI notes, interviews, and childhood journals about the case. From the show's conception, he knew it would not include anything "exploitative or potentially gratuitous or uncomfortable". Antosca said viewers should be able to process each part of the story without being overwhelmed by anything that felt exploitative. He said A Friend of the Family should not show any of Broberg's abuse as a teenager, believing it would not serve the series' purpose.
Jan Broberg had received several offers to tell her story in a feature film, television film, or miniseries but she thought the pitches were "too slick" and asked questions like "How did you ever forgive your parents?" that lacked understanding about her family's experiences. In March 2019, Antosca and Alex Hedlund contacted her about the project; she said he distinguished himself from other filmmakers in wanting to tell her story in his "sincerely empathetic" approach. Antosca stated he did not want to tell Broberg's story unless it benefited her family. In A Friend of the Family, he wanted to explain her parents' actions and choices, which he deemed only possible with her assistance. The Brobergs hoped the show would help people recognize grooming, coercion, and manipulation. The writers often invited Jan to give detailed suggestions. According to Antosca, she was vital to the "human story" depicted in the series, which is more immersive, empathetic, and relatable for the viewer. Broberg stated she has told her story many times "because I want to help people see it before it's too late", and abuse from known, loved and trusted people is common but not discussed enough.
In May 2020, it was announced Universal Content Productions was developing a series about Broberg's kidnappings; Antosca was to write and executive produce the series under his banner Eat the Cat, and Jan and Mary Ann Broberg would serve as producers. In February 2022, the streaming platform Peacock gave the show a straight-to-series order with Eliza Hittman as director and executive producer. Hittman had never heard about Broberg's story before receiving the script for A Friend of the Family but she admired the show's writing, characters, and world so much she "devoured" its script. Her direction was not influenced by Abducted in Plain Sight due to the large number of omissions and limited duration. Since Abducted in Plain Sight production, true crime dramas had gained in popularity, prompting Hittman to contemplate the genre's ethics. Broberg was serving as producer, which Hittman described as a rare occasion in which the victim had granted consent, encouraging her to work on the project. According to Antosca, Hittman was a key part of the sensitive psychological and character-driven scenes.
Casting Vanity Fair said A Friend of the Family was barely a "dutiful retelling". Broberg anticipated the cast would develop their own understanding of their characters. She knew they did not want to mimic her family. Broberg addressed letters to the main cast, assuring them she would not hinder any decisions or interpretations they made. She also wanted the actors to understand every character—including Berchtold—was a "full human being".
Although she was not involved in the final casting selections, Broberg extensively spoke to Antosca about Robert Berchtold's character and the importance of portraying him as credible, loving parent. Jake Lacy was cast as Robert Berchtold; Lacy was initially apprehensive about the role but Broberg's involvement and commitment persuaded him. Lacy was drawn to the show's nuanced presentation of the events, which showed the Broberg family as human beings rather than as victims of a sensational crime. To prepare, Lacy read Lolita (1955), a novel in which the middle-aged narrator abducts and sexually abuses a 12-year-old girl with whom he is obsessed, and took inspiration from the ego and charm of Ocean's Eleven character Danny Ocean and American actor Steve McQueen. Antosca gave Lacy a number of Jan and Mary Ann's personal possessions, including FBI recordings of telephone calls between the Brobergs and Berchtold after Jan's second kidnapping, in which he pretends not to know her location. Lacy was hesitant about becoming close to Jan Broberg because he feared he would be unable to portray Berchtold's inhumanity and obsessiveness, they met during the second episode's production, which "helped settle the work more than shake it up because you get to see the person you're doing this for".
Prior to receiving the script for A Friend of the Family, Colin Hanks had not heard Broberg's story; he almost declined the role of Bob Broberg, not wanting to play "a super nice Mormon that goes through a bunch of stuff". Hanks watched Abducted in Plain Sight after reading the first three screenplays. He could not stop thinking about the Brobergs' story and discussed it with many people. After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanks challenged himself to work on projects that scared him. He found Bob was a difficult character to portray, saying he had no similarities to the character and that he was "so petrified". Lio Tipton, who portrays Gail Berchtold, was interested in the show due to the Brobergs' involvement, and was also a fan of Antosca and Hittman.
Hendrix Yancey and Mckenna Grace portray younger and older versions of Jan Broberg, respectively. Antosca was insistent on not casting adult actors who looked young for the role. Grace studied Broberg's story in depth, reading Stolen Innocence, court documents, diary entries, and letters between Broberg and Berchtold. While filming, Grace tried to spend as much time as she could with Yancey. and copied her mannerisms and smile. Grace also worked alongside Broberg.
The show also stars Anna Paquin as Mary Ann Broberg, Jan's mother. The recurring cast includes Austin Stowell as FBI Agent Peter Walsh, who is determined to return Jan to her family; Patrick Fischler as Garth Pincock, Bannock County's district attorney; Bree Elrod as Jennifer Ferguson, Berchtold's lawyer; Philip Ettinger as Joe Berchtold, Robert's brother; and Ella Jay Basco as Sofia. Jan Broberg, who is an actress herself, appears twice in the show. At the start of the show, she introduces herself and explains her story. This was done to assure viewers that she survives and to lend credibility to the narrative, as the events depicted are, according to Lacy, "nearly unbelievable, unless someone says, 'This happened. In the final episode, Broberg makes a cameo as Dr. Carr, a therapist who worked with her family. She referred to her appearance in A Friend of the Family as freeing; she explained that it gave her the opportunity to guide her younger self and offer consolation to her father, who she thought never truly forgave himself.
Filming and design A Friend of the Family design takes inspiration from Classical Realism films of the 1970s, including Badlands (1973) and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). Production designer John D. Kretschmer was influenced by his own Protestant home in North Carolina, which he deemed similar to Broberg's neighborhood. The production team recreated the Broberg family's house in Atlanta: they renovated a home atop a hill that was "a surprising visual match" by replicating the windows and floor plan. There was not much information available about Berchtold's house but Kretschmer knew he was wealthy and owned a piano and a plethora of games. The team used police reports to model the GMC 260 automobile he drove. Yancey and Grace wore some of Broberg's clothes from the period. In the final episode, Grace wears a reproduction of a dress Jan Broberg wore in a photograph. A Friend of the Family was primarily filmed in the Atlanta metropolitan area and some scenes were filmed in Los Angeles, California. Principal photography took place from February to August 2022. While filming the scene in which Berchtold drugs Broberg, the crew focused on ensuring the then 11-year-old Yancey felt safe.
Release A Friend of the Family first four episodes were made available on the Peacock on October 6, 2022. The final five episodes were released weekly from October 13 to November 10.
Reception The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating for A Friend of the Family with an average rating of 7.8/10 based on 24 critical reviews. The website's critics' consensus reads; "Unspooling like a slow-motion nightmare, A Friend of the Family benefits immeasurably from Eliza Hittman's deft direction and Jake Lacy's unflinching portrayal of insidious evil". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".