A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY
Starring: Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks, Anna Paquin, Lio Tipton, Hendrix Yancey, Mckenna Grace, and Austin Stowell
Creator: Nick Antosca
NICK
Another day, another series based on a true story. But unlike many of those (Netflix’s Dahmer comes to mind), there is nothing that feels exploitative here. From the moment you’re introduced to the first episode by the actual Jan Broberg herself, you know this will be a respectful telling of this outrageous story. Jake Lacy's chilling portrayal of the manipulative Robert Birchtold carries the series to completion, but things lose some steam when Mckenna Grace takes over as an older Jan (due to the plot direction, not the performance). All told, this is a worthy watch, particularly if you missed the Abducted in Plain Sight documentary.