‘A Friend of the Family’ Review: Peacock’s True Crime Drama Adds a New Layer to the Jan Broberg Story
A new true crime drama, A Friend of the Family, hits Peacock on October 6, 2022, nearly four years after Netflix dropped the Jan Broberg story with Abducted in Plain Sight in January 2019. Many viewers binged the three-part documentary with gaping mouths, shocked that the same close family friend somehow abducted and sexually assaulted a young girl twice over several years.
Social media was a flurry with questions, but the most prominent one was, “How did the parents let this happen?” A Friend of the Family provides the insight that didn’t come with the Netflix version. Jake Lacy transforms into Robert “B” Berchtold in A Friend of the Family. Viewers finally see inside the disturbing manipulation that “Brother B” put the entire Broberg family through in the 1970s. Showbiz Cheat Sheet spoke with A Friend of the Family producer Nick Antosca and real-life Jan Broberg for this review.
‘A Friend of the Family’ is a disturbingly accurate true crime drama
Peacock’s Friend of the Family begins with a scared young girl, Jan Broberg (Hendrix Yancey), in her bedroom as the shadow of a man enters her. However, it quickly flashes back to when Jan met Robert Berchtold. Lacy portrays Brother B as an easy-going, fun family man who plans an indoor picnic for the Broberg family. He takes an immediate interest in Jan, reflecting on seeing her sing at the local theater in Oliver. (In real life, Jan Broberg grew up to become a performer. She has acted in various movies and a few TV shows since she began her career in Hollywood in 1992).
During the first abduction, Berchtold gives Jan sedatives that he disguises as allergy pills. The 12-year-old girl believes she is embarking on a horseback riding trip with B but instead wakes up strapped to a bed in a camper. She immediately hears a strange voice repeating the words “female companion” from a white intercom. When Jan finally sees Brother B again, he talks about their mission, and the young child believes every word.
If I hadn’t seen the documentary, I first thought the producers must have fictionalized it for television. However, everything that happens in the 9-part miniseries is accurate. The real-life Berchtold took 12-year-old Jan to Mexico, kept her there for nearly a month, and married her. When she finally returned home, the Broberg family did not press charges. Instead, Jan’s mother, Mary Ann (portrayed by Anna Paquin), had an affair with him. I had to ask the producers whether anything was added or changed for TV, but the real Jan and Nick Antosca assured me that the series is as accurate as possible.
“The only changes that we made were when we had to condense things for time,” Antosca explained to Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
‘A Friend of the Family’ Review: Robert Berchtold’s seduction and manipulation is a slow burn by Jake Lacy
In the first episode of Friend of the Family, the series quickly shows viewers a montage of footage demonstrating how close the two families became over a few short years. It also delves straight into Berchtold’s first kidnapping of Jan Broberg. However, as the series continues, viewers gain more background and see the slow manipulation and seduction that B put the entire family through.
B has four children of his own in the true crime drama. However, he spends an increasingly odd amount of time with only Jan. Her father, Bob Broberg (Colin Hanks), does become annoyed with B’s regular dates with Jan. But, the looks that Bob conveyed before the first kidnapping seem to stem from jealousy not worry.
Two years before Robert Berchtold kidnapped Jan Broberg, he spoke at a church service about his gratitude for the Broberg family. B sent the Brobergs fruit baskets and paid them endless compliments. He carefully courted every member of the Broberg family before he took Jan. Jake Lacy’s performance is so multi-faceted that we see every angle that Berchtold played. By the time B took Jan, he knew he could quickly get her out of the country before the Brobergs knew what was happening.
After the kidnapping, Berchtold continued to prey on Mary Ann. However, the way that Lacy speaks to Paquin — as B and Mary Ann — is hypnotizing. Whenever she wants to stop seeing him, he stares intensely into her eyes. When Bob Broberg confronts Berchtold for sending Jan flowers, B belittles the man and makes him feel like a fool. Lacy’s performance dominates the screen in every scene as he switches effortlessly from family man to secret lover, to protective father-figure, and the villain that lies beneath B’s facade.
The Peacock original shows how one Robert Berchtold tore a family apart
In the time between Robert Berchtold’s two kidnappings of Jan Broberg, her father, Bob, adamantly attempted to keep his family away from the man. However, after a review of A Friend of the Family, B only preyed on the women harder in the years following. He separated Mary Ann from her husband with an affair. Then he secretly continued to remind Jan of her duties to “the mission.” Berchtold even tortured Bob Broberg at work, and the entire family endured his endless phone calls at home. (Apparently, families couldn’t change phone numbers in the 1970s)?
After Abducted in Plain Sight threw Mary Ann and Bob under the bus for what happened to their daughter, the true crime drama impressively and rightfully pins the blame for Jan’s double kidnappings back on Robert Berchtold. The man expertly divided a family because he was infatuated with their eldest daughter. The resulting true crime drama is binge-worthy and disturbing. The Showbiz Cheat Sheet review of A Friend of the Family gives it 4.5 stars.
A Friend of the Family will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, Oct. 6, with four episodes. The remaining five episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays through Nov. 10.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
