The ‘Burbs (2026) is a mystery‑comedy series that reimagines the 1989 cult classic for a new generation. Created by Celeste Hughey and starring Keke Palmer as Samira and Jack Whitehall as her husband Rob, the show follows a young couple who move into Rob’s childhood suburban neighbourhood in Hinkley Hills and uncover long‑buried secrets tied to a creepy house on their block. The series leans into mystery, dark humour, and suburban tension as Samira becomes obsessed with what really happened to a missing teenager from years ago, exploring themes of belonging, suspicion, and community.
In this article, I will dive deep into the plotline of the Peacock series The ‘Burbs, explaining what happens throughout the show and what the ending signifies. Please note that this article contains spoilers, so reader discretion is advised.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 1 ‘The Goddamn Brownies’ Recap:
Is someone deliberately targeting Samira?
The first episode introduces us to a couple, Robert and Samira, who, along with their baby boy, Miles, move into Robert’s parents’ old house in Hinkley Hills. Leaving their busy city life behind, Robert returns to work while Samira goes on maternity leave. During one of her walks around the neighbourhood, Samira notices a run-down Victorian house on the street. Robert points out that the house has been empty for over 20 years but doesn’t go into details. Samira then meets Lynn, who invites her over for a wine night. We soon learn that Samira is struggling with boredom and really wishes to find something to focus on. Robert meets his colleague and neighbour, Naveen, on the train and learns that Naveen is not doing well after a failed marriage. When Samira’s questions about the empty house come up, Naveen asks Robert if he “told her,” hinting at a secret.
At wine night, Samira learns that the house once belonged to the Grant family. Their daughter, Alison, died in 2005 under suspicious circumstances, and her parents left soon after. A “For Sale” sign suddenly appears, and the house is quickly bought by a doctor with a strong security system. Samira tries to research Alison’s death but hits dead ends. One night, a man moves into the house. The next day, Samira leaves brownies at his door but is watched by a security camera. Later, she is locked out of her own home and the police are called on her for trespassing. Samira feels racially targeted and refuses to leave. The episode ends with her seeing a man watching her from the Victorian house.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 2 ‘Mind Your Own Business’ Recap:
Why is Gary trying to hide?
The episode begins with Samira having a nightmare where she loses Miles and runs into the old Victorian house to find him. The next morning, the new owner has put up a “No Trespassing” sign. Naveen visits and mentions rumours that Alison, the girl who once lived there, was murdered and buried in the basement. On the train, Rob asks Naveen what it was like growing up as a person of colour in a mostly white neighbourhood. Back home, Samira meets the new neighbour. He introduces himself as Gary Lawson and returns her brownies. He shows no regret about calling the police on her, which makes her uneasy. Lynn visits, and soon Dana, Tod, and Agnes, the head of the local homeowners association, arrive.
Later, Samira and Rob see Gary in a store buying rope, lighter fluid, and an axe. That night, Samira spots him outside holding the axe. The next day, Samira hires Rory to help with the baby. At the library, Samira learns the newspaper from the day Alison died is still missing. That evening, while Samira is at wine night, Rob and Naveen look through old yearbooks and notice Alison is missing. Rob finds Alison’s old phone in his room. At wine night, Samira suggests Gary may be hiding his identity. Tod says he saw Gary digging in the woods. Smoke leads them to Gary’s bonfire, which turns out to be legal. Later, Gary burns a newspaper. A piece of it reaches Samira, showing a story about Alison’s death. Samira realizes Gary destroyed the evidence.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 3 ‘Sardine?’ Recap:
What is beneath the trapdoor in the woods that Rob goes to?
The third episode opens with Agnes’s dog, Darla, digging up a bone and reburying it in the woods. A metal handle is visible in the mud, hinting at a hidden trapdoor. Rob and Samira plan their first date since having Miles, leaving the baby with Lynn. When Samira’s dress gets ruined, they stay home. Later, Samira goes for a walk with Miles and sees Gary heading into his basement. His trash bin tips over, and Darla appears carrying a bone, which makes Samira uneasy. She shares her fears with Lynn, who listens closely. The next day, Darla goes missing. Agnes accuses Lynn, but Lynn refuses to let the police inside without a warrant. The neighbors search and find Darla’s leash near Gary’s property. Samira suspects Gary and plans a fake welcome visit to search his house.
While Rob goes out with Naveen, Samira, Dana, and Tod enter Gary’s house. They meet his wife, Betsy, and awkwardly sit for wine. Samira and Dana sneak into the basement and find what looks like a grave. They start digging but hit a pipe just as Gary returns. Gary later brings Darla back, saying he found her on the road. The bone turns out to be harmless. Rob confronts Samira about her obsession with Gary and angrily tells her to stop. That night, Samira sees Rob sneak out and enter the woods through the hidden trapdoor. When he returns, he lies about where he has been, deepening the mystery.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 4 ‘A Nine on the Tension Scale’ Recap:
Is Rob hiding more about Alison and what really happened to her?
This episode digs the story even deeper as Samira meets Lauren, who invites her to a block party planned by Agnes. Agnes later visits Lynn and asks to use her large refrigerator for the party, but Lynn refuses. She is still grieving her husband, Marty, and wants nothing to do with the event. At wine night, Lynn vents her anger. When Samira mentions that she and Rob are arguing, Lynn admits she found a report describing Rob as violent. Tod adds that he saw Rob’s name written in Alison’s closet, which worries Samira. Samira confronts Rob at home. He admits he was close friends with Alison and saw a counselor after she disappeared. He says he went into the woods only to smoke weed. They make peace and agree to attend the block party together.
At the party, Samira notices people talking about how well Rob turned out, which feels strange. Naveen runs into his ex-wife, Megan, who pushes him to finalize their divorce. Meanwhile, Samira learns from Megan that Rob, Naveen, and Alison were very close and had a secret hangout called The Pit. Later, Samira finds Alison’s phone hidden in Rob’s drawer. A voicemail from years ago plays. It is Rob, angrily telling Alison that she will regret something. Elsewhere, Lynn and Dana arrive at the party with pies. Later, Lynn stores a slice in her refrigerator, which secretly contains Marty’s body wrapped in plastic. That night, Samira goes into the woods, opens the hidden trapdoor, and enters The Pit. Inside, she finds old signs of teenage life. Suddenly, Rob appears behind her.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 5 ‘The Old Face-to-Face’ Recap:
Is Alison really safe with Gary, or is she still being held against her will?
A flashback from twenty years ago takes us to a young Alison in the woods, trying to call Rob, when someone suddenly runs toward her. In the present, Samira confronts Rob in the underground bunker and asks if he killed Alison. Rob says he didn’t and finally tells her everything. In the past, Alison drinks with Rob and Naveen in the bunker. She talks about her dream of becoming a backup dancer and feels trapped by her strict parents. She later tells the boys about a 19-year-old named John who promises to introduce her to dancers. She asks them to cover for her, and they agree. When Alison later calls Rob for help, he ignores the call but leaves a voicemail asking her to stop.
After Alison disappears, Rob and Naveen go to the police, but the case is brushed off. Rob later finds Alison’s phone near the bunker and keeps it. In the present, Samira and Rob promise to stop lying to each other. Naveen tells Dana and Tod the truth too. Meanwhile, Lynn accidentally takes the wrong pills and becomes unwell. In the bunker, Samira notices clues that suggest Betsy could be Alison. They rush to Betsy’s house, where she finally reveals herself as Alison. However, her husband Gary shows up, and the group begins to fear that Alison may still be in danger.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 6 ‘Neighbor Take Warning’ Recap:
Who attacks Gary, and what secret is he about to uncover?
This episode opens with another flashback from one month earlier. Gary brings Alison into the house late at night and warns her that no one can know she is there. We then see parts of the story from Alison’s point of view. In the present, Rob and Samira wonder why Alison and Gary returned to the neighborhood. Samira’s brother Langston visits after getting worried about her call from the woods. He offers to babysit Miles so Rob and Samira can go out. Dana and Tod tell Lynn what happened the night before. Lynn admits she may have feelings for Bill. Rob, Samira, and Naveen plan to talk to Alison when Gary leaves the house.
When they try, Alison does not answer. Rob and Samira follow Gary to a bar and distract him by pulling him into a trivia game. Samira threatens to expose Alison unless Gary explains himself. He admits he is Hank’s brother and hints that Hank did not simply move away. Meanwhile, Naveen finally gets Alison to open the door. She explains that she was kidnapped years ago but escaped. She and Gary later met while investigating cold cases and are now working together. Elsewhere, Lynn kisses Bill but storms off after learning about Marty’s affair. At the end, Gary goes to meet an informer and is suddenly knocked out.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 7 ‘Do Not Mess with Suburbanites’ Recap:
Is Mr. Walters working alone, or is someone else behind the disappearances?
Episode 7 takes us back to another flashback from a year earlier. Hank, the owner of the bar later called Drinkley’s, breaks up a fight and tells someone on the phone he will not sell his bar. Soon after, he is attacked and strangled. In the present, Alison worries because Gary is missing. Rob and Naveen use his phone location to search for him. Alison shows Samira a fake runaway letter and a postcard, both written in the same handwriting. She also reveals that other people have disappeared. Rob and Naveen find Gary’s phone near the bar and decide to question the bartender later.
Meanwhile, Dana and Tod finally confront Lynn about keeping Marty’s body in her refrigerator. Lynn explains she found him dead and could not bring herself to let go. Samira invites Bill over and questions him about Alison. At the bar, Rob and Naveen learn that Gary argued with the bartender about Hank and a powerful ex-cop. They think Bill is involved, but he clears himself and points to Officer Daniels Sr., who is already dead. Later, Dana admits she wears an ankle monitor, explaining why she cannot leave. Samira and Alison return home and discover someone has destroyed the evidence. The attacker is revealed to be the garbage man, Mr. Walters. He traps them in the underground bunker, leaving them with no escape.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Episode 8 ‘Only One Way Out’ Recap:
Samira and Alison are trapped in the bunker when Walters wakes up. Samira connects her phone to the baby monitor so others can hear what is happening. They question Walters, who claims he is only paid to “take out the trash.” When he attacks them, Rob and Naveen arrive just in time. During the fight, Alison kicks Walters, causing him to hit his head and die. The police arrive soon after and take Walters’ body away, while Alison stays hidden. Rob, Samira, and Naveen tell the police it was self-defence, and Danny accepts their story and closes the case. Alison then says goodbye to everyone and leaves town, this time giving them her phone number before she goes.
The ‘Burbs (2026) Ending Explained:
Who is behind Ashfield Place’s disappearances?
Later, Samira begins to suspect that Walters was hired by someone. For a while, life appears to settle down. Naveen signs his divorce papers and goes on a date with Kate. Dana finally has her ankle monitor removed. Rob and Samira receive keys to the Victorian house, only to learn that Gary actually left the property to the town. Lynn panics when Agnes threatens to report her for unapproved renovations. With Samira’s help, Lynn secretly moves Marty’s body and buries it in the basement of the Victorian house.
As Samira pieces everything together, she realises that many of the victims were people Agnes strongly disliked. She believes Agnes, and possibly others in the HOA, hired Walters to “protect” the town’s image. It is then revealed that the HOA secretary is Kate. The ‘Burbs (2026) ends on a disturbing note. Naveen’s date with Kate seems harmless at first, but things quietly take a turn when she drugs him. Rob and Samira realise something is wrong and rush over, only to find his place torn apart and Naveen gone. A car pulls away before they can stop it. The episode makes one thing clear: whatever is happening in Hinkley Hills isn’t finished yet, setting up a plausible storyline for season 2.
![Hellbender [2022] Review: A Mother-Daughter Family Drama Masquerading As A Folk Horror About Vampiric Witches](https://79468c92.delivery.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Hellbender-2022-768x417.png)
