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In The ‘Burbs, Rob Fisher, portrayed by Jack Whitehall, finds himself facing unexpected challenges upon returning to his childhood neighborhood.
Rob’s intention was to create a brighter future for his family—his wife Samira, played by Keke Palmer, and their son—by moving back to the idyllic town of Hinkley Hills, where he was raised. However, Samira senses something unsettling about their next-door neighbors. This prompts Rob to admit that his former childhood best friend, Allison Grant, portrayed by Erica Dasher, used to live there before her mysterious disappearance nearly two decades ago.
The situation grows even more astonishing when they discover that Allison is not only alive but residing in the house next door, alongside the neighbor they initially found eerie. Surprisingly, Gary, the neighbor, turns out to be less sinister than they assumed.
While it takes Rob some time to recognize Allison’s presence next door, Allison is immediately aware of Rob’s return to town. Despite this, the show’s creator, Celeste Hughey, clarified to DECIDER that there is no romantic tension between Rob and Allison. “He’s completely devoted to his wife,” Hughey explained.
Hughey further elaborated, “During their teenage years, both Rob and his friend admired Allison, with Naveen having a more pronounced crush on her. In the present, however, Rob is entirely focused on Samira and committed to his marriage.”
It’s quite clear even Hughey is rooting for Naveen (Kapil Talwalkar) and Allison to get their happily ever after. Naveen makes it clear once he learns about Allison’s return that he still has feelings for her. But the childhood friends barely have time to catch up after seemingly solving the case. Allison announces she’s leaving Hinkley Hills for a fresh start. And, to make matters worse, Kapil even gets kidnapped at the end of Season 1 when Rob and Samira realized the garbage man was working for the HOA.
“I love to hear that,” Hughey said when I mentioned we’re shipping Allison with Naveen.
Hughey teased that there may be more coming from these characters in Season 2, especially after that major cliffhanger.
While sharing her plans for Season 2, Hughey said, “I want to be able to dig into more secrets of the town and secrets of Samira and possibly see Allison come back again to – to if Naveen comes back, too. There’s so many, so many little layers and things.”
She added, “But I hope we get to tell the stories of these characters and have it continue. And I hope the audience is excited to see more.”
The ‘Burbs is streaming now on Peacock.