Posted in: Peacock, TV | Tagged: Julia Duffy, Kapil Talwalkar, the burbs

The Burbs: Duffy & Talwalkar Discuss Series Expanding Beyond '80s Film

The 'Burbs stars Julia Duffy and Kapil Talwalkar spoke with us about how the series reimaging expands beyond Joe Dante's 1989 film, and more.

The 'Burbs stars Julia Duffy (Newhart, Palm Royale) and Kapil Talwalkar (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist) are well aware of the lingering cultural impact of the 1989 Joe Dante original film written by Dana Olsen about a homeowner suspicious of new neighbors harboring a dark secret. What the actors want you to know is that the upcoming Peacock black comedy series from Celeste Hughey distinguishes itself while offering fans of the original a real treat. The series follows a young couple (Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall) who have reluctantly relocated to the husband's childhood home. Their world is upended when a new neighbor moves in across the street, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood. Duffy, who plays Lynn, and Talwalkar, who plays Naveen, spoke to Bleeding Cool about their familiarity with the Dante film, how The 'Burbs standalone series expands the universe, other popular spinoff expanding shows like Fargo and Wednesday, the cast, and how Hughey nurtures creativity and empathy.

The 'Burbs Stars Julia Duffy and Kapil Talwalkar on How the Celeste Hughey-Created Series Grows Beyond the 1983 Joe Dante Film's Designs While Tipping Cap to Its Predecessor

What intrigued you about The 'Burbs? Were you already familiar with the original Joe Dante film before casting?

Duffy: I was not familiar. I had not seen it, so when I read the script, nothing was on my mind, and I just thought the script was fabulous. It was like ready to shoot, it was so good, it didn't need anything. I was really impressed. I'd already worked with Celeste [Hughey], the creator of the show, because she was a writer on Palm Royale, which I had just done when I started this, and then, I watched The 'Burbs, because I felt that I should. To me, they're very different things. I don't know how the audience will feel about it. I feel like the tone is different in the TV show. [Faces Talkwalkar] What do you think?

Talwalkar: Yeah, the tone is completely different. I think our show is wildly different than the movie with its story and universe.

Duffy: It's its own thing.

Talwalkar: A good comparison is, like Fargo or Wednesday. You had successful movies, right? But the TV show version developed an entirely different universe with some nods to the original, but it's its own thing.

Duffy: Yeah, the Easter eggs in it will be very fun for the people who are big fans of the movie, but the movie was what, the 80s?

Talwalkar: Yeah, 80s.

Duffy: I was having babies, I did go to the movies around that time.

What do you like about having that talented ensemble, like Keke, Jack, Mark [Proksch], and Paula [Pell]?

Talwalkar: We are all fans of comedy, and so there was a lot of play, a lot of making each other laugh, making each other break. It was a lot of joy on set. Hopefully, you'll see us having so much fun, and I think people who watch the show, like…I know every actor will sit here and say, "Yeah, it was just a joy to work with," but I'm telling you, you can see how much fun we're having.

Duffy: Yeah, we really did. We were all sitting in the actor's chair one night. They had our chairs all in a place while they were doing a big lighting setup, and Celeste, our creator, came and sat with us for a while. She said, "Oh, I always want to hang out here with you guys because we were having so much fun, and it was a really long wait." When she came in, Paula was doing her shadow puppets on the wall, which she's very good at, and she's a very talented woman. We were just laughing hysterically at her shadow puppetry.

Was there anything distinguishable about Celeste, and how she runs the set compared to others you worked with?

Talwalkar: I would say "positivity." When you're making a new show, you can imagine that there are a lot of challenges, a lot of opinions, a lot of ideas, and you want it to work, and everyone wants it to work. I will tell you that I think she shielded us from a lot of the stuff, the ups and downs, to make sure everything was great. She's so supportive and optimistic about everything. Even though personally, she may not have been having a great day herself, she was a consummate professional regarding how she treated us, and that trickled down to the rest of the cast and crew. Everyone was in their best behavior. Everyone was there to show up, do a great job, and it created a really awesome environment to be in.

Duffy: I just said to her the other day that she felt like one of us, which was a great feeling. A lot of showrunners are a little separate. You feel the top-down way it is on a set, but I said, "You know, the fact that you're so nice just makes us respect you more…"

Talwalkar: Agreed.

Duffy: …"Than somebody who is commanding respect in the way they are and being a boss." It made you want to please her and make her happy, because she's one of us, as excited as we are, and as into it as we are. We can pitch anything to her that we think. If she doesn't use it, that's fine, but then she sees our enthusiasm.

Talwalkar: I want to add to this. I think actors can go on defense or protective mode if you have a showrunner who's very demanding and authoritarian, but if it were someone like Celeste, we would go on the offense. We feel free to shoot, and even if the ball doesn't go in the hoop, we're encouraged to keep shooting and encouraged to go play as a creative, as an artist, and that is just a gift.

Duffy: I would take a bullet for her, and I've had some wonderful showrunners that I loved, but I've never said that about any of them. I want to protect her, because she's so great.

Executive produced by Palmer, Hughey, Olsen, and Seth MacFarlane, The 'Burbs releases on February 8th on Peacock.

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