“They wanted all this development work for Season 2 and then went, ‘Eh, no,’” King recalls, adding that it was “unclear” why Peacock ultimately passed on making more episodes. As of now, she and Carpenter have no plans to take Suburban Screams to another streamer.
“It’s more fun to do new stuff,” she says. “You can’t take it personally; you just move on.”
A source with knowledge of the Peacock series called the show a “limited anthology” and confirmed it won’t be back for Season 2.
Asked what lessons they learned from their first experience in the streaming TV realm, King says that carving out a unique space in a crowded field of content is essential. “It took a little while for us to find the hook and keep it from being like all the other true crime series,” she admits. “What we eventually figured out was that Suburban Screams was about the victims and those left behind. For them, there is no such thing as closure, even if you solve the crime.”
Carpenter, at least, isn’t letting the end of Suburban Scares put him off streaming for good.
“Streamers are interesting platforms—much different from the studio system,” he writes via email. In fact, the filmmaker confesses that he consumes all of his entertainment from his living room these days.
“I don’t go to theaters anymore,” he says. “Now [my viewing] is at home: Home equals couch, refrigerator, bathroom and marijuana.”
From page to screen
Not for nothing, but owning a comics division is a great way to find material for streaming shows—just ask Max, Disney+ and Netflix. Both Carpenter and King see series potential in some of their new and ongoing books.
“Death Mask by Amanda Deibert is a killer story with a strong female lead,” raves the filmmaker. “Also Long Haul by Cullen Bunn and Heath Amodio. Those two books are both very ripped from the headlines with incredible characters and are scary as hell.”
