Peacock debuts Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake tracking Pamela Voorhees

The Friday the 13th franchise has returned to screens with Crystal Lake, an eight-episode prequel series now streaming on Peacock in the United States and launching October 19 on Sky and Now in the United Kingdom. Developed by showrunner Brad Caleb Kane, the show stars Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees alongside Callum Vinson as her young son Jason and Hamish Linklater as Jason's father, Elias. [1][2]

The narrative examines Pamela's life and mental unraveling before the events of the original 1980 film, charting how Jason's drowning pushes her toward becoming a killer. Kane noted that he designed the community to evoke an atmosphere similar to Twin Peaks, fleshing out town archetypes while viewing Pamela as a female parallel to Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. The series also expands the franchise lore with a fresh storyline surrounding Elias and his role in how Jason survived the lake. [1][2]