The Suburbs.
A 3×60 television series pitch deck.
OVERVIEW
Logline
A man returns to his childhood suburb to solve the mystery surrounding his older brother's disappearance many years ago.
Target Audience
The Suburbs appeals to adult viewers (30s-50s) who enjoy introspective, nostalgic dramas exploring memory, identity, and suburban childhoods, similar to Boyhood and The Wonder Years.
Themes
The series explores the haunting nature of childhood memories, the complexities of masculinity and sibling rivalry, the isolation beneath suburban normalcy, and the unreliability of memory in shaping identity.
Genre
A slow-burn psychological drama with coming-of-age and mystery elements, blending introspection, nostalgia, and eerie undertones.
TREATMENT
Logline:
When Peter Wybrew returns to his childhood town to investigate the long-unsolved disappearance of his older brother Mark, he uncovers disturbing inconsistencies in his own memories—forcing him to question not only what happened, but whether he ever truly understood his family at all.
Synopsis:
Peter Wybrew has spent his adult life searching for clues regarding the mysterious disappearance of his older brother Mark back in the 1980s, finally deciding to revisit the town he grew up in to find an answer once and for all.
Decades ago, Mark—a charismatic figure in Peter’s life—vanished without a trace when Peter was a teenager. Officially, it was assumed Mark ran away. But something about that night has always felt wrong.
Returning to the familiar yet unsettling streets of his youth, Peter starts asking questions to old friends from the neighbourhood, only to find that no one’s version of events aligns—not even his other brother John, who insists there’s nothing to uncover.
The deeper Peter digs, the more the story twists—old friends remember things differently, and his own recollections begin to fracture under scrutiny. As the puzzle pieces come together, Peter is faced with an unbearable truth…
TARGET AUDIENCE
Fans of Nostalgic & Introspective Dramas
  • Viewers who appreciate slow-burn, character-driven stories like Boyhood or Manchester by the Sea.
  • Those who enjoy narratives that explore memory, identity, and childhood from an adult perspective.
Adult Viewers (30s-50s) with Personal Ties to the Themes
  • People reflecting on their own upbringing, sibling dynamics, or suburban childhoods.
  • Particularly resonates with those who have experienced feelings of isolation, self-doubt, or nostalgia for the past.
Viewers Interested in Psychological & Atmospheric Storytelling
  • Those drawn to introspective, slightly eerie dramas that blur the lines between memory and reality (Exile, Donnie Darko, The Virgin Suicides).
  • Audiences who prefer subtle storytelling over conventional plot-heavy narratives.
British Drama Enthusiasts & Indie Film Fans
  • Fans of UK-based dramas that focus on emotional depth and realism (This Is England).
  • Those who appreciate indie films and TV shows with artistic, melancholic tones rather than mainstream, fast-paced storytelling.
THEMES
The Haunting Nature of Childhood Memories
  • The story explores how the past shapes identity, with Peter struggling to separate nostalgia from reality.
  • His memories, both joyful and unsettling, continue to affect his sense of self in adulthood.
Masculinity, Sibling Rivalry & the Desire for Acceptance
  • Peter’s relationships with his brothers highlight the pressure to conform to traditional notions of masculinity.
  • His feelings of being the "odd one out" drive much of his emotional struggle, reflecting on how childhood hierarchies shape self-worth.
Fear, Isolation & the Unspoken Tensions of Suburbia
  • The story suggests that suburban life, despite its outward normalcy, harbours quiet loneliness and unspoken fears.
  • Peter’s childhood fears—whether real or imagined—mirror his adult anxieties.
The Unreliability of Memory & the Search for Truth
  • The Suburbs questions how much of the past is real versus how much is filtered through nostalgia, fear, or longing.
  • Peter’s journey is as much about self-discovery as it is about confronting the inconsistencies of his own recollections.
COMPARABALES
Stand By Me
A coming-of-age story centred on childhood friendships, self-discovery, and the darker sides of youth. The film, based on Stephen King’s novella The Body, shares The Suburbs’ reflective tone and its exploration of innocence lost.
The Virgin Suicides
This film explores nostalgia, suburban isolation, and the haunting nature of memory. Told from the perspective of neighbourhood boys looking back on their past, it captures the bittersweet and eerie essence of growing up in a seemingly perfect suburban world.
Boyhood
A deeply personal, introspective narrative that follows a boy growing up, emphasizing the mundane yet emotionally significant moments of childhood.
IT
The Suburbs shares key themes with IT: childhood trauma, memory, and the cruelty of growing up, but it trades supernatural horror for psychological unease, examining how childhood fears linger into adulthood, with Peter’s past haunting him much like Pennywise haunts the Losers’ Club. The biggest difference is that IT externalizes fear through Pennywise, while The Suburbs keeps it internal, forcing Peter to confront the unsettling possibility that his memories may not be reliable. Ultimately, The Suburbs is a more grounded, psychological version of IT, where the real horror isn’t a clown—but the ghosts of childhood itself.
The Writing of Stephen King
While The Suburbs isn’t a horror story in the traditional sense, it shares thematic and atmospheric similarities with Stephen King’s work, particularly his coming-of-age and psychological horror narratives. Below are the key parallels and differences:
Similarities
✅ Nostalgia & the Haunting Nature of Memory
  • King often explores the idea that childhood memories, both good and bad, have a lasting impact (It, The Body/Stand by Me).
  • The Suburbs similarly examines how Peter's past continues to shape his identity and emotional struggles.
✅ The Uncanny Side of Suburbia
  • Many of King’s stories (It, The Shining, Salem’s Lot) suggest that small towns and seemingly normal environments can harbour deep fears and hidden darkness.
  • The Suburbs taps into the eerie side of suburban life—not through supernatural horror, but through the unsettling feeling of childhood fears that never fully fade.
✅ Masculinity, Trauma & Repressed Fear
  • King frequently writes about men haunted by their past (Doctor Sleep, The Outsider, Mr. Mercedes), struggling with unresolved trauma and masculinity.
  • Peter’s journey in The Suburbs is similar: he grapples with his brothers’ expectations, his father’s emotional distance, and lingering childhood fears.
✅ The Blurred Line Between Reality & Perception
  • King often plays with unreliable memories (Lisey’s Story, The Institute), where characters question what is real versus what is distorted by trauma or nostalgia.
  • The Suburbs follows a similar path, as Peter is forced to question whether his childhood experiences were as he remembers them or shaped by fear and longing.
Differences
❌ No Supernatural Elements
  • Unlike It or The Shining, The Suburbs does not have literal horror—its fear is psychological, rooted in memory, nostalgia, and emotional alienation.
  • However, it shares the feeling of a King story, especially in its unsettling atmosphere and exploration of childhood fears.
❌ More Introspective & Character-Driven
  • King’s works often feature external threats (monsters, supernatural forces) alongside psychological horror.
  • The Suburbs is purely internal—there is no evil entity, only Peter’s struggle to make sense of his past.
❌ No Traditional Horror Payoff
  • King’s narratives typically build to a climactic confrontation with a dark force (It’s Pennywise, The Shining’s Overlook Hotel).
  • The Suburbs is more ambiguous and emotionally driven, leaving questions open-ended rather than providing a clear resolution.
Best Stephen King Comparisons
1️⃣ The Body (Stand by Me) – A coming-of-age story exploring childhood friendships, fear, and nostalgia, much like The Suburbs’ reflective tone.
2️⃣ It (1986) – Not for its supernatural horror, but for its deep exploration of childhood trauma, memory, and how past fears shape adulthood.
3️⃣ Lisey’s Story – A psychological drama about memory, trauma, and an unreliable past, similar to Peter’s journey in The Suburbs.
4️⃣ Derry as a Setting (It, 11/22/63, The Outsider) – King often turns small towns into places of quiet dread, much like The Suburbs’ eerie, isolating suburban setting.
  • Like King’s stories, The Suburbs doesn’t just depict childhood—it exposes its brutality, loneliness, and inescapable influence on adulthood. The way Peter’s brothers treat him mirrors King’s sadistic bullies, and the indifference of the adults around him only amplifies the emotional weight.
The Cruelty of Life & the Sadistic Bully Archetype
✅ Older Boys as Villains – King’s Bullies vs. Peter’s Brothers
  • King frequently writes about older boys who take pleasure in tormenting weaker ones (It’s Henry Bowers, Carrie’s Chris Hargensen, The Body’s Ace Merrill).
✅ The Inescapability of Childhood Trauma
  • In King’s world, childhood cruelty doesn’t just fade away—it leaves permanent scars (It’s Losers' Club as adults, Doctor Sleep’s Dan Torrance).
  • Peter’s lingering pain and inability to let go of his childhood fears mirror how King’s protagonists struggle to move on, even decades later.
✅ The Indifference of Adults
  • In many of King’s works, the worst thing about childhood isn’t just the bullies—it’s the way adults fail to intervene (Carrie’s neglectful mother, It’s useless teachers, The Body’s indifferent parents).
  • This reinforces one of King’s harshest truths: childhood can be cruel, and the people who should care the most often look the other way.
✅ The Darkness Beneath Nostalgia
  • King frequently explores how childhood, often romanticized, can actually be filled with terror and cruelty (It, The Institute, 1922).
Final Verdict
If Stephen King had written The Suburbs, it would likely contain a supernatural undercurrent, turning Peter’s childhood fears into a literal manifestation. Instead, The Suburbs operates in a more psychological, internal space—closer to The Body than It, but still capturing the eerie, unsettling feeling of a King story. The Suburbs shares King’s brutal honesty about how cruel life—and particularly childhood—can be.
THE WRITER
Andrew Wright is a screenwriter and author who has worked in various roles in the film and television industry, alongside Lord Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park), Dominic West (The Wire), and Kathy Burke (Nil By Mouth). His first student film was co-funded by Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys).
MUSIC PLAYLIST
CONTACT

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Novelist/scriptwriter who enjoys cinema, reading and a good cuppa.

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Andrew Wright (@andwrighting.bsky.social)

Writer of novels, film/tv scripts, and short bio's. Read my stuff at https://awright.substack.com http://linktr.ee/andwrighting

the suburbs.