Couch theater — DVD previews

By Sam Struckhoff “A Friend of the Family” (TVMA) -- While the kidnappings of Jan Broberg have been covered in the media before (a Netflix documentary titled “Abducted in Plain Sight” was a hot topic when it was released in 2017), Peacock has decided to adapt the true story into a miniseries starring Jake Lacy and Anna Paquin. Lacy portrays the perpetrator, Robert Berchtold, who nosed his way into the Broberg family with the intent of developing intimate relationships with not only the Broberg parents, but the children as well -- specifically Jan, who was kidnapped by him two separate times in 1974 and in 1976. The series has been praised for its focus on the victims, rather than the abuser, which is no doubt influenced by Jan Broberg herself serving as executive producer for the show. Out now. (Peacock)

“Luckiest Girl Alive” (R) -Before Ani Fanelli was a 30-yearold hotshot writer living in New York, awaiting a grandiose wedding to the love of her life, she was a young girl named Tifani, who was just trying to find a place for herself in the world. Her first taste of luxury only came after she received a scholarship to a prestigious private school, the turning point that would alter the course of her life. The dark events that took place at the school would come to follow and haunt her to the current day, and until she turns around to face her trauma in the eye, Tifani cannot truly become Ani. Mila Kunis plays the (un)luckiest girl alive in this mystery thriller film out now. (Netflix)