Before Jason ever picked up a mask, there was his mother. Crystal Lake goes back to the early 1970s, to a lakeside town still carrying the fresh wound of a child’s drowning — and to the grieving mother at the centre of it.

Linda Cardellini plays Pamela Voorhees, a single mother who cannot let go of her young son Jason (Callum Vinson) after he drowns in the town lake. When two strangers arrive asking questions about her past, the town starts looking at Pam differently — and the grief that was eating her from inside starts turning outward. From A24 and showrunner Brad Caleb Kane (It: Welcome to Derry), this is a slow-burn character story first and a slasher origin second: the slasher payoffs come late in the season, the mask is not the hockey mask fans know, and the horror grows out of Pam herself. The first live-action Friday the 13th story in over fifteen years, dropping as one eight-episode binge just in time for Halloween.

Details

Creator / Showrunner: Brad Caleb Kane (also writer; It: Welcome to Derry, Warrior).
Cast: Linda Cardellini (Pamela Voorhees), Callum Vinson (young Jason Voorhees), William Catlett (Levon Brooks), Devin Kessler (Briana Brooks), Cameron Scoggins (Dorf), Gwendolyn Sundstrom (Grace); recurring: Nick Cordileone (Ralph), Joy Suprano (Rita), Danielle Kotch (Claudette), Phoenix Parnevik (Barry), Christopher Denham (Dr. Theodore Landau).
Directors: Michael Lennox (eps 1–3), Celine Held & Logan George (eps 4–6), Quyen Tran (eps 7–8).
Release date: October 15, 2026 (Peacock US, all 8 episodes at once — binge drop).
International: Sky Atlantic / NOW (UK & Ireland) Oct 19; HBO Max in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (dates vary).
Where to watch: Peacock (US exclusive).
Episodes: 8, Season 1.
Setting: Early 1970s, Camp Crystal Lake area, New Jersey — prequel to the 1980 film; filmed in New Jersey including Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Blairstown, the original film’s camp location.
Genre: Horror / slasher / drama (TV series).
Production: A24 for Peacock; originally developed under Bryan Fuller (departed May 2024), Kane took over Aug 2024.
Franchise note: No hockey mask in this season — Jason’s mask is a different, earlier one, with its origin shown on screen.
Original-cast note: A return by Adrienne King (Alice Hardy in the 1980 original) has been reported, but is not confirmed in the listed cast — the showrunner has said they were cautious about bringing back recognizable original-cast faces.
IMDb: Crystal Lake on IMDb

Cast

Linda Cardellini stars as Pamela Voorhees, with Callum Vinson as young Jason, William Catlett as Levon Brooks, Devin Kessler as Briana Brooks, Cameron Scoggins as Dorf and Gwendolyn Sundstrom as Grace. More horror on the site: Hokum (2026), Below (2026) and Other Mommy (2026). Browse all series in the TV Shows archive.