Look at this outfit that young has on!! Recognize it?
Crystal Lake is already running up some good reviews from people who have long loved the Friday the 13th franchise, and this time Jason, as a child, has a revealed backstory that we knew existed but until now didn’t quite consider.
The new eight-episode series premiered on Peacock on October 15, 2026, and comes from A24 and creator Brad Caleb Kane, who also worked on IT: Welcome to Derry.
Linda Cardellini stars as Pamela Voorhees, the role made famous by Betsy Palmer in the original 1980 film, while Callum Vinson portrays young Jason. The cast also includes William Catlett, Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins, and Gwendolyn Sundstrom. The series takes us back to the early 1970s and explores the relationship between Pamela and her son, the circumstances surrounding his apparent drowning, and the events that would eventually lead to the horrors at Camp Crystal Lake.
As people watch the show, they’re becoming fans of Jason Voorhees and really upset with anyone who’s not in the Voorhees family itself. It’s an interesting change in perspective, considering that for nearly five decades Jason has been one of the most recognizable villains in horror movie history. Now we’re seeing him as a child, one who was bullied and mistreated, and we’re getting a better understanding of the circumstances that helped shape the monster we would eventually come to know.
The show also gives us a nod to Friday the 13th Part 2, when Jason wore his bluish-gray flannel, a reminder of the days before the hockey mask became his trademark. It’s these little details that longtime fans of the franchise will appreciate, and perhaps the biggest surprise is that after all these years, there’s still a story worth telling about the Voorhees family.