Season 1 – Crystal Lake

Play trailer

2:25

Oct 2026

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

After a seemingly fatal accident at summer camp claims young Jason Voorhees' life, his mother, Pamela, is left grief-stricken. As the town moves on, Pam clings to the hope that her son, whose body was never recovered, may still be alive. The town's chief of police, Levon Brooks, offers comfort and friendship and the two soon grow fond of each other, but Pam's intentions come into question as other dead bodies begin to turn up in the quiet town of Crystal Lake. Levon asks his sister, Briana, a journalist, to dig into these unusual deaths using her resources. What begins as a modest pursuit grows into something far beyond anyone's reckoning. Meanwhile, Pam's dark past comes back to haunt her, forcing her to fight for her very survival and eventually setting off a chain of events that slowly transforms her into the rampaging killer we know from "Friday the 13th."

Watch on Peacock

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Linda Cardellini plays the perfect mom who can do no wrong in this slasher prequel that lives up to the best and worst of its franchise's ilk, but since mother knows best, Crystal Lake is a campy, gory, good time.

Read Critics Reviews

Melanie McFarland

Salon.com

Oct 27, 2026

What passes for story amounts to little more than a two-dimensional cartoon rendered in human-flesh puppetry, courtesy of actors capable of much better, Cardellini included.

Go to Full Review

Rebecca Nicholson

Financial Times

Oct 27, 2026

3/5

Crystal Lake may be a little underpowered... but it is a stylish and enjoyable interlude nonetheless.

Go to Full Review

Jamie Graham

Empire Magazine

Oct 22, 2026

3/5

Linda Cardellini kills it as Pamela Voorhees, and frequent call-backs push the nostalgia buttons as assuredly as Jason rips off campers’ faces. Shame about the ludicrous backstory.

Go to Full Review

Andrew Murray

The Upcoming

Oct 28, 2026

4/5

[A] blood-soaked love letter to the genre.

Go to Full Review

Korey Coleman

Double Toasted

Oct 28, 2026

Linda Cardellini kills it here. One moment, she’s a quiet, protective mother trying to keep a low profile so she isn't discovered. And at another moment, she’s losing her mind in a bonkers performance.

Go to Full Review

Barbara Ellen

Observer (UK)

Oct 27, 2026

Cardellini treats the material with respect, bringing to the role her singular brand of controlled intensity, and Will Catlett puts in a great shift playing a cop carrying a torch for Pamela.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Harman Deep S

@Harman2000 4 hrs ago

I went into this show with no expectations whatsoever. I didn't watch a trailer or read anything about Crystal Lake prior to watching all 8 episodes in one sitting (plz don't judge me lol). Needless to say I was hooked, and genuinely impressed. These classic pillars mixed with an insightful origin story about Jason and Pam's lives before Crystal Lake make for a very entertaining, and previously unvisited viewing experience. Traditionally slasher horror is known for its almost comedic undertone or cheesy nature, but Crystal Lake takes an unforeseen step toward legitimacy, and authenticity, in ways that fans of the genre may never have seen coming. Great show overall, I'm excited to see if another season can live up to the standard set by season one, and lord knows if a film spawns from the new Crystal Lake universe I will be in attendance with high hopes.

Shelby T

@ShelbyCarsten 5 hrs ago

I cannot wait for season two! Binge watched this in one day!!

Andrei D

@RT74856639 12 hrs ago

Cardellini is very good, shifting between emotions and delivering powerful moments; the scares are decent, but the series does not need the ton of backstory and should have focused more on terror and weirdness

Bernadette G

@RT69260461 18 hrs ago

Linda C proves time and time again that she is a top tier actress. This show had the perfect amount of campy, thrills, horror mixed with a little bit of comedy. The supporting cast were great additions to this story. Dorf's throwing stars had me rolling, 🤣. A great season, I am hoping for a season 2!

Samantha M

@RT70049443 20 hrs ago

This provides a backstory for the Friday the 13th movies. It was shockingly good. Kept me interested and I hope for more to come. I was afraid it would be cheesy or slow, nope. Some ratings seem way too harsh. As a lover of the franchise (and most horror) I was impressed.

Tia U

@Tia1224 22 hrs ago

Amazing!!!

Read all reviews

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Brad Kane

Creator

Linda Cardellini

Pamela Voorhees

William Catlett

Levon

Gwendolyn Sundstrom

Grace

Cameron Scoggins

Dorf

Devin Kessler

Briana Brooks

Episode 1

Aired Oct 15, 2026

Camp Crystal

Camp Crystal Lake's idyllic summer is cut short by Jason's death; as the town moves on, Pam continues looking for him; Levon invites her to Founder's Day, but it only triggers Pam's pain; as she runs from her present, Pam is soon met with her past.

Details

Episode 2

Aired Oct 15, 2026

Part 2

While on a date with Levon, Pam bumps into Rita and is invited to a weekend seminar with a self-help guru; Grace goes to a high school party only to be sent away by Claudette; something sinister takes revenge for Grace.

Details

Episode 3

Aired Oct 15, 2026

Part III

The townspeople go bear hunting against Levon's orders; Pam and Levon bond over the loss of their loved ones; Pam visits Grace at her apartment and suspects she is being abused, leading to a confrontation with her mother, Valerie.

Details

Episode 4

Aired Oct 15, 2026

A New Beginning

Pam visits Levon in the middle of the night; Willow arrives in town searching for her friends but soon fears she's being followed; Pam asks for her job back at the camp where a new group of counselors now work; Briana's research takes an unexpected turn.

Details

Episode 5

Aired Oct 15, 2026

The New Blood

Camp Crystal Lake reopens for the summer despite the mounting death toll; tensions rise as Levon and Dorf clash over the murder suspects; Pam, worried she is losing Grace to the new staff, discovers troubling news that changes everything.

Details

Episode 6

Aired Oct 15, 2026

Kill Them, Mommy

Pam thinks Jason is alive; the counselors mourn Willow, but their ceremony soon takes a dark turn when an uninvited guest arrives; Briana receives a mysterious envelope just as the state police step in and take over the case at Crystal Lake.

Details

Episode 7

Aired Oct 15, 2026

Friday…

A young Pam gives birth to Jason after a complicated pregnancy; Elias climbs the corporate ladder as Jason grows into a young boy; during his 4th birthday party, Jason shows alarming symptoms that lead Pam to question her life.

Details

Episode 8

Aired Oct 15, 2026

The Final Chapter

Elias arrives in Crystal Lake determined to find Pam and Jason; Levon faces Elias in a tense exchange in an effort to protect Pam; Pam's world unravels as her past finally catches up to her.

Details

Linda Cardellini on Playing Pamela Voorhees

0:23

Now Playing

Crystal Lake: Season 1 Trailer

2:25

Now Playing

Crystal Lake: Season 1 Teaser

0:30

Now Playing

Crystal Lake: Season 1 Episode 1 Sneak Peek - Pamela Voorhees Hears Jason’s Cries for Help

2:40

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Creator: Brad Kane
Executive Producer: Brad Kane, Victor Miller, Marc Toberoff, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, Stuart Manashil, Michael Lennox, Tyson Bidner
Network: Peacock
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date: Oct 15, 2026

Let's keep in touch!

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Let's keep in touch!

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Season 1 – Crystal Lake

Where to Watch

Crystal Lake — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Reviews

Audience Reviews

My Rating

Cast & Crew

Episodes

Videos

Crystal Lake — Season 1

Photos

Crystal Lake — Season 1

Season Info