Friday The 13th’s 2026 Return Officially Breaks The Franchise’s 46-Year Rotten Tomatoes Streak

The Friday the 13th universe is getting a new era in 2026.

Since 1980, Jason Voorhees has become one of the horror genre’s most famous antagonists, as the world has witnessed the vicious killer through numerous cinematic stories. While it has been more than a decade since the Friday the 13th reboot landed in theaters, the franchise is now entering the world of television.

The Crystal Lake drama, serving as a prequel to the iconic horror franchise, is launching this week on Peacock. As critics are sharing their reviews of the TV show, the Rotten Tomatoes score has debuted at 87%. The A24-produced horror makes it the highest-rated project in the entire franchise, surpassing all the films.

It’s key to remember, however, that the % is still subject to change, as members of the press are still registering their respective scores on the review-aggregation platform. While it is at 86% as of writing, the rating could get higher or lower over the coming days, especially when it premieres on the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service.

In ScreenRant’s Crystal Lake TV review, Kara Hedash gave it a 7/10, sharing how the prequel’s “performances are top-notch, and the kills are brutally fitting for a Friday the 13th project. It may not be perfect, but as a long-time fan of the franchise, I can certainly say watching Crystal Lake was a thrill ride that packed a bigger emotional punch than expected. Whether or not Crystal Lake has more seasons in store, for now, I’m just grateful Friday the 13th and its characters are back in some form.” Hedash also teases how “there’s even a camp sequence taken directly from the original movie that’s remade and expanded on, which will forever change how you look at the franchise’s original kills.”

The Crystal Lake TV show stars Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees, while Callum Vinson has been tapped as the young Jason Voorhees, exploring the mother dealing with the loss of her son. The main cast also features William Catlett as Levon Brooks, Devin Kessler as Briana Brooks, along with Gwendolyn Sundstrom as Grace and Cameron Scoggins as Dorf.

The series includes Joy Suprano as Rita, Nick Cordileone as Ralph, Phoenix Parnevik as Barry, and Danielle Kotch as Claudette as recurring guest stars. The project has been in the works since 2022, as it was initially developed under Bryan Fuller until he was fired in May 2024, leading to Brad Caleb Kane landing the gig as the showrunner in August of that year.

All eight episodes of Crystal Lake premiere on October 14 on Peacock.

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