'Can You Keep A Secret?' Trailer: Paramount+'s New British Comedy Looks Deliciously Unhinged
New series about family, fraud, and a grandmother who blackmails everyone to hide the truth
Sometimes the biggest criminal in the household is the one you’d least expect. And surely, you’d never suspect a loving grandmother, right?
Paramount+ is kicking off 2026 with a British comedy that understands one sacred truth: family chaos is best served with a straight face and a deeply unserious plan. Can You Keep A Secret? premieres Thursday, February 12, with all six episodes available to stream at once. If the trailer is any indication, this series is bound to be unhinged.
At the center of the madness is Debbie Fendon, a domineering grandmother whose idea of “protection” involves insurance fraud, emotional manipulation, and a husband in the attic.
Yes. The attic.
But we respect the commitment.
A premise that shows promise
The setup, directly from Paramount+ (and emphasized in the trailer):
Debbie’s husband, William, is mistakenly declared dead
Debbie decides, “Hey, why not?”
William is alive and hiding in the attic
Debbie swears the family to secrecy
The real threat isn’t getting caught… it’s Debbie
In short, Can You Keep A Secret? looks like Keeping Up Appearances if Mrs. Bucket (pronounced bouquet) could convince her husband to go along with it (Hyacinth was ahead of her time, okay).
That’s the energy the series gives, and if you know British comedy, it will lean heavily into the bit. And the trailer wastes zero time letting you know this isn’t a cozy comedy—it’s a pressure cooker disguised as a sitcom.
A cast built for chaos
The series stars:
Dawn French (French & Saunders) as Debbie Fendon
Mark Heap (Friday Night Dinner) as William, Debbie’s husband
Craig Roberts (Submarine) as Harold, Debbie’s son
Mandip Gill (Doctor Who) as Neha, Harold’s wife and a police officer
The last bit of information is what throws a wrench into the plan, given Neha’s obligation to uphold the law. But Debbie seems to always have a plan. What that plan is, we have yet to find out.
Why this series might work
The only information we have to go on is the trailer, but it looks promising for the gutsy comedy, showcasing glimpses of various strengths:
Escalated comedy vs punchlines/one-liners
The lead isn’t the quirky old lady; she’s actually kind of dangerous
Every character is complicit in the crime, which allows the audience to stress about how they’ll actually get away with it
The tension is unspoken, resting between glances and impending doom
Can You Keep A Secret? doesn’t ask if the secret will get out. It’s asking how long the family can hold it together before it does.
The trailer gives away some, but clearly not all. However, if the series maintains what the trailer suggests, Can You Keep A Secret? could be one of those sneaky comedies that wins you over by the end of episode one and has you begging for a renewal by episode two.
Sometimes the most dangerous thing in a family isn’t the secret itself. It’s the person enjoying it just a little too much.
Can You Keep A Secret? premieres with all six episodes Thursday, February 12, on Paramount+. Check out the trailer below.
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