Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
Like carefully picked posies, Grosse Pointe Garden Society has chosen the cream of the crop to fill out this bouquet of familiar faces from all over the Television spectrum.
But be careful who you pluck. These flowers are more dangerous than meets the eye and might just leave you bleeding.
One thing Grosse Pointe Garden Society has going for it is that it inspires the same feeling of whimsical comedies that are light on the drama but heavy on the killer mysteries.
Not only are the characters riddled with layers that keep you guessing who they really are under those forced smiles, but the show itself already hides a mystery in plain sight.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society Shares Deep Roots with a Show That Redefined a Genre
First off, does anyone else think the title is a mouthful? It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Let’s all pray for an official shortening or even an acronym.
However, that may be the only thing this series needs to improve on because this show came out swinging big and landed hit after hit with its talented cast and captivating characters.
Shows like Grosse Pointe Garden Society draw in a very specific crowd who like to laugh while enjoying a good murder mystery.
That’s why shows like Only Murders in the Building, Based on a True Story, and Poker Face are so popular. However, one show in particular paved the way for this mix of murder and mishaps.
Desperate Housewives was a game-changer in reinventing the kind of shows people never knew they needed. However, Grosse Pointe Garden Society isn’t just borrowing the same storytelling elements.
This show and the ABC hit that made Eva Longoria a household name share deep roots with the female-led series — and her name is Jenna Bans.
The creator of Grosse Pointe Garden Society (such a long title), Jenna Bans, got her start in TV writing as part of the Desperate Housewives crew in 2004.
That’s right — the hands that made Susan Mayer lock herself out of her house naked before ending up in a bush are now flexing their creative skills all over this addictive new series.
As if that weren’t enough to seal the deal on a surefire hit with audiences, the cast feels like they were cherry-picked from some of the best corners of broadcast television.
With so many familiar TV faces, Grosse Pointe Garden Society feels like it’s hugging you with one hand while holding deadly gardening sheers in the other.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society Has Procured a Cast of Equally Talented Familiar Faces from So Many Beloved Shows
First and foremost, you’ll have to forgive me because even though I love television enough to have worried my parents as a child, I have not seen everything.
So, while not every cast member strikes up memories of their respective shows, that doesn’t mean they won’t have you going, “Oh, yeah. That’s the one from that show with the thing and the brother.”
After all, if you’re here with me, you’re probably a TV Fanatic and maybe don’t even realize it. So, let’s kick things off with the sweetest newly fired teacher, AnnaSophia Robb’s Alice.
If you’re currently in your thirties, you’ve likely experienced the emotional trauma that was Bridge to Terabithia, one of Robb’s first movies. It was basically a gender-swapped “My Girl.”
She has certainly grown up, and her acting skills only seem to get better with every project she takes on, from The Carrie Diaries to Mercy Street and, most recently, Little Fires Everywhere.
Next is Aja Naomi King’s Catherine, a character trying to find love in a cruel world filled with devilishly handsome men and fake jewelry.
In total honesty, King was so good as Catherine that it took a minute before I realized she was the same actor who played the indomitable Harriet Sloane in Lessons in Chemistry.
If you haven’t seen that incredible Apple TV+ miniseries, you are seriously missing out on some award-worthy performances from King and her co-stars Brie Larson and Lewis Pullman.
Most, if not everyone, here shouldn’t have to think too hard about where they know the actress playing the newest and most over-the-top member of the garden society.
Melissa Fumero might not be a name you know, but if I said “Amy Santiago,” I bet the ears of every Brooklyn Nine-Nine fan would perk right up.
Long gone are her days on the drama-heavy soap operas One Life to Live and All My Children.
Now she seems to go for the laughs, having just starred alongside Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina on Based on a True Story Season 2.
Last but certainly not least (at least to us) is Brett, Grosse Pointe’s seemingly nicest guy, who has terrible taste in women who have even worse taste in men. That ex-wife is a real — fill in the blank.
Well, this is where research skills come in handy. While I’ve seen many shows Ben Rappaport has guest starred on, like Evil and The Good Wife, I have never seen his specific episodes.
Alas, there are also TV Fanatics reading this who will clock him as Max Horowitz from Younger or Ollie Parker from Mr. Robot.
As you can see, there is a lot of damn talent from all over in one place, and they’re taking on a series with a story that is quite possibly the next big addiction for NBC audiences.
With Just the Premiere, Grosse Pointe Garden Society Establishes Everything About the Story That Makes It Must-See TV
As far as pilots go, this one did not waste any time bringing viewers right into the messy mayhem of Grosse Pointe Garden Society.
For one, the series immediately established an arc for every main character. Then, of course, there is the central question, “Who did they bury in the garden?” That list is already pretty stacked.
First, there is Alice’s issue with the biggest teenage turd from her now former job. However, her real struggle has to do with the politics behind education.
Still, that little skid mark killed her dog by shooting it at point-blank range. That is some Why Women Kill stuff right there, and he must be destroyed.
Birdie doesn’t seem too bad off, as her arc involves trying to reconnect with the son she had to give up for adoption when she was a teenager. Although the story has been told many times, its timeless nature never gets old.
Brett is dealing with the standard “crappy new husband” trope, but in fairness, he got a pretty raw deal when his wife left him.
Should she still keep her end of the bargain and help him pursue his dream? It would be pretty messed up of the character if she doesn’t.
Finally, Catherine has made a deadly enemy by more or less ruining Gary’s life and career.
Also, she might have handled that before thinking things through because what’s to stop Gary from telling Catherine’s husband about their affair now that he has nothing to lose?
Like I said, this was an incredible pilot. It balances camp and mystery with very likable characters to shoulder the rather loaded plot.
I have no notes for NBC‘s Grosse Pointe Garden Society other than to get a shorter name.
Everything else was right on the money, and this series is sure to keep delivering one incredible episode after another.
Did the series hit all the right marks for you?
How many of the actors did you immediately recognize?
Drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I review the next episode of Grosse Pointe Garden Society!