Murder And Marigolds At NBC’s Grosse Pointe Garden Society
- Aleesha Naqvi
- Aug 28, 2025
- 3 min read
The first season of Grosse Pointe Garden Society, created by Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs, recently premiered on NBC. A murder mystery set in the affluent town of Grosse Pointe, the show follows four characters trying to win the championship for the best garden in the city. Season one of Grosse Pointe Garden Society has 13 episodes, each over 40 minutes long. However, I do recommend that the best way to watch the show is to binge it; otherwise, the constant suspense over the murder mystery will kill you.
Shining through the show is actress Melissa Fumero, portraying seemingly shallow divorcee Birdie Bradley. Melissa Fumero is better known for her role as Amy Santiago in Brooklyn Nine-Nine; however, Birdie would probably be straight-laced Santiago’s archnemesis. Fumero’s performance as Bradley is funny, dramatic, and fabulous, with extravagant outfits. The character is loud, and so is Fumero’s performance.
The Grosse Pointe Garden Society also brings a familiar face to TV murder mystery fans in Aja Naomi King. King famously played Michaela Pratt on the hit TV show How to Get Away with Murder, starring Viola Davis as Annalise Keating. For fans of How to Get Away with Murder, another Easter egg awaits them as Jack Falahee, who played Connor Walsh on the show, guest stars on Grosse Pointe Garden Society. Watching King and Falahee on screen together reminded me of the nights in my room, huddled over my laptop, anxiously watching How to Get Away with Murder. The nostalgia works in their favour.
The characters are ambitious, driven, and messy, making the worst possible decisions at every opportunity. The show stretches the boundaries of morality, not just with the murder mystery and subsequent cover-up, but also with all the cheating and adultery. It's a soapy show about rich people with rich people problems, but comedic and entertaining nonetheless. The show follows members of the Garden Society, Birdie, Alice, Brett, and Catherine. The three women, and their token guy best friend, tend to their garden and their lives with precision and control, until life (and other entitled Grosse Pointers) get in their way.
Is cheating on TV entertaining sometimes? Sure! But in Grosse Pointe Garden Society, the cheating doesn’t feel scandalous, just repetitive. The repeated instances of adultery between everyone show the cracks forming over the perceived perfection of the Grosse Pointe community. However, the repetition is a little tedious, as it seems to be the only conflict that can exist between the couples. The cheating ‘scandals’ are brushed over in an extremely unrealistic way. Then again, the town of Grosse Pointe prides itself on its image and perfection.
Image and perfection take centre stage through the garden competition. The garden society works hard at maintaining its perfectly trimmed and planted flowers, obsessed with winning. It's an interesting metaphor; the (majority of) wives of Grosse Pointe aim for uniform perfection from their flowers, appearance, children, and image. However, they learn quickly that control can easily slip away, a frost can take your garden away, a seemingly salacious woman can steal your affair partner, your children can hate you, and you could accidentally kill someone.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society is a fun show to binge-watch on a rainy day; it's funny, entertaining, dramatic, and full of suspense. It showcases messy, complex people making complex decisions. It also provides some key lessons to its viewers: control is an illusion, and you never know the full story.
The Gross Pointe Garden Society was created by Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs, and has a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Edited by Lara Walsh, Co-Film & TV Editor
Comments