True-crime stories have been easy fodder for the small screen for quite a while, so it’s no surprise to see the infamous Natalia Grace adoption scandal get the limited-series treatment. Over the past few years, the case has been documented in breathless media coverage, a Dr. Phil special, several podcasts, and an explosive three-season ID docuseries. Is an eight-episode heightened drama—one “inspired by multiple perspectives and interpretations,” per the trailer—necessary? No. Good American Family nevertheless charts the course with mixed results. It’s undoubtedly captivating but fails to justify its existence beyond capitalizing on heartbreak and trauma.
The Hulu project arrives at a time when truths about Natalia’s life are still somehow emerging. (Revelations from as recently as January only get mentioned here in a hasty post-finale voiceover.) And Good American Family can’t help but feel sensational despite genuinely trying to dismantle biases, an attempt felled by its own timeline jumping. Creator Katie Robbins (Sunny) and the show’s writers are also in a tough spot as far as figuring out GAF‘s target audience. Unfamiliar viewers might eventually question whom they trust in this bizarre and distressing tale, while those in the know are bound to be frustrated, especially during the over-the-top first half.
Good American Family kicks off from the points of view of Kristine (Ellen Pompeo) and Michael Barnett (Mark Duplass). The married couple with three sons adopts the seven-year-old Ukrainian immigrant Natalia Grace (an impeccable Imogen Faith Reid), who suffers from a disability that’s later confirmed to be a rare type of dwarfism. Kristine is elated. She has made a career out of assisting children in need and gained popularity for helping one of her sons cope with an autism diagnosis. In Natalia, she sees the chance to aid a young person again. But Kristine’s hopes are crushed when she assumes that Natalia is faking her age to scam the Barnetts to pay for healthcare and surgeries. Even worse, she thinks the adoptee is a sociopath out to kill them all.
Kristine’s paranoia anchors Good American Family’s first four episodes to the extent that it’s easy to fall for her thinking. Natalia is often seen looking into the camera sporting a vicious grin, standing over Kristine with a knife in her hand, or enjoying the marital fights she’s causing between her adopted parents because she prefers spending time with Michael. The show practically begs viewers to believe Kristine’s instincts during this chunk of the show. She’s the early lens into the story: a protective mother fearing her family’s safety who is convinced a 22-year-old adult is masquerading as a child and wants to murder them. It’s straight out of the 2009 horror film Orphan, which is referenced both in this series and the real-life case.
The perspective thankfully shifts halfway through. Good American Family uses the Rashomon effect to show Natalia’s experiences through her own eyes. After the Barnetts abandon her and jet off to Canada, she fends for herself in an empty apartment they put her in. She’s biting into uncooked noodles, injuring her hands trying to open canned peaches, and stays unshowered for days because of lack of water. She also repeats to anyone who will hear it that her situation isn’t pitiful because she’s an adult woman, a lie Kristine allegedly coached her to tell. The fifth hour, “Too Hurty Without It,” is harrowing and heartbreaking but veers towards exploiting a child’s adversity.
At least Reid’s committed, stellar performance makes this all engrossing. She gets lost in Natalia’s guilelessness, fear, false bravado, tantrums, and even hope here. The actor, in her debut starring role, navigates the range of emotions with aplomb and is the show’s clear standout. Pompeo, meanwhile, struggles in her first post-Grey’s Anatomy TV role. Unfortunately for her, it’s hard to separate her from the character she’s perfected in Meredith Grey, and Pompeo narrating some of this series doesn’t help things. She certainly has some electric moments but she doesn’t capture the depths of her character’s insidiousness. Duplass also does his best to bring Michael’s extremely annoying persona to life (think a high-pitched voice, full-body acting). Anyone with awareness of the real Michael knows he’s insufferable. Duplass taps into this but neither he nor Pompeo maintains consistency.
GAF spends its remaining time on how Natalia then finds a home with another woman, Cynthia Mans (Christina Hendricks), while a detective (played by Dulé Hill) investigates the Barnetts’ crimes for years after they moved abroad. It spins in circles, going from court hearings to conference rooms and spiky arguments between Kristine and Michael as their relationship crumbles, leading to an inevitable divorce. The show drags out its run, finding salvation only whenever Natalia Grace confronts her past directly. The trial’s outcomes are already there for all to see, and the lengthy run-up to them will likely prompt a quick Google search from viewers. And that’s honestly a better, healthier option than sticking with Good American Family.
Good American Family premieres on March 19 on Hulu
