A murder mystery drama celebrated by viewers as 'one of the best TV shows in a very long time' has just become freely available for UK audiences to stream. The Grosse Pointe Garden Society, a series that blends suburban scandal with dark humour, has landed on ITVX with all 13 of its episodes.
A Suburban Secret Buried in the Flowerbeds
The show is set in the picturesque suburbs of Michigan and centres on four members of a local gardening club: Alice (AnnaSophia Robb), Birdie (Melissa Fumero), Catherine (Aja Naomi King), and Brett (Ben Rappaport). Their lives, which appear as perfectly manicured as their gardens, are upended by a shared, dark secret—a murder they are collectively covering up. The official synopsis describes how the characters struggle to maintain their flawless facades as 'dark truths begin to rot their lives under the surface.'
Since its arrival on ITVX, British fans have been eagerly consuming the series. Viewer reactions sourced from the original broadcast praise it highly. One fan called it a 'delicious mix of dark humor, mystery, and suburban drama,' likening it to 'Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies, with a gardening twist.' Another applauded its unique take on the crime genre, stating it 'isn't your average "crime mystery"' and is a 'true bouquet of drama, humor, and creativity.' A third viewer emphatically declared, 'I think it's one of the best things on tv in a long time.'
Fan Fury Over Shock Cancellation
Despite this passionate and vocal support, the series met an untimely end. NBC cancelled the show after its first season, which concluded on a major cliffhanger. This decision left the storyline unresolved and sparked significant disappointment among its dedicated fanbase.
Reports from industry publication Deadline indicated that NBCUniversal executives had considered moving the series exclusively to their streaming service, Peacock, where it had begun to gain traction and entered the platform's top 10 charts. However, the move was ultimately abandoned because it would have required financial resources not allocated to Peacock, and projected audience figures were not deemed high enough to justify the investment.
The cancellation provoked a strong reaction online. One frustrated fan commented, 'Oh come on. This was actually good. You guys didn’t give it a chance...' Another compared NBC's decision to Netflix's notorious habit of axing shows prematurely, writing, '@NBC is like Netflix. Cancel shows without giving them time to build an audience.'
Where to Watch Now
For UK viewers who missed its initial US release last year or who wish to revisit the show, all 13 episodes of The Grosse Pointe Garden Society are currently available to stream for free on ITVX. This provides a new opportunity for the series to cultivate a fresh audience on British shores, even as its original fans continue to lament the unresolved mystery left behind by its cancellation.
