ENTERTAINMENT'Good American Family': The Dark True Story Behind Hulu's Shocking Series
Hulu’s new limited series 'Good American Family' is inspired by real-life drama.
March 24 2025, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Hulu’s new limited series, Good American Family is whipping up a frenzy with its bone-chilling story, inspired by real-life drama steeped in mystery and betrayal that will have viewers questioning everything.
Is 'Good American Family' Based on Natalia Grace?
Diving into the heart of chaos, this eight-episode rollercoaster is narrated from multiple perspectives, unearthing issues of bias, trauma, and the truth we think we know. The series is drawn from the tangled life story of Natalia Grace.
This gripping show yarns a tale of a Midwestern family whose idyllic lives turn upside down when they adopt a young girl from Ukraine with a rare type of dwarfism known as spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.
Imogen Faith Reid plays Natalia Grace in Hulu thriller's 'Good American Family.'
“As they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, mystery emerges around her age and background, and they slowly start to suspect she may not be who she says she is,” reads Hulu’s tantalizing summary.
The stakes escalate as parents defend their family from whom they perceive as a threat, while Grace battles her past in a no-holds-barred showdown that brews in the tabloids and the courtroom.
Natalia Grace was legally 're-aged.'
The Real Story of Natalia Grace
Grace's harrowing journey began in 2008 when she was brought from Ukraine by her first adoptive parents, Dyan and Gary Ciccone. However, after relinquishing their parental rights due to alleged behavioral issues, she found herself in the hands of Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010.
But things took a turn for the crazy when the Barnetts accused her of being a liar and attempting to harm them. In a 2012 court battle, they legally "re-aged" her from 2003 to 1989, declaring her 22 years old instead of just a child. Following this chilling decree, she was left to fend for herself in an Indiana apartment while the Barnetts vanished to Canada.
In a twist of fate, Grace eventually formed a bond with Cynthia Mans, leading to yet another adoption about a decade later. And in a groundbreaking revelation in 2023, a DNA test confirmed that she was indeed just 22 years old.
- Meet Imogen Faith Reid: The Rising Star Taking on the Bizarre Life of Natalia Grace in 'Good American Family'
- Heidi D'Amelio Doesn't Know If Her Family Was 'Made' for Reality Television After Show's End: 'We Weren't Feeling It'
- Meet Imogen Faith Reid: The Rising Star Taking on the Bizarre Life of Natalia Grace in 'Good American Family'
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Natalia Grace's journey began in 2008.
Star-Studded Cast Lights Up 'Good American Family'
The series is brimming with talent: Imogen Faith Reid plays Natalia while Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass portray her bewildered adoptive parents, Kristine and Michael. With additional performances from Sarayu Blue as Valika and Dulé Hill as Brandon Dysdale, this cast is blowing viewers’ minds!
Duplass shared insights on his complex role in Good American Family: “This is a story about perspective. And because we see this story from so many different perspectives, that means the character of Michael Barnett is so many different things at any given time … and it’s deeply unsettling because of that, but again, a joy and an honor to play.”
The first two episodes of 'Good American Family' hit Hulu on March 19, with juicy new episodes dropping weekly.
Producer Sarah Sutherland emphasized on transcending more storytelling in the series.
“The hope was to sort of force you to live with these people and force you to think about what it is to move through the world and make these snap judgments,” she explained.
She added: “So we’ll let you watch and you make your own decision.”
While Grace's beguiling saga is also dissected in the Investigation Discovery docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, showrunner Katie Robbins revealed that Good American Family aims for an emotionally raw retelling.
“We tried to tell the most emotionally authentic version of this story,” she said, edging away from a strictly documentary format.
The first two episodes of Good American Family hit Hulu on March 19, with juicy new episodes dropping weekly.
