Why NBC Canceled Grosse Pointe Garden Society

Fans of NBC drama “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” were dismayed to learn that the series had been cancelled in 2025 after just one season — especially since the season finale ended on a cliffhanger that will seemingly never be resolved. The history of TV is littered with shows that didn’t last beyond their debut season, and not all of them are bad. Some great sci-fi series were axed after just one season, and some of the best TV shows you’ll ever see were similarly cancelled after one season. Fans of “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” would certainly argue the show belongs in that latter category, and the critical response to the NBC drama certainly suggested it was one of the better series to end so quickly. So, why did the network bury this seemingly successful murder mystery show?

Back in July 2024, “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” received a series order from NBC, and things were looking promising. The network excitedly encouraged viewers to “get ready to unearth dark secrets lurking beneath a facade of suburban tranquility” with this series written and created by Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs. Bans had previously created “The Family” for the ABC and NBC series “Good Girls,” which aired for four seasons from 2018 to 2021. At the very least, then, “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” had someone at the helm who knew what a successful series looked like, but the premise was intriguing, too.

In Grosse Pointe, Michigan, Alice (AnnaSophia Robb), Brett (Ben Rappaport), Catherine (Aja Naomi King), and Birdie (Melissa Fumero) are members of a suburban gardening club. The four become entangled in a murder and have to work together to cover up the crime, burying the body at the garden club before learning that that very site is scheduled to be leveled and replaced by a koi pond. Nefarious and unseemly deeds juxtaposed against an ostensible suburban peace is usually a recipe for success but in this case, “Grosse Point Garden Society” became one of the many shows that didn’t last beyond its debut season.

NBC seemingly had high hopes for “Grosse Pointe Garden Society,” with the network putting the show into development back in 2022, opening a writers’ room for the series the following year. “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” finally premiered on NBC on February 23, 2025, but it would only last a few months. In June of that year, Deadline reported that NBC had opted not to renew “Grosse Pointe Garden Society.”

The cancellation was something of a surprise to fans, as the season finale had ended on a significant cliffhanger. Alas, it seems viewers will never discover who was inside the duck costume at the garden club’s Halloween party, as “Grosse Pointe” simply wasn’t garnering the ratings NBC needed. Anyone who’d kept up with the series’ ratings certainly wasn’t surprised. After launching behind the ill-fated spin-off “Suits: LA” on Sunday nights, “Grosse Pointe” was moved to a Friday 8 p.m. slot, which, according to Deadline, slightly improved its ratings. The outlet claimed the show was a “soft linear ratings performer,” making a renewal pretty much impossible — especially since the show’s streaming numbers weren’t enough to make up for the lack of same-day viewers on the live broadcast. According to reports, “Grosse Pointe” remained the network’s lowest-rated scripted series of the season, even after it was moved to its new Friday timeslot.

Before the show’s cancellation, in May 2025, Deadline reported that NBC was considering moving “Grosse Pointe” solely to their streaming platform, Peacock, especially after its move to Friday seemed to give its Peacock streaming figures a bump. In their June report, however, the outlet stated that NBC had concluded that the series wouldn’t be able to grow its viewership on Peacock, and so it was canned altogether — along with the aforementioned “Suits: LA.”

Despite the fact that “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” was well-received, earning a solid 73% score on Rotten Tomatoes, there was no real mystery surrounding its cancellation. The show simply wasn’t bringing in the viewership NBC deemed necessary, and was quickly shut down. Of course, both fans and those involved in its creation couldn’t help but be disappointed. Following the series’ cancellation, Birdie actress Melissa Fumero posted some behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram (via Deadline), along with a statement that read, “This one stings. This job is not for the faint of heart. Thanks for watching our little show.” In a separate post on Threads, Fumero elaborated on her feelings, writing:

“Oh, Birdie. You were one for the books. You felt like an amalgamation of every role I’ve ever played. I’ll miss so many things about this job, but most of all I will miss the incredible group of humans it brought together. I won’t miss the shoes. It’s really hard to make a show. Even harder to keep it on air. I’ll forever be proud of what we made. Thanks for watching.”

Meanwhile, AnnaSophia Robb posted a similarly bittersweet Instagram story, writing, “Damn. I will miss our GPGS family. Grateful and proud of all that we made together.” Ben Rappaport made his own post in which he stated that “showbiz ain’t for the faint of heart” before extolling his former collaborators for their efforts.

There have been some not-so-great series that lasted for just a single run of episodes. “Friends” star Matthew Perry, for example, starred in a sitcom that’s nearly impossible to watch today. In fact, he was the king of sitcoms that lasted for a single season, having appeared in “Second Chance” (aka “Boys Will Be Boys”), “Sydney,” and ABC’s “Home Free,” all of which lasted for one season each. There’s certainly no shame in such a record. TV is, as Fumero points out, a tough business, and even great shows sometimes don’t make it beyond their inaugural season (though that sitcom David Schwimmer made with a “Happy Days” star probably doesn’t fall into that category). “Grosse Pointe Garden Society,” however, certainly seems to have been one of the better series that couldn’t make it to a second season.