Review: “Good American Family”

Hulu’s chilling new series retells a real-life adoption scandal, but exaggerated drama weakens the impact.

Ritika Kadi, Jasmine Hernandez, and Suhasini Patel • June 16, 2025

“Good American Family” poster featuring the main characters, starring Ellen Pompeo

At the time this article was written, only episodes 1-5 were available.

A Chilling Tale Based on a Real-Life Controversy

“Good American Family” is a limited TV series that aired on March 19, 2025 on Hulu and has since released an episode per week. The show very quickly earned its number two spot on Hulu’s Top 15 Today. The show is loosely based on the controversial story of Natalia Grace and the Barnett family.

The Barnett family adopted Natalia, a seven-year-old Ukrainian orphan with a rare form of dwarfism in 2010 and quickly welcomed her into their family of five.

The True Story: A Suspicion that Turned Into a National Mystery

Soon after the adoption, the Barnetts began to claim that Natalia Grace wasn’t actually a child. They believed she was an adult posing as a child to scam them. Her behavior raised concerns, and the case gained media attention. To this day, many still debate whether Natalia was truly a child or deceiving the family.

From News to Narrative: The Show’s Approach

The show lets viewers feel what it was truly like to be inside of the Barnett household. “Good American Family” portrays crucial moments from the family’s time with Natalia.

In the show, Kristine Barnett, the mother, is the only logical person in the household, while Michael Barnett appears naive and cannot see past Natalia’s facade. The tension and frustration within the family are captured well.

Flaws, Tension, and No Innocent Characters

The show has some awkward pauses and scenes that are difficult to watch. It is frustrating watching Natalia’s behavior and in most of the episodes, Mr. Barnett’s obliviousness towards Natalia’s behavior is also aggravating.

As the series progresses, it is evident that no one is a victim in this situation. The show hints at Mrs. Barnett’s ruthlessness as she tells her husband her career is a bigger priority than he is. Mrs. Barnett also has sway over Mr. Barnett, and convinces him to lock Natalia in the garage temporarily which is very extreme.

Final Verdict

Overall the show does a great job of portraying the flaws that each member of the family has as the story unfolds; however, Natalia’s behavior is extremely exaggerated, makes the show difficult to enjoy.

The Torch rates “Good American Family” 2/5 ⭐

About the Contributors

Ritika Kadi

Ritika Kadi is a senior at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School. She is a contributor and a first year journalism student where she chose the class to write about topics people might not be as informed on. She plans to major in engineering but she likes exploring a broad range of interests. She loves to travel and has been to various different countries and states. She also likes to watch television and read books. She bakes a lot and often gives it to her family and friends and enjoys playing with her dog Josie. Some goods that she bakes include cinnamon rolls and cookies and she has started to make pasta dishes.

Jasmine Hernandez

Jasmine Hernandez is a 16-year-old junior at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School. Jasmine is a first–year journalism student and contributor to The Torch. Her interest in journalism stems from her love of reading, writing and a collection of various types of literature. In the next few years, Jasmine plans to major in either elementary and early childhood education or child and family social work. Outside of school, Jasmine enjoys spending her free time with her 3 1/2-year-old Shiba Inu dog, Coco, and working. She also enjoys listening to music by artists like Frank Ocean and SZA, and watching first responder television shows.

Suhasini Patel, News editor

Suhasini Patel is currently a junior attending John F. Kennedy Memorial High School. This is her second year taking journalism, where she is a contributor to The Torch, and it has become one of her favorite classes. She loves to keep up with pop news and sports. She took journalism so she can write about pop culture and reviews about shows/movies. Suhasini does spring track & field. She mostly listens to R&B and Rap, and hopes to go to a PND or Drake concert. Her favorite soccer club is FC Barcelona; she also used to play soccer as a kid. During her spare time ,she likes to read mystery books, go to the gym with friends and watch Netflix. After high school, she wants to major in either Criminal Justice or Criminology.