Ellen Pompeo’s Good American Family is now available to stream on Hulu, making it quite the feat on two fronts. Not only does the series mark the first major role for Pompeo outside of Grey’s Anatomy since she first put on the scrubs as Meredith Grey in 2005, but it also comes on the heels of three seasons of the popular ID docuseries, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, available to stream on Max. The latter is important to note as both Good American Family and The Curious Case of Natalia Grace cover the same subjects —- Natalia Grace and the Barnett family.
I’ve watched my share of documentaries over the years, and The Curious Case of Natalia Grace is by far one of the most memorable I’ve ever seen. Not to make light of anything discussed in the show, but the drama that unfolds has more twists and turns than The Young and the Restless, Beyond the Gates or any other soap you can think of. I literally couldn’t anticipate what was happening from one scene to the next and was stunned with every episode. The doc had me completely glued to the screen, yet confused as to what I should believe.
In season one, the overarching saga is told of how Natalia came to live with her adoptive family and offers a few stories as to how that family deteriorated. Noticeably though, while there are those in the doc who refute some of the claims made by Michael Barnett and question his behavior, the episodes largely reflect his perspective of events. You don’t hear from Natalia and you don’t hear from Kristine Barnett.
When I thought the story couldn’t become even more of a roller coaster ride, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks came out and I was again gobsmacked. Natalia counters many of the claims made about her, Michael makes some more shocking statements and Natalia and Michael have a face-to-face discussion for the first time in years. The second installment ends with a huge surprise that pushed producers to crank out an unexpected third season of the series.
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter zeros in on Natalia and her time trying to move past her experience with the Barnetts. I won’t spoil anything here, but let’s just say that unfortunately, her story didn’t get less complicated initially. However, she does have a few big wins.
All in all, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace is definitely worth a watch if you’re committed to viewing the entire run of Good American Family. With Good American Family loosely inspired by what transpired with Natalia and the Barnetts, it’s nice to have something “more concrete” to compare the fictionalized account to. Heck, you may even find the documentary is more compelling.
Good American Family is now streaming on Hulu, and The Curious Case of Natalia Grace is available on Max.
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