The first trailer for Good American Family has arrived, setting up a tense and unsettling drama that explores the blurred lines between truth, perception, and fear. Starring Grey’s Anatomy’s Ellen Pompeo in her first major TV role since stepping back from the long-running medical series, the upcoming Hulu and Disney+ limited series is loosely inspired by a real-life adoption case that became the subject of courtroom battles and tabloid headlines.

A Family’s Dream Turns into a Nightmare

The trailer introduces a seemingly picture-perfect Midwestern family—parents (played by Pompeo and Mark Duplass) and their three children—who decide to adopt a young girl with a rare form of dwarfism. But what starts as an act of kindness quickly unravels into paranoia and suspicion. As eerie moments and cryptic interactions pile up, the couple begins questioning everything about their new daughter, wondering if she might not be the vulnerable child they thought she was.

While the adoptive parents grow increasingly convinced their family is in danger, the girl—played by Imogen Faith Reid—fights to prove she belongs. But who’s telling the truth?

The True Story the Series Draws From

Though Good American Family is a fictionalised drama, its premise draws clear inspiration from the real-life case of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian orphan with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a condition that affects bone growth.

In 2010, Kristine and Michael Barnett adopted Natalia, believing she was six years old. But just a few years later, they alleged she was actually an adult masquerading as a child and accused her of threatening their lives. The case took multiple shocking turns, including a legal battle over Natalia’s age, accusations of neglect against the Barnetts, and Natalia’s own fight to prove she was a child abandoned by those who had promised to care for her.

The story was explored in the 2023 docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, which reignited public debate over what really happened.

2009 Film ‘Orphan’

If Good American Family’s premise sounds familiar, it’s likely because the 2009 horror film Orphan explored a similar idea—but that film was actually inspired by a different real-life case. Orphan took cues from the 2007 media coverage of Barbora Skrlová, a 34-year-old Czech woman who posed as an orphan, manipulated her adoptive family into horrific abuse, and later fled to Norway, where she assumed the identity of a missing teenage boy. Interestingly, Good American Family was originally titled Orphan before the name was changed.

If you’re interested in learning more about this other shocking case, this MSN article has more info.

The Cast and Creative Team

Pompeo, who also serves as an executive producer through her company Calamity Jane, takes on the lead role in a major departure from her years as Meredith Grey. Mark Duplass co-stars as her husband, with Imogen Faith Reid playing the girl at the centre of the mystery. The supporting cast includes Dulé Hill, Christina Hendricks, Sarayu Blue, and Jenny O’Hara.

The series is created by Katie Robbins (The Affair) and co-showrun by Robbins and Sarah Sutherland. Liz Garbus (Lost Girls, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark) directs the pilot and executive produces.

Release Date and Streaming Details

Good American Family will stream on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in Australia. The series premieres with a two-episode drop on March 19th, followed by a new episode weekly.