Grosse Pointe Garden Society star Ben Rappaport has revealed his new NBC show’s connection to the beloved series Desperate Housewives after fans first made the comparison between the two.
Without giving too much away, the series focuses on four members of a suburban garden club whose lives become intertwined by scandal and secrets — including a murder no one wants to discuss. Along with Rappaport, the series stars AnnaSophia Robb, Melissa Fumero, and Aja Naomi King. Desperate Housewives, meanwhile, was the smash hit drama series following four suburbanite women that ran for eight seasons on ABC.
Fans were quick to draw the comparison shortly after Grosse Pointe Garden Society’s NBC premiere on February 23, with one writing on X: “Finally checking out Grosse Pointe Garden Society and I think it may be exactly the Desperate Housewives energy I was looking for. Also? GREAT cast.”
“Grosse Pointe Garden Society is scratching a very specific Desperate Housewives part of my brain with the first few episodes and so far I am very here for it!” another fan said.
“This Grosse Pointe Garden Society show is my jam. It's like a murderous Desperate Housewives that takes place a few minutes away,” said another.
Speaking to The Independent, Rappaport called the comparison “a real honor because that show was so beloved and balanced light and dark tones brilliantly.”
Grosse Pointe Garden Society showrunner Jenna Bans was also a writer on Desperate Housewives, Rappaport noted.
“[Bans] and Bill Krebs, along with our producing director Maggie Kiley, have created a uniquely sexy, frothy, scandalous, romantic, darkly funny, quirky thrill ride of a show that takes on a personality all its own,” he continued.
No stranger to TV screens, Rappaport has starred in the NBC sitcom Outsourced, and has also been seen on The Good Wife, Mr. Robot, Younger, Ozark, Inventing Anna, and For the People.
graduate of the Juilliard School, Rappaport made his Broadway debut in the 2013 revival of Picnic. He’s since appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and Good Night, Oscar, the latter of which he will be doing on London’s West End starting in July, reprising his role as talk show host Jack Paar opposite Sean Hayes’s portrayal of Oscar Levant.
Diving further into his Grosse Pointe Garden Society experience, Rappaport revealed that while the show itself had elements of fun, there were suspense and surprise for all involved — including the cast: No one knew who had been murdered.
“None of us knew until we got the script for that episode later on in the season,” Rappaport explained.
“For me, it was an absolute blast because I love the element of surprise,” he said. “It also created a lively environment on set because everybody in the cast and on the crew was making guesses and building theories about who they thought it was and why.”
Rappaport described the energy on set as “electric” when the identity was finally revealed.
“It was so thrilling and fun,” he said. “I’ve never worked on a show that had this much suspense and this many plot secrets!”
While Grosse Pointe Garden Society hasn’t yet been renewed for a second season pn NBC, co-creator and co-executive producer Krebs told the Detroit Metro Times: “We have had an uptick on Peacock, so there has been talk of possibly moving us over to their streamer. We are using this month to gain as many eyeballs as possible.”
Rappaport isn’t giving up hope for a renewal, either.
Season one saw his character, divorced dad-of-two Brett, navigate his relationship with his ex-wife while maintaining his role within the garden club. In a potential season two, Rappaport would love to see that grow even more.
“In season one, we really see Brett come into his own,” he said. “He finds a backbone, stands up for himself, and does all of that while remaining an amazing dad. I feel like the crisis at the center of our story brings out an aspect of leadership in him.”
Describing the show as a “perfect summer binge,” Rappaport applauded that Grosse Pointe Garden Society “doesn’t take itself too seriously” despite having those previously mentioned elements of suspense and surprise.
“It also has real heart and grounded, nuanced characters at its center. We have a brilliant ensemble of actors who are sure to take you on an emotional roller coaster ride and are people you really want to root for — even under the most high stakes circumstances,” he explained.
“There are so many twists and turns and so many details in each episode, that binging all the way through is a thrilling experience. Then binge it all over again! Because you always find things you missed the first time around — and because we really want to bring you more thrills in a season two!”
