Grosse Pointe Garden Society Showrunners Reveal Why Friday Night Isn’t the Death Knell

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The Grosse Pointe Garden Society debuted on NBC during an unusual Sunday evening time slot in the 2025 television schedule. With its blend of drama, mystery, murder, and humor, it swiftly became my preferred new network series of the year up to that point. However, the pairing with Suits LA on Sundays didn’t prove successful, leading NBC to retain the Suits spinoff in its original time slot while shifting GPGS to a Friday night one. Interestingly, creators/showrunners Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs stated that a move to Fridays no longer spells doom for network TV shows.

In a previous arrangement, shifting a show to the final weekday was colloquially referred to as airing in the “Friday night death slot.” The fact that Grosse Pointe Garden Society, previously scheduled for Sunday evenings, had been moved to Fridays at 8 p.m. ET raised concerns about its survival. However, when Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs were interviewed by TopMob, they provided some insight into why GPGS was not being prematurely terminated. When asked for their opinions on the move to Friday nights, Bans expressed:

Our enthusiasm stemmed from their objective, which they shared with us: attracting a larger audience to try it out, ideally growing its popularity on Peacock. Contrary to some media speculation, it wasn’t being sent off to wither away.

Bill Krebs shared the same enthusiasm as his fellow showrunner, which is not unexpected. Prior to producing Grosse Pointe Garden Society, they had previously collaborated on NBC’s Good Girls. He later elaborated on how the role of a Friday night slot has evolved in the streaming era, suggesting:

* Bill Krebs expressed the same enthusiasm as his co-showrunner, which is not unexpected since they had worked together before on NBC’s Good Girls and now on Grosse Pointe Garden Society.
* Sharing the same excitement with his fellow showrunner, it was no surprise to find out that they had previously collaborated on NBC’s Good Girls and were now working together on Grosse Pointe Garden Society.
* Bill Krebs echoed the enthusiasm of his co-showrunner, a feeling that made sense given their past collaboration on NBC’s Good Girls and current work on Grosse Pointe Garden Society.
* The shared excitement between Bill Krebs and his fellow showrunner was understandable, considering they had collaborated on NBC’s Good Girls before and were now working together on Grosse Pointe Garden Society.

Back in the old days, if a show was scheduled for Friday or Saturday, it essentially meant its ratings would plummet. But things have changed dramatically now. I found myself immersed in a gripping series airing at 10 PM on Sunday nights – quite a feat considering how challenging it is to attract viewers to network TV during those hours.

People who need to rise early on Mondays might find it less attractive to stay up till 11 p.m. ET to watch a mystery series compared to if the episodes were released at other times. A past producer of Grey’s Anatomy, Bans, shared that even her parents expressed reluctance, stating “We’re not staying up for that hour on a Sunday!

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Krebs highlighted that in the streaming age, viewers no longer need to stay up late on Sundays to watch. Instead, NBC’s method of adding new TV episodes to Peacock the day after they air live could potentially benefit rather than harm the Grosse Pointe Garden Society. He continued:

The following day, it was decided that the program would air on Peacock, specifically on Friday at 8. For those who prefer linear and live streaming, they can still tune in. However, the show will also be available on Peacock starting Saturday, allowing viewers over the weekend to watch alongside others on this platform. This is particularly beneficial due to the serial nature of the show, making it easier for people to binge-watch and catch up at their convenience.

Given that the audience for Grosse Pointe Garden Society was already growing more on Peacock than it was on Sundays (as reported by Deadline), it seems this change in time slot could potentially lead to a Season 2 renewal happening earlier rather than later. I, for one, would be intrigued to see if NBCUniversal might shift GPGS exclusively to Peacock as a streaming original, similar to how they handled Christopher Meloni’s Law & Order: Organized Crime, which was another 10 p.m ET show on NBC that appeared to do well on the streaming platform.

At present, fresh installments of the show “Gross Pointe Garden Society” will keep airing on NBC Fridays from 8 p.m. ET. The suspense is building as we draw nearer to unveiling the true identity of Quiche – the enigmatic character who met a tragic end at the hands of the main four characters. Don’t miss the sneak peek for the upcoming episode on May 2!

Could it be that the “Monaco Under the Stars” episode on May 2 at 8 p.m. ET, or available for streaming the next day on Peacock, will finally unveil who the corpse is that the main characters have been secretly dealing with in the flash-forwards throughout the season? If the current storylines are aligning with the timeline of the flash-forwards, it seems we’re approaching the moment when the murderer is exposed.

Make sure to revisit TopMob for further updates from the show creators as the final episode nears, and the anticipation for a possible renewal (or termination) remains.

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2025-05-01 03:38