Netflix’s ‘Ripple’ becomes December’s cozy hit with fans

Given that subscribers are already engrossed in the recent release, Netflix is well aware that December is the ideal month for a cozy, comfortable TV watch.

The word on social media is that Netflix’s Ripple is made of the same emotive fabric, which is a call to all fans who were emotionally taken advantage of by the schmaltzfest (complimentary) that was This Is Us.

The new eight-part series centers on four strangers who reside in New York and whose lives collide and crisscross to produce a number of, ahem, personal knock-on effects.

The four are Walter, a widower; Nate, a lung cancer patient; Kris, a former record label executive; and Aria, a budding artist. Before each of them suffered a profound loss and found a sense of kinship in one another, they had all come across each other in different ways but had never actually met.

Ripple appeals directly to proponents of the butterfly effect—the idea that small, seemingly trivial actions might create a chain reaction to bigger consequences. Here, minuscule decisions morph into life-changing moments.

“The message of this show is just wait for the rainbow. Some of life’s best things cannot happen without the storm,” the official summary confirms.

This counterbalance to harsher TV fare was built into the show from the start, according to creator Michele Giannusa, who said Ripple, which is based in her hometown, was inspired by an unforeseen occurrence that transformed her life.

The flavor may be a little too sweet for the more cynical TV watchers among us, but for those looking for a dose of hopeful optimism in humanity, Ripple has already gone down smoothly.

On IMDb, where the show now has a 7.4 rating out of 10, viewers have been virtually overwhelmingly enthusiastic.