Is Ripple Based on a True Story?

In Netflix’s ‘Ripple,’ the fates of a group of people become interconnected after one random act pushes all of them in the same direction. There is Walter, a man grieving the passing of his wife; there is Aria, a talented singer caught up in a personal battle. There is Nate, who must deal with a medical emergency while trying to pick up the pieces of his broken marriage, and then there is Kris, a record label producer who is fired from the job she gave her everything to. These four people had never met each other before, but when their paths collide, they become an integral part of each other’s lives. Created by Michele Giannusa, the romantic drama series explores themes of grief, love, loss, and found family, touching on issues that resonate with the viewer’s heart. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Fictional Ripple Originated from a String of Real Incidents

‘Ripple’ is an entirely fictional series written by Michele Giannusa. She developed the story during a challenging period in her life, which also provided her with valuable life lessons. Her marriage had fallen apart, and the divorce had been particularly brutal. While she was still adjusting to this significant life change, she decided to relocate from New York to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. Being in a new city was challenging as is, especially with the emotional and mental toll that the divorce had taken on her. During this time, she found a support group that provided the comfort she desperately needed. She noted that it was in the company of strangers that she found the deep understanding, which provided her with the emotional support she needed during that time. This gave her the idea to write a story about how some strangers can come together under unforeseen circumstances and become each other’s family.

The idea of joining the characters by fate came to her after she got an accidental text message. While Giannusa did not reveal the content of the text or who sent it to her, she did mention that it arrived on a day that was unremarkable but later turned into something that changed the course of her life. This chance encounter led her to weave the roles of fate and chance more deeply into the story, justifying the title ‘Ripple,’ which refers to the ripple effect. She set the story in her hometown, New York, because she sees the city’s “unpredictability” and “rough edges” as the measure of “its capacity to bring strangers together.” The show, which serves as a love letter to New York, explores the profound impact that a chance encounter with a stranger can have on someone’s life, bringing a sense of hope and happiness. She drew on instances from her own life, the experiences that enriched her journey, and led her to believe that all lives are connected in some way.

“It’s a reminder that even in the quietest corners we are never as alone as we think, and sometimes all it takes is a single ripple to lead us exactly where we’re meant to be,” she said. For ‘Ripple,’ Giannusa won the C21 Drama Series Script Competition at Content London. Hallmark+ initially picked up the show. However, it later shifted to Netflix, which took over the task of ensuring a worldwide release. Actor Ian Harding, who plays Nate, called ‘Ripple’ a show with “hope and heart.” He, much like the rest of the cast and crew, hopes that the story allows people to see past their differences and that in today’s state, the world needs “to have a bunch of very different people coming together and finding a common bond and a common connection.” At the end of the day, it delivers the story of a group of people who face challenges that viewers can relate to, allowing them to see their own struggles reflected in the narrative, which adds depth and realism to an otherwise fictional story.

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