I’ve been hooked on Grace and Frankie since the first episode, and the latest season is just as good as the first. Here are just a few of the reasons why I love this show, and think you should be watching it, too!
1. First and foremost, this show is funny. Not just smile-to-yourself funny, but laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts funny. It’s quick, witty, and never stale- which puts it ahead of most comedies on television.
2. The show features older actresses in leading roles, which is a rarity for television. Lily Tomlin is seventy-eight and her co-star Jane Fonda is eighty, and they bring some much needed age diversity to the small screen.
3. The supporting cast is just as good as their leading ladies. Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston, June Diane Raphael, Brooklyn Decker and Baron Vaughn are just some of the supporting actors who hand in solid performances throughout the series. Plus, Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay) guest starred in the latest season.
4. Spoiler alert! In the first episode, it is revealed that Grace’s husband, Robert, and Frankie’s husband, Sol, are filing for divorce because they are in love with each other. Although it may seem like a unique situation, stories like Grace and Frankie’s are more common than you might think. The Straight Spouse Network is an online forum for “Mixed Orientation” relationships, which is when one partner is heterosexual and the other is not. For more information, check out this article by NPR.
5. Finally, Grace and Frankie is a testament to the reality that there is no right or wrong way to have a family. Although the show is definitely a comedy, there are many moving moments about love, aging, adoption, and marriage that deserve recognition.
If you haven’t started watching yet, I highly recommend that you do. All four seasons of the show are available on Netflix, and I don’t think they’re leaving any time soon.