Ever since House of Cards got renewed for a Season 2, it became something of a joke that Netflix never cancels its own original series. And now the streaming service has outdone itself in that respect, as the delightful comedy Grace and Frankie is already being prepped for Season 3, and Season 2 is still another six months away from airing. That’s faith in a product if I’ve ever seen it.
And why wouldn’t Netflix be faithful in Grace and Frankie? The family-driven series doesn’t need complex mysteries or wall-to-wall action in order to keep viewers happy. It does this with an emotionally sound narrative as told by Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman and a cast of consummate professionals, including Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston and Lily Tomlin. This might be the second time you’re reading about Tomlin today, as she was nominated for a Golden Globe this morning for her role as the free-minded Frankie.
Season 3 hasn’t technically been given the greenlight by Netflix, but the wheels are turning in that direction. Season 1 debuted in May of this year to glowing reviews, and the renewal for Season 2 came less than three weeks later. At this rate, we’ll be hearing about Season 6 going into production by the time Season 3 gets here. And that’s fine by us.
In the show, Frankie is a hippie art teacher whose somewhat antagonistic relationship with retired cosmetics queen Grace gets even more complicated when it’s revealed that their respective husbands Sol and Robert have been cheating on them…with each other. Grace and Frankie is surprisingly tender in its approach to marriage, homosexuality and aging, among other things. The excellent supporting cast – mostly making up the main characters’ offspring – includes Ethan Embry, June Diane Raphael, Brooklyn Decker and Baron Vaughn. You’ll also see Craig T. Nelson and Ernie Hudson popping in. Plus, you don’t have to wait long to see Lily Tomlin go on an interesting drug trip.
While the show’s logline might not instantly convince you that it’s must-see TV, it’s reportedly a pretty big hit for Netflix. According to Deadline, Grace and Frankie is thought to be one of the most popular original series available for streaming. It’s probably the show that skews the oldest in terms of demographics, which is pretty major. (Unless tons of senior citizens are rocking out with BoJack Horseman.) The age of the central cast members possibly has a part to play in Netflix speeding up the development process.
Netflix will be putting out a ton of new shows in 2016, including sophomore seasons of such hits as Bloodline and Daredevil. We’ll see Grace and Frankie Season 2 at some point in there, with Season 3 presumably hitting the service in 2017.
