Big news: “Grace & Frankie” starring the great Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin has been renewed by Netflix for a seventh, and final, season.
This makes Fonda and Tomlin, along with Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, stars of the longest running series in Netflix history! When they’re done with 16 new episodes, they’ll have a total of 94 shows.
In this day of quickly cancelled shows and fickle audiences, this news is quite astounding. Back when “Grace and Frankie” got its start, no one could have imagined how it would catch on. Netflix doesn’t share ratings, but you know this show has been a big hit every season. Netflix has been ruthless about killing series that no one’s watching. It doesn’t matter who’s the star. So “G&F” obviously has strong numbers.
For Fonda and Tomlin, the series was a reunion from their 1982 hit movie, “Nine to Five.” (Only Dolly Parton, who has plenty of projects, didn’t return.) Then the idea– of two women bonding after their husbands divorce them and marry each other– was daring. Plus, as the show evolved, it really became about two older women having sex lives and friendships later in life.
The ladies have had many nominations for various awards over the last six seasons, all deserved — 11 Primetime Emmy and 6 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, including nominations for both Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and a Golden Globe nomination for Lily Tomlin. Tomlin has been outstanding as the winsome but devilish Frankie. Fonda doesn’t get enough credit for her comedy chops– she is hilarious and poignant as Grace.
What a run! And for these ladies of a certain age, this is probably just the beginning!
