Grace and Frankie, two women in their seventies, at odds with each other. Grace is an image-conscious businesswoman. Frankie is a hippie housewife, into the new age. The former only feels safe when she controls everything. The second advocates benevolence and believes that rules are only meant to be broken. The two are stunned when their husbands tell them they’re leaving them to remarry… together! For 20 years, they’ve loved each other in secret, but not anymore. For both women, the shock is severe. United in adversity, they get to know each other and become the best of friends.
I wasn’t that old when I disvovered this wonderful series, and I fell for it. It’s smart, never heavy. The situations and dialogues are funny. Nothing is simple here. Both husbands still love their wives. The children struggle with their own life. They could have done without their parents’ crisis. But they’re adapting. Everyone makes do with what they have. For example, the businesswoman and the hippie team up to create a sex toy business ! Tolerance and resilience seem to be the watchwords of the series.
If you wonder why Grace-and-Frankie and not the Franckie and Grace, my guess is that it is a reference and a homage to another series : Will and Grace.
7 seasons, 94 episodes (30 mn), 2015-2022, Skydance TV for Netflix
Created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris. With Jane Fonda / Grace, Lily Tomlin / Frankie, Martin Sheen / Robert, Sam Waterson / Sol, June Diane Raphael / Brianna, Brooklyn Decker / Mallory, Baron Vaughn / Bud, Ethan Embry / Coyote