After the massive success Netflix had with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the streaming service is looking to double-down on its comedy offerings in order to service a niche to which they had not previously offered any original productions. Up next on Netflix’s list is Grace and Frankie, a half-hour comedy about two lifelong rivals who are brought together after their husbands announce that they are in love with each other. Grace and Frankie brings together an incredibly solid cast in Jane Fonda (Grace), Lily Tomlin (Frankie), Sam Waterston (Frankie’s husband Sol), and Martin Sheen (Grace’s husband Robert). The premise of the show is intriguing, to say the least, and I had enough confidence in Netflix’s comedy commitment after Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to allow myself to get my hopes up about this one.
After the first episode, “The End,” Grace and Frankie is definitely mixed bag. There are plenty of things that work, but there are also an equal number of things that don’t. The episode starts out with Grace and Frankie meeting at a restaurant, and they have to wait on their husbands (who have called the meeting). The women think that their husbands will be announcing their retirement, but little do they know that the actual reveal is that Sol and Robert are in love with each other and plan to get married. This opening scene really shows the comedic talents of all four of the main cast members, and it is clear from the beginning that any of Grace and Frankie‘s shortcomings won’t be due to lack of talent.
As the episode continues, Frankie and Sol decide to tell their kids, while Grace isn’t yet ready to tell hers and Robert’s. Unfortunately for Grace, Frankie’s son Bud has already called Grace’s daughters before they make it to their brunch. These revelation scenes begin to show some of the weaknesses in the show, at least early on. Whether it’s the material their given or something else entirely, the strength of the children just isn’t nearly where it should be, especially when you consider how great Fonda, Tomlin, Waterston, and Sheen have already shown themselves to be. The writing also isn’t exactly as solid as I had hoped. While I definitely wouldn’t call it “homophobic,” per se, it feels a lot of the time as if I’m watching a cable dramedy from the ’90s. Plenty of the jokes work, but way too many of them, unfortunately, fall flat.
Luckily, most of the rest of the episode are basically just interactions between Grace and Frankie and Sol and Robert, and the strength of the material returns in these moments. Even in a short 35 minutes, there is a surprising amount of character progression, and there isn’t a single character that is in the same place at the end as they were in the beginning. You can tell that the show still have a very long way to go, and there is an incredible amount of room for improvement still, but Grace and Frankie is still a pretty solid comedy and a worthy addition to Netflix’s ever-growing roster of original programming. Hopefully, all (or at least most) of its weaknesses can be addressed as the series continues, but I’m pleased enough to stick with it for the rest of the ride.
[Photo via Netflix]
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