Grace and Frankie

Grace and Frankie
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Marta Kauffman Howard J. Morris
Starring	Jane Fonda Lily Tomlin Sam Waterston Martin Sheen Brooklyn Decker Ethan Embry June Diane Raphael Baron Vaughn
Opening theme	"Stuck in the Middle with You" performed by Grace Potter
Composer(s)	Sam KS Michael Skloff
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Marta Kauffman Howard J. Morris Jane Fonda Lily Tomlin Paula Weinstein Dana Goldberg David Ellison Marcy Ross
Editor(s)	Michael Jablow
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	25-32 minutes
Production company(s)	Okay Goodnight Skydance Television
Distributor	Netflix
Release
Original network	Netflix
Picture format	1080p (16:9 HDTV) 4K
Original release	May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08) – present
External links
Official website

Grace and Frankie is an American comedy web television series that originally streamed on Netflix on May 8, 2015.^[1] The series was created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris, and stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the title roles of Grace and Frankie, two unlikely friends who are brought together after their husbands announce they are in love and plan to get married. Sam Waterston, Martin Sheen, Brooklyn Decker, Ethan Embry, June Diane Raphael, and Baron Vaughn co-star in supporting roles.

On May 26, 2015, Netflix renewed the series for a second season^[2] which premiered on May 6, 2016.^[3]

On December 10, 2015, Netflix announced that the show will have a third season.^[4]

Plot

The series follows Grace, a retired cosmetics mogul, and Frankie, a hippie art teacher, whose husbands, Robert and Sol, are successful divorce lawyers in San Diego. Grace and Frankie's lives are turned upside down when Robert and Sol announce that they are in love with each other and are leaving their wives. Now, the women, who have never particularly liked each other, are forced to live together and support each other as they navigate the next chapter of their lives.

Cast

Main

• Jane Fonda as Grace Hanson, a retired cosmetics mogul;
• Lily Tomlin as Frances "Frankie" Bergstein née Mengela, a hippie art teacher;
• Martin Sheen as Robert Hanson, a successful divorce lawyer and Grace's former husband who later becomes Sol's husband;
• Sam Waterston as Sol Bergstein, a successful divorce lawyer and Frankie's former husband who later becomes Robert's husband;
• Brooklyn Decker as Mallory Hanson, younger daughter of Grace and Robert, married with two children and a stay-at-home mother;
• Ethan Embry as Coyote Bergstein, adopted son of Frankie and Sol, a substitute teacher and recovering addict;
• June Diane Raphael as Brianna Hanson, daughter of Grace and Robert, head of the company founded and once run by Grace;
• Baron Vaughn as Nwabudike "Bud" Bergstein, adopted son of Frankie and Sol, and also a lawyer

Guest stars

• Geoff Stults as Mitch, Mallory's husband of more than seven years and a doctor.
• Mary Kay Place as Amanda, one of Frankie and Sol's oldest friends.
• Joe Morton as Jason, one of Frankie and Sol's oldest friends.
• Christine Lahti as Lydia Foster, Robert's sister and a close friend of Grace.
• Timothy V. Murphy as Byron, one of Frankie's ex-convict students and Grace's love interest.
• Corbin Bernsen as Dr. Paul Mason, Grace's doctor and her love interest.
• Craig T. Nelson as Guy, Robert's adventurous college friend and Grace's love interest.
• Nicholas D'Agosto as Dutch, Brianna's love interest.
• Ernie Hudson as Jacob, Frankie's love interest.
• Peter Cambor as Barry, Brianna's love interest.
• Tim Bagley as Peter, one of Robert and Sol's friends.
• Michael Gross as Jeff, one of Robert and Sol's friends.
• Carrie Preston as Krystle, Coyote's birth mother.
• Estelle Parsons as Babe, a long-time friend of both Grace and Frankie.
• Sam Elliott as Phil Milstein, Grace's love interest.
• Swoosie Kurtz as Janet, one of Grace's close friends.
• Marsha Mason as Arlene, one of Grace's close friends.
• Rita Moreno as Lucy, Robert and Sol's neighbor.
• Amy Madigan as Elaine Milstein, Phil's wife.
• Jai Rodriguez as Jojo, Robert's hospital nurse.
• Conchata Ferrell as Grandma Jean, Mallory's mother in law.

Episodes

Production and development

In March 2014, Netflix finalized a deal for a 13-episode straight-to-series order for Grace and Frankie, with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin attached to star in the lead roles. The series was written and created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris, who also serve as executive producers alongside Fonda, Tomlin, Paula Weinstein and Tate Taylor, and Skydance Productions' Dana Goldberg, David Ellison and Marcy Ross.^[1]

Casting

Casting announcements began in June 2014, with Martin Sheen cast in the role of Robert, Grace's husband.^[5] The following month, Sam Waterston was cast in the role of Sol, Frankie's husband.^[6] June Diane Raphael and Baron Vaughn were then added to the cast, with Raphael cast in the role of Brianna, Grace and Robert's elder daughter, who rebels against Grace's decorum. Vaughn signed onto the role of Nwabudike, Frankie and Sol's son, who was adopted from Uganda at a young age.^[7] Shortly afterwards, Ethan Embry and Brooklyn Decker were cast in the remaining roles on the series. Embry joined in the role of Coyote, Frankie and Sol's recovering drug addicted son (also adopted), while Decker signed onto the role of Mallory, Grace and Robert's younger daughter.^[8] In October 2015, it was announced Sam Elliott would appear in the second season as Grace's love interest.^[9]

Filming

Production on season one of Grace and Frankie began in Los Angeles, California, in early August 2014, and ended in late November.^[10] Production on season two of the series began in July 2015, and ended in November 2015.^[11][12]

Reception

The first season of Grace and Frankie received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 50%, based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Grace and Frankie's stellar cast adds an undeniable appeal, although its sloppy dialogue and clichéd sitcom setup will still leave most viewers wanting."^[13] On Metacritic the season has a score of 58 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[14]

The second season of Grace and Frankie received more positive reception from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 89%, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.^[15] On Metacritic the season has a score of 62 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".^[16] Jasef Wisener of TVOvermind gave the second season a 4.5/5, calling it "heartfelt and hilarious" and "a huge improvement over the sometimes sluggish first season." ^[17]

Accolades

Controversy

After the show's release, Tomlin and Fonda expressed displeasure once it became public that their salaries were just equal to those of Sheen and Waterston, even though "the show is not 'Sol and Robert', it's 'Grace and Frankie,'" in the words of Lily Tomlin,^[25] and contended this constituted a significant pay inequity. Shortly thereafter, Sheen and Waterston went on the record to support their co-stars' demands for a salary increase, with Waterston being quoted as saying: "I think they're being cheated".^[26] After fans of the show gathered nearly 200,000 signatures on a petition protesting the disparity, the two actresses issued a public statement backing away from criticism, saying: "This just reminds us to be mindful of how things come across in interviews. We appreciate everyone's support and the attention to this issue, but the structure of Grace and Frankie is fair, and we couldn't be happier to work with Skydance, Netflix and the great cast of this show."^[27] Fonda and Tomlin made a statement to The Wrap that they were never unhappy with the salaries to start with and that they had "made a joke in an interview about our salaries, which was taken out of context." ^[27]

References

External links

• Official website
• Grace and Frankie at the Internet Movie Database