After a long journey, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are finally saying goodbye to one another as Grace and Frankie make their final appearance.
Since its initial release in 2015, the sitcom has exhibited impressive enduring appeal. Its main characters, who must adjust to life after learning that their husbands are gay and leaving them for one another, are older women, a very specific and much-ignored audience.
The seven seasons that have followed have received accolades for their candid and amusing depictions of life as an older woman, what menopause actually entails, and how starting again in what some refer to as one’s “twilight years” is not as simple as some make it seem. It had heart and vigor, bolstered by dynamite performances by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
It became a cult favorite, albeit not an exceptional one. Apart from the 13 primetime Emmys it was nominated for but never won, its biggest claim to fame was playing a pivotal part in an SNL song parody about Paul Rudd and Pete Davidson pretending to love the “more macho” Game of Thrones when in reality they’d much rather spend time catching up with former adversaries who have become friends.
However, the show’s continuing surprises us just as much as it does you, especially given that it has managed to maintain its position on Netflix’s constantly shifting release schedule.
According to co-creator Marta Kauffman, there are “many reasons” for these forthcoming season seven episodes to be their final ones.
“There was a confluence of factors. Netflix no longer produces long-running series, she claimed. And we are quite fortunate to have the seventh season.
“I believe we initially thought there would be seven seasons. However, Netflix is really the source of decisions of this nature. But despite how sorry I am about its ending, it makes sense in some ways.
However, despite protests from fans, the streaming service has proceeded to delete cult favorites elsewhere on the website. Examples include The Society, which was renewed only for Netflix to reverse its mind weeks before filming was scheduled to begin, and the Alison Brie-led ’80s glam-wrestling sensation GLOW, which was dropped ‘due to Covid’ despite initially being handed a final season.
Months after the one-season cancellation announcement for Julie And The Phantoms, fan campaigns are still going strong. The Netflix fire has shown to burn most slowly with Grace and Frankie.
Grace and Frankie will have seven seasons and 94 episodes by the time it is finished, making it the longest-running original series the streaming service has to offer. That surpasses previous enduring favorites like Big Mouth (five seasons/51 episodes) and House of Cards (six seasons/73 episodes), as well as Netflix’s first big hit Orange Is the New Black (which ran for seven seasons/91 episodes).
This is even more impressive when you consider that Netflix has a reputation for canceling most of its shows after the fourth season, with few surviving past this point.
Yes, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are legends, but 8 episodes into Grace and Frankie and I've laughed about 3 times. The unfunny supporting characters, the strange lack of any atmosphere…..time to admit defeat on this one. How did this last longer than one season?! pic.twitter.com/dDcB1PreWX
— Peejaythatsme (@PaulCullenDub) July 15, 2021
Despite winning numerous awards and enjoying high viewership, Ozark has already ended (although with its final season split into two), while the adolescent rom-com Never Have I Ever confirmed the series will end at season four in 2023. Even the critically acclaimed Netflix series Stranger Things will end after season five.
Grace and Frankie don’t exactly have the same “watercooler talk” functionality as its rivals on streaming services. On social media, it is undoubtedly not as popular a topic of discussion. The seven-season program has only ever spent a maximum of 13 days altogether on FlixPatrol’s list of the top 10 most-watched Netflix programs, and even then, only in the US and Canada.
Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the series was canceled. Lead actors Lily and Jane issued a statement after the cancellation was revealed in 2019 that captured a sense of closure for the good ship G+F
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The news that Grace & Frankie will return for its seventh and final season makes us both happy and sad “they penned statements that were shared online.
“We’re quite appreciative that our show has been able to address topics that have struck a chord with our grandparents’ generation. And astonishingly, their children as well!
“Even though we shall miss Grace and Frankie as much as their many admirers do, we will still be here. I just hope we don’t outlive the earth since we’ve outlasted so many other things.”
To that, let’s raise a glass of wine on the sand.
Some FAQs About Grace And Frankie Season 8
What caused the cancellation of Grace and Frankie?
The series felt like it should stop now that we had completed the tales that were most significant to us. And rather than having people say, “Oh, they should have ended last year,” it’s better to keep them wanting more. However, the world of Grace and Frankie might not disappear from view for long.
Why is there no Grace and Frankie season 8?
Netflix declared that Season 7 would be Grace and Frankie’s final season in September 2019, even before the release of Season 6. During that time, Grace and Frankie and the entire production team were lauded by Cindy Holland, former VP of Original Series at Netflix.
What happened to Grace and Frankie?
The show’s entire cast had their own arcs wrapped up in the conclusion. After a psychic foretold the day of Frankie’s death, she prepares a funeral for herself. When she collides with Grace while carrying a cocktail and is inadvertently electrocuted, the two are sent to heaven early.
Brianna’s age in Grace and Frankie.
In The Alternative, Brianna is turning 40. Grace had her 80th birthday earlier in the season, and since she was born in 1939, Brianna’s 40th birthday will probably occur in 2020.