Netflix drops 13-half hour episodes of comedy Grace and Frankie on May 8. The comedy stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, long-time acquaintances brought together from marital change. The series was written and created by Marta Kaufman (Friends) and Howard J. Morris (Sullivan & Son). The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.
“The show’s saving grace is its stellar cast. Fonda, Tomlin, Waterston, and Sheen are held in such high esteem precisely because they deliver performances capable of spackling even the most cracked, crumbling material.”
—Joshua Alston, A.V. Club
“Stellar casting, however, goes only so far in masking a jokey approach and uneven tone that alternates between the women’s understandable hurt and betrayal, and stoned granny or old-queen gags.”
—Brian Lowry, Variety
“Refreshing isn’t the likeliest word to come to mind as regards Grace and Frankie, there being no dearth of gay-themed entertainment on the TV these days. Still, this buoyant Netflix series about two male law partners who fall in love with one another and leave their wives turns out to be just that—refreshing, but also a good deal more.”
—Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall Street Journal
“For starters, the Jane Fondaand Lily Tomlin vehicle feels a lot more like a network show than something trying to stand out in the modern streaming world. That doesn’t necessarily mean that either Netflix or Amazon are distancing themselves from ‘regular television,’ but there’s a familiarity to Grace and Frankie that seems rather dated.”
—Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter
“It's hard to classify Grace and Frankie except to say it’s splendid television. The cast alone makes it clear, if anyone still needed convincing, that Netflix is playing in the big leagues.”
—David Hinckley, New York Daily News
“People who complain about aging sound old. But Grace and Frankie is a senior angst comedy that somehow doesn’t seem fusty and out of date.”
—Alessandra Stanley, New York Times
