‘Grace And Frankie’ Is Netflix’s Most Underrated Jewel

At first glance, a show about four eccentric, divorced 70-somethings growing older with grace in Southern California doesn’t immediately draw in that coveted 18-34 demographic. Indeed, with Grace and Frankie, Netflix had a bit of a niche concept on its hands, and the sitcom was a gamble in an industry that favors youthful drama at every turn. Of course, once you realize that the series stars the likes of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, and Sam Waterston, it becomes clear that this isn’t your average pensioner fare. Instead, it’s one of the funniest, most genuinely charming shows ever produced by the streaming giant—and one of the best TV series currently in production.

It’s hard to pinpoint what makes Grace and Frankie so damn good—and make no mistake, this is a pretty objective view. Everyone from The Guardian to The New York Times has sung its praises, the latter going so far as to call the series a “new age” of comedy (har har). The pedigree of its cast goes a long way, naturally, with all four leads having been gifted with uniquely different comedic senses and universally perfect timing. There’s also the chemistry between them, which is natural yet undeniable. Fonda brings a high-strung, neurotic flair to Grace while Tomlin’s Frankie wonderfully teters between hyper-awareness of the big concepts in life and completely cluelessness of normal, day-to-day decorum. Together, they bounce off one another so well that the amount of LOL-worthy moments are as much due to their delivery as they are to the script.

Their husbands, Sheen’s Robert and Waterston’s Sol, once married to Grace and Frankie and now happily betrothed to one another, are similarly fun to watch. Robert’s reserved stuffiness combined with Sol’s hippy leanings (no doubt a result of having spent more than thirty years as Frankie’s other half) creates a bit of a frenetic partnership that is also so sweet and gentle at times that it sort of chokes you up. It’s not often that you get to see a functional LGBT relationship on TV, and it’s even rarer when such a relationship is between senior citizens. Robert and Sol are far from perfect, but the love they share is full of such tenderness that you can’t not root for them—even when, say, Sol sleeps with Frankie one last time for closure (but that’s all ancient history now).

I’d be remiss not to also lavish considerable admiration upon Grace and Frankie’s supporting cast. June Diane Raphael (Burning Love, NTSF:SD:SUV::, and pictured below) and Brooklyn Decker (Battleship, Friends with Better Lives) as Grace and Robert’s daughters Brianna and Mallory are a joy, particularly Raphael, whose wry, biting wit is perfectly placed among the other characters’ eccentricities. Likewise, Ethan Embry (Empire Records, Once Upon A Time) and Baron Vaughn (Cloverfield, Black Dynamite) —who star as Frankie and Sol’s adopted sons Coyote and Bud— offer a bit of straightness in a series that teeters perilously on the edge of insanity but, thankfully, never goes over the edge.

What Grace and Frankie does so wonderfully is perhaps best described as life comedy, those hilarious moments that result from seemingly innocuous, overly normal situations we often find ourselves in but rarely have the luxury of seeing the humor of in the moment. Dealing with issues like declining health, infidelity, and drug addiction perhaps doesn’t scream sitcom material at first glance, but it’s the ability to see the lighter side of heartache and trauma that really elevates this show into the fine program it is. Whether it’s Grace and Frankie feeling frustrated while looking for funding for their new business venture or Robert struggling to recover after a heart attack, all these very real moments add a depth to all the punchlines that’s genuinely moving as well as funny.

It’s also hard to deny the importance of female friendship and the role it plays in the series. After all, we’re nothing without our friends, and when times get tough and the whole world feels like it’s falling apart, it’s our chosen family that keep us afloat when we can’t do it on our own. Grace and Frankie are such starkly different people, but it’s those very differences that complement each other so well. The two women started off as reluctant roommates, sure, but over the past four seasons, they’ve evolved into ride or die besties who have each other’s backs no matter what. Such a message is universal and ageless, and provides a contrast to the drama-filled millennial friendships often portrayed on TV.

While there’s no one secret to Grace and Frankie‘s success, there’s obviously a real thoughtfulness on behalf of creators Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris, as well as the team of writers, directors, and producers, to ensure that justice is done to the characters and their stories. After all, life doesn’t end after 30 or 40—in many cases, it’s just beginning—and it’s clear that Grace, Frankie, Sol and Robert have a lot more life (and hopefully several more seasons) left in them.

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor from New York who cares too way much about fictional characters and spends her time writing about them.

Watch Grace and Frankie on Netflix