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When Grace and Frankie premiered on Netflix in May 2015, it could have easily been dismissed as a high-concept gimmick. The premise was simple: two women, bound only by their husbands’ business partnership, discover that their spouses are not only having an affair—they are in love with each other and plan to get married.
But to label Grace and Frankie - Season 1 as merely a show about divorce would be to ignore its radical heart. Created by Marta Kauffman (co-creator of Friends) and Howard J. Morris, this first season did something unprecedented for television: it placed two women over the age of 70 at the center of a coming-of-age story.
Here is your deep dive into the first season of the groundbreaking Netflix comedy-drama.
Season 1 subverts the traditional Hollywood trope of the "invisible older woman." It begins with a high-concept hook: two rival women, Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda) and Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin), are brought together when their husbands, Robert (Martin Sheen) and Sol (Sam Waterston), announce they are leaving them to marry each other. The season is less about the gay rights angle (which is treated with matter-of-fact normalcy) and more about female friendship, reinvention in the "third act" of life, and the dismantling of ageist stereotypes.
Review: Grace and Frankie – Season 1 Grace and Frankie ’s debut season on Netflix introduces a "post-apocalyptic" drama wrapped in the skin of a half-hour comedy
. Created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris, the series begins with a life-altering revelation: two women in their 70s discover their husbands have been in a romantic relationship with each other for 20 years and now plan to marry. The Core Premise: An Unlikely Alliance Grace and Frankie - Season 1
The season centers on the immediate fallout of this disclosure. Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda), a retired, Type-A cosmetics mogul, and Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin), a bohemian, eccentric art teacher, are forced into an uneasy cohabitation at their shared beach house. Grace's Reaction
: Initially driven by embarrassment and a need for control, Grace struggles with the sudden loss of her social standing and identity as Robert’s wife. Frankie's Reaction
: Genuinely heartbroken, Frankie deals with the loss of her best friend and husband through spirituality and quirky coping mechanisms, such as a peyote-fueled "vision quest". Themes of Aging and Visibility
Season 1 is particularly noted for its grounded exploration of the "third age". It addresses topics often ignored in mainstream media, such as: Social Invisibility
: A standout scene depicts the duo being ignored by a supermarket cashier in favor of a younger woman, highlighting the feeling of vanishing as an older woman. Reinvention When Grace and Frankie premiered on Netflix in
: The season explores the possibility of starting over after 70, from navigating the dating world again to finding new professional purposes.
Season one introduces us to Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda) and Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin). Grace is a retired, hyper-controlled businesswoman who built a successful cosmetics line. She drinks scotch, wears starched white shirts, and prides herself on emotional stoicism. Frankie is a free-spirited, pot-smoking artist who teaches yoga, believes in crystals, and cries at the drop of a hat.
For two decades, these women have tolerated each other only for the sake of their husbands: Robert (Martin Sheen) and Sol (Sam Waterston). Their law firm, “Berger & Bergstein,” is the final thread connecting them.
The bomb drops at a tense, awkward double date at a sushi restaurant. Robert, trembling with a mix of fear and relief, announces that he and Sol are in love. They have been secretly having an affair for 20 years. They are leaving their wives. For each other.
The reaction is perfectly tuned to their characters: Grace smashes a plate and storms out. Frankie collapses into hysterical, wailing sobs on the floor of the restaurant. Season one introduces us to Grace Hanson (Jane
What follows is not a revenge fantasy. It is a survival manual.
It is impossible to overstate the magic of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin together. The two had starred in the 1980 film 9 to 5 alongside Dolly Parton, and their chemistry has only matured like fine wine.
The supporting cast is equally strong: Brooklyn Decker as Grace’s vapid, cosmetics-obsessed daughter Mallory; Ethan Embry as the recovering addict son Coyote; and Baron Vaughn as Frankie’s sarcastic, gay lawyer son Nwabudike ("Bud").
Show: Grace and Frankie Network: Netflix Creators: Marta Kauffman (Friends) and Howard J. Morris Season Run: 2015 (13 Episodes)