Grace and Frankie Might Be Getting a Spinoff
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Grace and Frankie has always pushed boundaries. For 7 seasons (the final installment dropped on Netflix last month) the comedy—starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the titular characters, who are forced to recalibrate their lives when their respective husbands Robert and Sol (Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston) leave them for each other—has hilariously portrayed the travails of its octogenarian heroines and upended womanhood, sexuality, and divorce. It has been a salve for difficult times; a wonderful guide to life on how to start over—whenever.
Watch Grace and Frankie on Netflix
And it easily won over an audience that far transcended the women-of-a-certain-age demographic. "When we were starting out they were thinking more niche television," Marta Kauffman, who created the series with Howard J. Morris, recently told T&C. "The fact that it got—and maintained—a wider audience was surprising to all involved. Not that we're complaining."
Which only goes to show that there is a market for—excellently-written—content about women of all ages. Enter: June Diane Raphael. Along with Morris, the talented comedian and screenwriter—who portrayed Grace and Robert's eldest daughter Brianna on Grace and Frankie—has been working on a spinoff centered around her character, a strong-willed 40-something executive who is as revered for her sharp tongue as for her fierce desire for independence.
“Fans will see that the way the show ends, there’s more to say about Brianna’s story," Raphael told The Hollywood Reporter. "In the same way that the original tackles what it means to be in your 70s and 80s, I think exploring what it means to be a middle-aged woman without children or a husband is equally exciting.” She added that the idea to further explore her character's arc came around season 4 and 5 of filming, after which she approached the producers and embarked on this side project with Morris.
"We spent months, honestly, just talking through the idea that women’s currency is devalued to our culture as we get older, and a lot of times it’s the opposite for men," Raphael said. "And we talked about what Brianna is potentially losing and gaining as she ages alone, and how a woman who is alone can create a deep fear in so many people."
Netflix ordered the script but hasn't yet greenlit the series. Stay tuned for updates.
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