‘Every brunette needs a blonde best friend’ – a quote that would more than sum up Netflix’s newest girl drama, Firefly Lane.
A ten-part series, Firefly Lane stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke (who you might know from Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs respectively) as best friends Tully and Kate. The series tracks their friendship through four decades, flitting between three main periods – their teenage years when they meet (as Tully moves in opposite Kate on the titular Firefly Lane), their early twenties when they are just starting their careers, and into their forties.
The storyline is in some ways a little stereotypical, in that despite being so close, Tully and Kate are an unlikely pairing and seemingly have more differences than similarities. As teenagers, Tully is the classic cool-girl whereas Kate, with her big glasses, is very much the nerd. And as they grow into adulthood, Kate settles down, marries and starts a family, but Tully lives a glamourous lifestyle as the host of the talk show ‘Girlfriend Hour’ and remains reluctant to enter into any serious or long-term relationship. However, I found this all also quite heart-warming, as it reminded me of my best friend and I’s friendship and how despite our many differences, we too have remained very close for a long period of time.
The ten episodes also provide ample time for covering a whole range of issues that we as viewers can certainly relate to, and the show does not shy away from uncomfortable topics. These range from Kate getting her first period at school, to addiction, divorce, miscarriage, sexual assault, and estranged family relationships. As an avid watcher of detective dramas, I did find the lack of an overall plot to the series a bit disconcerting, as it lacked that feeling of suspense and anticipation as to what lay ahead. But I still felt, by the end, that I had gone on somewhat of a journey with the characters and their lives.
The series ends on a slightly rushed cliff-hanger, outside what appears to be Kate’s Dad’s funeral. It appears to be the end of Kate and Tully’s friendship, although we are left unsure what exactly has caused this, and this has resulted in a lot of speculation, possibly even hinting at a future second series down the line.
My overall verdict on Firefly Lane is that although it hasn’t been the best thing I’ve ever watched, it did make for some light-hearted, easy television that you didn’t have to concentrate too hard on to follow along – which certainly worked well for me as this lockdown is slowly frying my brain! If a second series was to be released, I likely would watch on because, despite the flaws, the series did draw me in and has left me intrigued.