Firefly Lane On Netflix

Today is the day!! There is a new show on Netflix based on the Kristin Hannah book Firefly Lane and it comes out today. I had the wonderful opportunity to preview the first 2 episodes last week and binged right through them…now I am ready for the rest of the season today!! Don’t expect me to be a useful member of society again until I have watched ALL of the episodes first!! BUT I know it is SUPER hard to know if a Netflix show is right for YOU, so here are my thoughts on Netflix’s new show, Firefly Lane, to try to help you decide.

Disclaimer…

Ok, so to start off with, let’s just get this out there…I LOVED this show!! But for full disclosure, Firefly Lane is rated MA by Netflix. I don’t usually watch shows with the MA rating, but because I had agreed to watch and rate this show, I felt obligated to follow through with that assignment. And I am glad I did. It DOES have adult content, but it was FOR SURE not at the level of many MA shows on Netflix…at least not in the 2 episodes that I watched. But since it is always best to know what you are getting into, here’s the scoop. So far in the first two episodes that I watched, there was a brief sex scene, drug use, a rape scene, and lots of F-words thrown around. Now you know and can make that decision on your own. I will not be watching this show with kids around, nor will I be recommending it to my momma for sure:) Ok…just wanted to get that out first!!

So what is the gist of Firefly Lane??

Two girls, Kate (played by Sarah Chalke)and Tully (played by Katherine Heigl), meet in the 60’s when they are 14 and become best friends despite their VERY different personalities. The show bounces back and forth between their friendship at 14, in their 20’s as they are starting out in adult life, and in their 40’s when they are going through some life changes. Kate is the responsible, kind, do-gooder who turns into the PTA mom and wife, while Tully becomes a famous T.V. broadcaster and lives the single life. Not gonna lie, Kate is my favorite!!

Let’s talk about the actors for a minute…

The casting for Firefly Lane was SPOT ON!! As I researched the actresses playing the main characters, I assumed Katherine Heigl would be playing the soccer mom, BUT I am so glad that she didn’t!!! She is a perfect Tully. You don’t always like her actions, but you cannot HELP but love her anyway…which I think is EXACTLY how their friendship survives over the years. I just had to STOP thinking of Katherine Heigl as Izzie from Grey’s Anatomy and start thinking of her as Tully, the larger than life T.V. star who sometimes does Coke and picks up guys at bars. Sarah on the other had was the PERFECT Kate from the start…quirky, funny, adorable, and sweet!! Sooo if you loved her in Scrubs, you will love her in Firefly Lane!!

Sidenote…

I got the amazing opportunity to hop on a ZOOM call with both actresses, the author, and the creator of the show and IT WAS AMAZING!!! Not gonna lie, I am pretty sure Sarah Chalke and I would be best friends in real life…TRUE STORY!! It was such a “once in a lifetime I cannot believe this is happening to me” experience for SURE!! But the overarching theme of the conversation was all about friendships. We all have that friend (or those friends) who we have gone through the good and bad with. THE REAL FRIENDS who have seen us at our worst and yet still stick around. Well THAT is what resonates about this show. Neither girl is perfect, but their friendship is REALLY the main character.

My other takeaway from the ZOOM was a comment that the author, Kristin Hannah made. She mentioned that this book took YEARS for her to complete and that she then waited YEARS before writing the second book in the series. I have ALWAYS had the dream in the back of my mind that SOMEDAY I would write a book. But as I creep farther into my 40’s (ugh), I always feel like that dream gets farther away. BUT then Kristin mentioned being in her 40’s before publishing a popular novel and it stopped me in my tracks!! I think we sometimes think that if we have not accomplished something BY NOW, then it is too late. BUT…if Kristin Hannah can write MULTIPLE best selling books (including THE NIGHTENGALE) AFTER she turned 40…why can’t I?!?! And guess what??? She is a writing GENIUS, but it still took her YEARS to finish her novel. She didn’t just sit down and pump out a book in a week. She worked and sacrificed and had bad days in the midst of all that greatness. It was just such a great reminder that a dream is just a dream unless you WORK at it!! Total inspiration!!

What else can I say???

SOOOO…I guess what I am trying to say is…the show was great (unless you stay away from MA shows) and I already purchased the book because I know Kristin Hannah will not disappoint. A few things I forgot to mention…the wigs, costumes, music, and younger actresses. So here is a quick rundown. The music in the show is AMAZING!! As the time jumps from the 70’s to the 80’s and beyond, the music sets the scene. AND the costumes are divine!! Somehow putting a dress with shoulder pads and a wig with sky high bangs on Katherin Heigl makes her TOTALLY believable as a 20 year old newscaster. It makes it simple to follow the multiple storylines and keep track of what is happening in each era. AND the girls who played their younger versions are PERFECT!! They not only look like Tully and Kate, but they are AMAZING actresses in their own right. Actually those younger scenes are some of my absolute favorite!!

I hope that helps you decide for yourself if Firefly Lane on Netflix is your next binge worthy show. I think you know where I will be tonight after I tuck my kiddos into bed!! Happy Netflixing:) Jess

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