Tully and Kate’s journalistic careers offer intrigue and a refreshing setting for the female-driven drama genre. “Firefly Lane” often forgets to be fun, letting melodrama absorb the screen. A drama in this sense would benefit from some lighter plots and comedy, like how “Gilmore Girls” excelled at mixing small-town simplicity with natural levity. “Firefly Lane” is calm and slow-moving, but it’s not always fun. “Firefly Lane” is a small town drama at heart, adapting its “Everwood”-ian roots to the modern “This Is Us” template.Ĭourtesy of Netflix The first season of the friendship drama was released Feb. Later episodes of the 10-episode season finally balance the emotional arcs of the characters with the simplicity of the setting.

This leads early episodes of “Firefly Lane” to feel scattered and unengaging.Īs the puzzle pieces come together, so does the show. “Firefly Lane” begins with a confusing lack of exposition, with the writing crew expecting viewers to care about characters they just met. Viewers may feel like the show tosses them into the deep end. “Firefly Lane” is like a perplexing puzzle, constantly dropping new hints and unlocking clues toward the characters’ narrative journeys. The show ranges from the 1970s to the “modern” timeline of 2003, also flashing forward to 2005 intermittently. The show, created by Maggie Friedman (“No Tomorrow,” “Dawson’s Creek”), follows the ups and downs in both friendship and life of childhood best friends Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl) and Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke), traversing their decades of history.

The recipe for Netflix’s new series “Firefly Lane” includes a hefty dose of cheesiness, a dash of emotional manipulation and just a touch of nostalgia.īased on the novel by Kristin Hannah, “Firefly Lane” takes the crossroad between “Gilmore Girls” and “This Is Us,” emerging as a melodramatic, slice-of-life drama.

Firefly lane netflix