Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are back to reprise their roles as the beloved Grace and Frankie, respectively. However, things will be a lot different for the best friend duo in Season 6. For starters, they’re older, and while Grace can still gulp down martinis and Frankie can pound Del-Taco with the best of them, the ladies will face some issues as their bodies continue to change and weaken in their older age.
“It’s funny. I’ll tell you that,” Fonda said of Season 6 in an interview with Who What Wear, released on January 7. “It involves another aspect of women’s bodies and aging. That’s all I’ll say.”
Their friendship is changing too, especially now that Grace has officially become Mrs. Nick Skolka. Grace eloped with her rich beau Nick (Peter Gallagher) at the end of Season 5, and Season 6 will pick up with the newlywed enjoying the new-age commodities that come with being a wealthy housewife while she continues works on her new business plan for her latest brainchild, The Rise Up toilet.
Meanwhile, Frankie is still distraught over losing her best friend to another man.
“Everything is going to change,” Frankie said in the Season 6 trailer. “I’m terrified that my best friend has made a huge mistake.”
Frankie may soon find herself distracted from her worries over Grace when her ex-boyfriend Jacob (Ernie Hudson) makes his big return. Grace and Frankie co-creator Marta Kauffman hinted Frankie’s former relationship may be revived in the new season and confirmed Hudson would at least make an appearance.
“The electricity between them was so vibrant,” Kauffman told reporters at the 2019 PaleyFest in March. “We will be seeing [Jacob] in Season 6.”
The new season will bring the return of a few fan favorites too, including Sol and Robert, played Sam Waterson and Martin Sheen. Grace’s daughters Mallory (Brooklyn Decker) and Brianna (June Diane Raphael) will be back running the show at Say Grace while Frankie’s oldest adopted son Bud (Baron Vaughn) adjusts to his life as a newlywed and first-time dad. As for Coyote (Ethan Embry), he’ll be up to his usual shenanigans as he continues his sobriety journey.
Thirteen new episodes of Grace and Frankie will be available for Netflix customers on January 15. The show is expected to return for a seventh and final season.
