Now that Grace and Frankie has reached its end

&#8220;It would have been false had we completely avoided it&#8221;: Marta Kauffman on Why It Was Important to Tackle Topics Like Aging, Death, and Fading Memory in Grace and Frankie

From drugs to sexuality, we see a lot of content surrounding teenagers. Even
adulthood has its fair share of representation in shows like Virgin River or The
Good Doctor. But, one demographic we don’t often see on our screens is that of
old people. Grace and Frankie is one of the very few shows that showed us the
harsh reality of old age in a wholesome setting. Before this Netflix series
became popular, very few of us who aren’t in constant contact with old people
would have considered the cost of prescription drugs one of the largest
challenges of one’s life. Here’s what showrunner Marta Kauffman has to say about
why the representation we see in Grace and Frankie was so important and
difficult to bring to life.


GRACE AND FRANKIE- NETFLIX’S LONGEST-RUNNING SERIES THAT STILL WASN’T LONG
ENOUGH

Grace and Frankie began with two old gay men coming to terms with their
sexuality after their respective long-running marriages. After their separation,
we watched Grace and Frankie go through a lot together. They rediscovered their
goals and found a new, more exciting, and fulfilling life for themselves. The
show had a mostly positive ending as both the successful walk toward the sunset,
hand-in-hand, knowing they have a true friend by their side.

However, the ending of the Netflix [https://netflixjunkie.com/category/news]
series wasn’t entirely happy. The creators touched on a lot of dark topics. One
of them is a weakening memory. Kauffman said, “people of a certain age do start
dealing with memory issues.” While the show, being a comedy, could easily avoid
it, Kauffman and the rest of the team had “we’ve always wanted the show to have
an underpinning of being real.”

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]https://netflixjunkie.com/marta-kauffman-and-howard-j-morris-reveal-how-they-landed-the-dolly-parton-cameo-opposite-jane-fonda-and-lily-tomlin-in-grace-and-frankie-final-episode/ie_74915/

Hence, the showrunner talked
[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/grace-and-frankie-marta-kauffman-netflix-jane-fonda-lily-tomlin-1235145726/]
about the necessity of showing the “heartbreaking” topic. But, the challenge was
bringing it to life in a manner that was not dramatic. Grace and Frankie
[https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/grace-and-frankie] had always been largely
light-hearted despite the numerous dark themes it has. Fading memory is another
phenomenon that was a part of the script that needed to be executed in a manner
that felt exactly like the rest of the wholesome show.

ALSO READ: “We didn’t expect more than three years”: FRIENDS Writer Marta
Kauffman Retraces the Journey of Netflix’s Longest Running Original, G
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-we-didnt-expect-more-than-three-years-friends-writer-marta-kauffman-retraces-the-journey-of-netflixs-longest-running-original-grace-and-frankie/]race
and Frankie

Clearly, Kauffman has done the job right as fans largely have only good things
to say about Grace and Frankie and its finale. Stream
[https://www.netflix.com/title/80017537] on Netflix now!

Safia Khanam

Comment

&#8220;It would have been false had we completely avoided it&#8221;: Marta Kauffman on Why It Was Important to Tackle Topics Like Aging, Death, and Fading Memory in Grace and Frankie - Netflix Junkie

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A writer at Netflix Junkie, Safia Khanam is a Business Administration student with a passion for writing. Having been an avid reader and cinephile all her life, she enjoys sharing analysis and insights. The Intern, Dead Poets Society, and Anne With An E are her top preferences. When she’s not watching or reading anything, she likes to traverse the fields of calligraphy and other liberal arts. With an appreciation for culture and linguistics, she wishes to travel extensively and experience art and architecture firsthand.

https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-it-would-have-been-false-had-we-completely-avoided-it-marta-kauffman-on-why-it-was-important-to-tackle-topics-like-aging-death-and-fading-memory-in-grace-and-frankie

&#8220;It would have been false had we completely avoided it&#8221;: Marta Kauffman on Why It Was Important to Tackle Topics Like Aging, Death, and Fading Memory in Grace and Frankie - netflix-junkie

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From drugs to sexuality, we see a lot of content surrounding teenagers. Even adulthood has its fair share of representation in shows like Virgin River or The Good Doctor. But, one demographic we don&#8217;t often see on our screens is that of old people. Grace and Frankie is one of the very few shows that showed us the harsh reality of old age in a wholesome setting. Before this Netflix series became popular, very few of us who aren&#8217;t in constant contact with old people would have considered the cost of prescription drugs one of the largest challenges of one&#8217;s life. Here&#8217;s what showrunner Marta Kauffman has to say about why the representation we see in Grace and Frankie was so important and difficult to bring to life.
<h2>Grace and Frankie- Netflix&#8217;s longest-running series that still wasn&#8217;t long enough</h2>
Grace and Frankie began with two old gay men coming to terms with their sexuality after their respective long-running marriages. After their separation, we watched Grace and Frankie go through a lot together. They rediscovered their goals and found a new, more exciting, and fulfilling life for themselves. The show had a mostly positive ending as both the successful walk toward the sunset, hand-in-hand, knowing they have a true friend by their side.
However, the ending of the <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/category/news">Netflix</a> series wasn&#8217;t entirely happy. The creators touched on a lot of dark topics. One of them is a weakening memory. Kauffman said, &#8220;people of a certain age do start dealing with memory issues.&#8221; While the show, being a comedy, could easily avoid it, Kauffman and the rest of the team had &#8220;we’ve always wanted the show to have an underpinning of being real.&#8221;
<a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/marta-kauffman-and-howard-j-morris-reveal-how-they-landed-the-dolly-parton-cameo-opposite-jane-fonda-and-lily-tomlin-in-grace-and-frankie-final-episode/ie_74915/" rel="attachment wp-att-29878"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-29878 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ie_74915-1200x800.jpeg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a>
Hence, the showrunner <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/grace-and-frankie-marta-kauffman-netflix-jane-fonda-lily-tomlin-1235145726/">talked</a> about the necessity of showing the &#8220;heartbreaking&#8221; topic. But, the challenge was bringing it to life in a manner that was not dramatic. <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/grace-and-frankie">Grace and Frankie</a> had always been largely light-hearted despite the numerous dark themes it has. Fading memory is another phenomenon that was a part of the script that needed to be executed in a manner that felt exactly like the rest of the wholesome show.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-we-didnt-expect-more-than-three-years-friends-writer-marta-kauffman-retraces-the-journey-of-netflixs-longest-running-original-grace-and-frankie/">“We didn’t expect more than three years”: FRIENDS Writer Marta Kauffman Retraces the Journey of Netflix’s Longest Running Original, G</a>race and Frankie
Clearly, Kauffman has done the job right as fans largely have only good things to say about Grace and Frankie and its finale. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80017537">Stream</a> on Netflix now!

“We didn’t expect more than three years”: FRIENDS Writer Marta Kauffman Retraces
the Journey of Netflix’s Longest Running Original, ‘Grace and Frankie’

GraceandFrankie_Season7_Episode10_00_25_29_17_R.jpg

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Now that Grace and Frankie has reached its end, showrunner Marta Kauffman talks about the bittersweet ending and why it had to be that way.

"It would have been false had we completely avoided it": Marta Kauffman on Why It Was Important to Tackle Topics Like Aging, Death, and Fading Memory in Grace and Frankie - Netflix Junkie

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&quot;It would have been false had we completely avoided it&quot;: Marta Kauffman on Why It Was Important to Tackle Topics Like Aging, Death, and Fading Memory in Grace and Frankie - Netflix Junkie

https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-it-would-have-been-false-had-we-completely-avoided-it-marta-kauffman-on-why-it-was-important-to-tackle-topics-like-aging-death-and-fading-memory-in-grace-and-frankie/

“It would have been false had we completely avoided it”: Marta Kauffman on Why It Was Important to Tackle Topics Like Aging, Death, and Fading Memory in Grace and Frankie

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