Hidden gem saved by Netflix with 96% on Rotten Tomatoes returns next month

A lot of people bemoan Netflix for cancelling shows before their time, and while I too am upset occasionally (I still pour one out for Teenage Bounty Hunters), I'm also reminded to be grateful when the streaming service rescues a lost show. The latest example of this is Girls5Eva.

This is a brilliant comedy series that ran for two seasons on Peacock (Sky in the UK) but looked to have been forgotten until Netflix stepped in. Not only will it be the new streaming home of the first two seasons, but it will also bring a brand new third instalment, coming March 14th!

Girls5Eva is a pretty silly comedy that reminds me closely of 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in both tone and quality. It should do too as showrunner Meredith Scardino wrote for Kimmy Schmidt (and its subsequent movie) and Tina Fey and Robert Carlock serve as producers here. We follow former 90s girl band Girls5Eva (now 4 members strong after a tragic infinity pool accident) who after one of their songs goes viral decide to mount a comeback. Now older, and slightly wiser, the quartet set out to redefine the modern girl group. 

It's very goofy, but what elevates the show is that there are genuine musical talents involved. Lead character Dawn is played by the incredible singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and there are plenty of opportunities to show off her musical brilliance in both sincere and silly songs. There is much skewering of the music biz and the dismissal of women over a certain age, but it never comes across as preachy. This is one of those shows where you can often find yourself laughing at pretty much every other line if you're not careful.

My only sadness is that this new run will only be six episodes instead of the 8 of the other two seasons but hopefully, if it does well we can see more of what is one of the funniest shows on TV. Plenty of others will be grateful to see it back too, with the show boasting a stellar 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.