Grace And Frankie Didn't Have A Season 8 - Here's What Fonda & Tomlin Did Instead
From 2015 to 2022, Netflix subscribers watched Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) hilariously navigate life after their husbands fall for each other. However, after seven seasons, "Grace and Frankie" came to an abrupt halt. According to creator Marta Kauffman in an interview with Vanity Fair, "We had done the stories that were most important to us, and it felt like it was the right time to end the series. And it's better to leave them wanting more than to have people go, 'Oh, they should have ended last year.'"
The story of "Grace and Frankie" might be over, but that doesn't mean the dynamic duo of Fonda and Tomlin is gone from the screen. In the March 2023 dark comedy "Moving On," the pair reunites as Claire (Fonda) and Evelyn (Tomlin), who want to cause the demise of their late best friend's husband, Howard (Malcolm McDowell). A number of critics shared a similar opinion of "Moving On," directed by Paul Weitz: The film itself isn't the best, but the rapport between Fonda and Tomlin makes it enjoyable.
Fonda and Tomlin wanted to play fresh roles in Moving On
"Moving On" — and the reunion of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin — largely came to be thanks to the latter's previous work with Paul Weitz in 2013's "Admission" and 2015's "Grandma." In an interview with A.frame, Weitz reflected on a phone call he received from Tomlin, who asked him, "I'm sitting here with Jane Fonda. Why don't you write a movie for us?" The timing was perfect, as Weitz had already brainstormed the basic plot of the film: funeral attendee threatens to murder widower in order to seek revenge.
Fonda and Tomlin were on board, but on one condition: They didn't want to play characters too similar to Grace and Frankie. To achieve this, the actresses crafted detailed backstories for Claire and Evelyn, such as their respective relationships with their deceased friend.
"Jane told me a lot about her character's childhood, and she was doing some things physically — really constraining the way that she moves — to get a different character from Grace and from herself," said Weitz. "I think by making it specific and specifically not whatever they were doing in 'Grace and Frankie,' that made them feel calm."