Five friendships on Netflix that have inspired the evolution of self
We all have a best friend who came into our lives like the universe conspired. No matter the age, it always felt right. Much like us, Netflix also holds the memories of friendships that have transcended the hurdles of time and the complications of growing up.
They have come to become the found family everyone seems to forget about, sans the members. They say not everything lasts forever, but these five friendships certainly did.
They outdid the naysayers and proved everyone wrong. At times, they even became the wheel to one another’s change.
Whether for better or not, that’s another topic. But they do inspire, and in turn, impact our personalities and expectations. So, in case you’re craving a Netflix watchlist with the most eccentric set of friends, here are five to select from.
Five friendships on Netflix that have inspired the evolution of self
Grace and Frankie (Marta Kauffman, 2015-2022)
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend” rings true for the protagonists of this Netflix sitcom, Grace and Frankie, whose friendship is born out of the most unlikely of situations. Poles apart not just in their lives but also professions, Gracie is a big shot retired cosmetics mogul, while Gracie is a hippie and an eccentric artist.
The thread that entwines their increasingly different worlds is their long-term husbands’ occupation: both divorce lawyers. But the loop that brings them together is an announcement that says their husbands are in love with each other. The fact that they don’t like each other from the start doesn’t really help when they have to live under the same roof, but the drama definitely looks good for the pair, considering they’re eventually going to end up best friends.
Good Girls (Jenna Bans, 2018-2021)
The thing about good friendships is that you never have to suffer alone, and neither do Beth, Annie, and Ruby, from Good Girls, currently streaming on Netflix. Driven to despair by monetary struggles, these three suburban mothers turn to a desperate resort: robbing a local supermarket.
While the heist is a success, at least to some extent, the performance catches the attention of the wrong people. It turns out the supermarket was a front for money laundering for one of the mafias and the trio are caught in the deep in the world of organised crime to repay the debt. Thankfully, they are not alone in this.
Dead to Me (Liz Feldman, 2019-2022)
Not every friendship lasts a lifetime. Some just teach you lessons, quite hard ones. Dead to Me is a black comedy series about two women, Jen and Judy, who become friends at a grief support group. Jen is taking therapy to come to terms with her anger and resentment since her husband was killed in a hit-and-run case.
On the flip side, Judy claims that her fiancé has passed away because of a heart attack, leading them to bond over their shared trauma. However, in Judy’s generosity is a truth that can turn her friendship upside down and it probably has to do with her husband’s death.
Sex and the City (Darren Star, 1999-2004)
If we’re talking about female friendships that have become cultural touchstones in showbiz, skipping Sex and the City would be a sin. And that’s off the table. Deemed a cult classic in popular culture, the rom-com series is based on Candace Bushnell’s 1996 book and her newspaper column. It primarily follows the lives of four female friends who arrive in New York City with very different dreams.
But as they navigate their careers and lives, they wind up with each other, in turn, becoming each other’s compass through all kinds of problems, achievements, change, stagnancy, ups and downs, no questions asked.
Minx (Ellen Rapoport, 2023)
Unlikely friendships are the best ones, even sometimes when they feel like a stretch. Minx features quite an unconventional one, which is a comedy series set in the 1970s, revolving around an adult entertainment publisher, Doug Renetti, who joins forces with a feminist writer, Joyce Prigger, for an unlikely venture.
Together, they publish the first erotic magazine for women, Minx, and as they entangle deeper in the partnership, the contrasting worldviews and creative differences look negligible in front of the potential their relationship holds.