Meredith Scardino's series returns for an equally boisterous third season.
Meredith Scardino has written for some of the most iconic television comedies, from Saturday Night Live to The Colbert Report to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and her hilarious series about girl group Girls5eva is just as memorable. With its third season freshly released, now’s a great time to rewind to Episode 1 and enjoy (or re-enjoy) every laugh-out-loud moment with the band.
The show centers around the reunion of Girls5eva — because 4-ever’s too short — an early aughts group composed of Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Summer (Busy Philipps), Gloria (Paula Pell), and the dearly departed Ashley (Ashley Park). When one of their songs is sampled by an up-and-coming rapper, the remaining four, now middle-aged and estranged, regroup to put out new music and try to ride the wave of the moment. By Season 3, they are embarking on a tour of mid-sized American cities and attempting to cement their fame by performing at Radio City Music Hall — though first they have to sell some tickets.
Summer (Busy Philipps), Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Gloria (Paula Pell), and Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry)
Wholly charming and utterly entertaining, the stars of Girls5eva bring the series to life. Tony award winner Goldsberry, who originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Bareilles add their vocal chops to the group’s songs about Fort Worth, Texas, cyberstalking parents at your child’s school, and big pussy energy, and deliver them with so much sincerity that it’s hard to know whether to laugh or soulfully jam along.
Girls5eva, which counts Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as executive producers, delivers the energy and humor of the sitcoms of the early 2000s along with the dynamism of the girl groups of the same era. Whether these actors are cracking jokes or owning the stage with their enchanting tunes, they embody girl power in a way yet to be seen in a series.
Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Gloria (Paula Pell), Summer (Busy Philipps), and Dawn (Sara Bareilles)
