Katherine Heigl Has The Most Popular Show On Netflix
Katherine Heigl is crushing Netflix right now. The actress, who's gone through some ups and downs, has the number one show on the platform
Katherine Heigl has had such an up and down career that sometimes it’s hard to know where she sits on the Hollywood rollercoaster. It’s been a time in which she’s starred in some of the biggest television shows and movies around followed up by being almost persona non grata in town. But it appears she’s headed back to the top now with a new show of hers blowing up. Firefly Lane is an absolute hit on Netflix, vaulting Heigl back into the star forefront. Right now, it’s sitting at number one for Netflix streaming.
Firefly Lane stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke as two, life-long friends who are now navigating middle age. Heigl plays Tully Hart, a talk show host who’s become fairly successful. Meanwhile, Chalke is a housewife navigating getting back to work while also in the midst of a divorce. The two’s friendship dates back to when they were in high school and growing up on the titular street.
The show focuses on both timelines, telling the story about the two women’s differing upbringings and challenges they faced in those formative years. Katherine Heigl and Chalke’s characters are played by Ali Skovbye and Roan Curtis respectively.
The show examines certain seminal moments in the characters’ lives and how their relationship ebbed and flowed during those years. But in the present, the two have apparently diverged in terms of “success” with Katherine Heigl as Tully becoming a hard-charging talk show host hell-bent on appearances and success. Meanwhile, Chalke is dealing with the trappings of adulthood and family, having given up some aspirations in order to raise her daughter and stay in a marriage. Check out the trailer for Firefly Lane:
Firefly Lane is blowing up streaming on Netflix, earning it top marks when it comes to views on the platform. That being said, critics are less enthusiastic about the show and it’s sitting at 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s worth noting that a vast majority of the negative reviews focus on the writing and overall plot of the show, believing it to be a little too vapid and shallow in its tone.
That being said, critics were definitely on board with the performances and charisma of the show’s two leads, Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke. The two earned solid marks in their roles. And though critics didn’t take to it, the average audience score was 78%, lending some credence to the streaming numbers.
When I said Katherine Heigl has had an up and down career, that might be an understatement. She first really hit the screen in a big way when she played Dr. Izzie Stevens for six seasons on Grey’s Anatomy. The role vaulted her into stardom, even earning her an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
That, in part, led to the start of her movie career as well. Her first starring role was in 2007’s Knocked Up alongside Seth Rogen. She was sensational in the role about an unexpected pregnancy and all the joy, hurt and confusion that comes along with it. That led to big time paydays (though poor reviews) in films 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth, Killers and One for the Money.
But Katherine Heigl’s career took a self-inflicted detour when it became known she had big-time diva tendencies and was difficult to be around on set. She threw her Grey’s Anatomy crew under the bus multiple times, and eventually just stopped showing up for work. The rumors of her on-set behavior for movies weren’t any better and she even took shots at Seth Rogen and Knocked Up after the fact. It was unclear if the talented actress was going to find steady work again or if others would even want to cast her.
After some apologies and even regret about her past behavior, it sure seems like the actress has turned another career corner and is headed back to superstardom. It’s clear she can still very much bring it on screen, with the Firefly Lane reception more than a clear indicator. She’s had such a rollercoaster of a career, but it looks like it’s on the way back up right now. Catch Firefly Lane in its first season on Netflix. You will be joining a big crowd for sure.
