Tina Fey’s New Netflix Sitcom Is Every 30 Rock Fan’s Dream Come True

With Tina Fey as an executive producer on Girls5eva, there were bound to be comparisons to her previous NBC hit. Fey’s influence is strongly felt in the series, which has a razor-sharp comedic tone that harks back to her 30 Rock days. In many ways, Girls5Eva is the perfect follow-up to 30 Rock.

The two shows share a similar knack for throwing rapid-fire jokes and absurd situations at the audience, making for an entertaining ride. Further elevating these similarities, Girls5eva offers a satirical take on celebrity life and the entertainment industry, a theme that was regularly explored on 30 Rock.

Girls5eva is a comedy sitcom that originally aired on Peacock and centered around a one-hit-wonder girl group from the 1990s. The now middle-aged women, thrust back into the limelight when one of their songs is sampled by a hotshot rapper, decide to snatch a second chance at fame. As the plot unfolds, viewers follow the women’s trials and triumphs as they try to navigate the music industry decades after their initial brush with stardom.

The primary characters in Tina Fey’s Girls5eva include Wickie, portrayed by Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, known for her role as Angelica Schuyler in the smash Broadway hit Hamilton. Wickie is driven and unrestrained in her pursuit of the spotlight once more.

Gloria, an open tomboy of the group, is played by Paula Pell, a seasoned comedy writer well-known for her work as a writer on Saturday Night Live.

Meanwhile, Busy Philipps, lauded for her performances in Freaks and Geeks and Cougar Town, enlivens the portrayal of Summer, a stereotypical blonde with famous one-liners. Dawn, the grounded member of Girls5eva who often ends up handling their myriad issues, is played by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, renowned for her chart-topping songs like “Love Song.”

In this upcoming season, viewers will follow the group setting out on tour, hoping to garner enough popularity to sell out a Radio City Music Hall performance. Fans of the first two seasons can surely expect more Girls5eva classic songs like “Four Stars,” “New York Lonely Boy,” and “I’m Afraid (Dawn’s Song of Fears).”

From the individual quirks and attributes of each member to the humorous and heartwarming group dynamics, Girls5eva is a bit of an outlier as a quality sitcom in a sea of prestige dramas and alternative comedies. Streaming has changed the way shows are consumed, placing more emphasis on binge-watching seasons at a time, something not always suitable for consuming simple sitcoms—as Peacock’s canceling of other sitcoms like the reboots of Punky Brewster and Saved by the Bell has proven.

Yet, the appeal of Girls5eva shows that there is still room on streaming platforms for the right sitcom.

As fans eagerly await the new season, the previous seasons of Girls5eva are available for streaming on Netflix, ensuring that anyone can catch up with the hilarious exploits of Wickie, Gloria, Summer, and Dawn before the new episodes drop.