This news really is five stars. Peacock has handed out a second-season renewal for its buzzy musical comedy Girls5eva. The series, from exec producer Tina Fey and creator/showrunner Meredith Scardino, is fresh off of an eye-catching “5YC” sky-writing Emmy marketing stunt that captivated much of Los Angeles over the weekend.
“We are so excited to continue Girls5eva alongside this incredibly talented group of cast and producers,” NBCUniversal television and streaming’s scripted content president Lisa Katz said in a statement. “It was hard to miss the immediate fandom that was born after the launch of this series. This aspirational comeback story is filled with heart and friendship, perfectly blended with catchy-songs and humor, and delivered by an exceptionally versatile cast. We look forward to following this group’s journey as they continue to hit just the right notes.”
The announcement was accompanied by a video stating, “We’re officially two hit wonders.”
The series, starring Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps and Paula Pell, has earned rave reviews and is already generating awards season buzz for the series and its leading ladies. The series about a 1990s girl group who gets a second shot at stardom features original music overseen by Jeff Richmond with Grammy winner Bareilles also contributing the show’s anthem, “Four Stars.”
Girls5eva is produced by Universal Television, Fey’s studio-based Little Stranger banner and 3 Arts. Fey exec produces and had a memorable cameo as Dolly Parton in the comedy after having been the lynchpin behind the show’s stellar casting.
“I have ideas generally of where it could go for the next few seasons — if we’re lucky enough to get those,” Scardino told The Hollywood Reporter podcast, TV’s Top 5, in May after the NBCUniversal-backed streamer debuted all eight episodes of the series. “I like idea of keeping them in the underdog world; I like to write scrappy people trying and failing. I feel like going into season two, they’ll retain that quality that you saw in season one.”
Season one of the series was filmed in New York during the pandemic, with Scardino noting it was impossible to do concert scenes that required extras. Her hope, she told TV’s Top 5, was to expand the scope of the show to feature fans supporting Girls5eva as the group succeeds (or fails).
Girls5eva is the latest Peacock original series to score a renewal at the recently launched streamer. It joins NBC import A.P. Bio and the Saved by the Bell update. Still awaiting word are the Punky Brewster sequel and Rutherford Falls. Peacock previously canceled USA Network transfer Brave New World after one season.
Peacock’s roster of originals includes the recently launched We Are Lady Parts and upcoming entries Bel-Air, Dr. Death, Joe Exotic, NBC transfer Langdon, the MacGruber update, a new take on Queer as Folk and a TV adaptation of Vampire Academy, among several others. The streamer is overseen by Frances Berwick and Susan Rovner, who together are responsible for all of NBCUniversal’s entertainment platforms.
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
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