Lily Tomlin hinted at a possible Netflix original series for Dolly Parton during a Grace And Frankie panel on Saturday.
Tomlin was on the stage with Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, along with Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris, the co-creators of Grace and Frankie. According to a report by Deadline, they were gathered at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood for a panel about their show’s Emmy prospects, but may have revealed a huge piece of news in the process.
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Tomlin and Fonda were asked if Dolly Parton could potentially be a future guest star on their beloved show. Both agreed that they’d love to have Parton on, but Tomlin said that she might be too busy with her own upcoming Netflix project.
She described this mystery project as a series of films in the same vein as Parton’s NBC movie Coat of Many Colors. It would be centered around many of Parton’s songs. Tomlin acted as though this were already common knowledge, though Fonda on the stage beside her seemed absolutely stunned.
Afterward, when asked about the project, a Netflix representative was equally perturbed. When asked if Parton would really be starring in this project they said “yes, when the script called for it.”
If Parton is indeed getting into business with Netflix, this makes it all the more likely that she could be a guest star on Grace And Frankie sometime soon. This would be a major on screen reunion for Parton, Fonda and Tomlin, who all starred in the movie Nine to Five together.
Reporters approached executive producer Marta Kauffman about the possibility of featuring Parton as well. She said that she would be delighted to have the singer on set, but said that scheduling conflicts have been their number one barrier so far. Grace And Frankie is about to wrap up filming on its fifth season, and Kauffman said that plans for Parton have been on the backburner since the show began.
On Sunday, Netflix declined to offer further comment on the alleged Parton project.
“I should get my journalist license for this,” Tomlin said, reportedly laughing.
Meanwhile, at least one reunion is all but assured as Fox is reportedly developing a Nine To Five remake. Rashida Jones is reportedly writing the film, while the original three cast members are on board to reprise their roles. However, the movie will center around a younger cast facing similar problems. In the era of the Me Too movement and the Time’s Up Campaign, this premise is ripe for revisiting.
