A warm, sentimental tale of friendship

This web series might remind you of other female best-friend tales, but ‘Firefly Lane’ makes its own space. Starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke as the glamourous Tully Hart (short for Tallulah Hart) and the klutzy Kate Mularkey (short for Kateline), this is about two inseparable friends who go through 30 years of ups and downs.

Tully is a popular talk show host with ‘The Girlfriend Hour’, while Kate is a homemaker, going through a divorce and trying to get to work.

‘Firefly Lane’ brushes many topics — coming out of the closet, the stigma associated with homosexuality, sex without consent, unplanned pregnancy, following one’s passion, divorce, drugs, and on — yet there are no preachy or dull moments.

Some situations make you sit back and think. In a chat with Kate’s daughter Marah, Tully who is godmother to the latter, says of her friend, “Even at 14, she was kind. Nobody’s kind at 14. That’s why I was drawn to her.” Moments where Tully messes things up and Kate cleans up after her are endearing to a point, but can also seem a bit exhausting.

The series swings through timelines, where scenes from the past, the recent past and the present come together. It seems realistic though, as that’s how people grasp why they are the way they are. The series has some storytelling flaws and the narrative becomes a bit slow at some points. Music throughout comes as a great addition, setting the mood for the scenes.

The lead actors portray the mid ’20s (a soft lens is used to make them look young) and their present age, each episode ending on a note of anticipation.

‘Firefly Lane’ can be melodramatic, emotional, crazy and too soapy at times, but there is surely an audience for it.