Wait, When Does Netflix's 'Firefly Lane' Take Place? - Thrillist

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Wait, When Does Netflix's 'Firefly Lane' Take Place?

Untangling the new Netflix series' timeline.

By Esther ZuckermanPublished on Feb 3, 2021 at 1:30 PM

There's a moment in the first episode of Firefly Lane that threw me for a loop. The new Netflix series starring Sarah Chalke and Katherine Heigl follows a decades-long friendship between two women, from their teenage years to adulthood. At one point in the "present day" timeline of the series, Chalke's Kate Mularky (yep, like malarkey) goes on a job interview at a Seattle-based magazine. The editor, whose coiffed hair and vocal fry are a lazy signifier for "bitch," tells Kate that, "It's 2003." Wait, what? Yes, Firefly Lane's present day is 2003.

When I first watched this scene, I actually missed the "2003" line, so I was confused when Kate replied that she's up on current-day pop-culture like "MySpace and Napster." She also declares that she knows all the words to "In da Club." Is this a joke about how out of date Kate is? Nope, these are all relevant topics (although, it must be pointed out, MySpace didn't officially launch until 2004). The question is: Why is Firefly Lane, at least in part, a 2003 period piece?

The show, developed by Maggie Friedman, is based on a novel by Kristin Hannah, which was published in 2008. Hannah has explained that the novel is based on some of her own experiences, including growing up in Washington in the 1970s. If the characters have to be teens in that decade, then it only makes sense that they would be hitting middle age in the early 2000s.

On screen the action bounces from 1974, when Kate (played as a youngster by Roan Curtis) and her soon-to-be BFF Tully Hart (Heigl as an adult and Ali Skovbye as a teen) meet on the titular Firefly Lane, to 1982, when they are both aspiring TV journalists with big hair, and to 2003, where Tully is now a successful talk show host and Kate is a mother going through a divorce trying to get back into the workforce.

At this point, it shouldn't be that weird to have a period piece set in the early 2000s. First of all, Lady Bird already did that. And second, as a viral tweet going round noted, The Wonder Years, which originally aired in the late '80s and early '90s, was about the '60s and the '70s. But there's something uniquely clunky about the way Firefly Lane signifies that passage of time. In the portions set further in the past, the era is denoted mostly by the outlandish, stereotypical fashion of the era. Since that's not as much of an option for the 2003 scenes—these characters aren't the type to wear Uggs or super low rise jeans all the time—the writers instead drop cultural references, and they're usually incredibly awkward.

Firefly Lane often plays like it's directly targeting late Baby Boomers, preying on their nostalgia as a hook for the sappy storyline. And for that to work, the "present" has to be 2003.

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Esther Zuckerman is a senior entertainment writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @ezwrites.By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.SubscribeSubscribe to Thrillist DailyAdventure is always around the corner. And now it’s also in your inbox!SubscribeBy signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.