Interview: Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps and Paula Pell of ‘Girls5eva’

Girls5eva debuts this today, Thursday, May 6, on the Peacock network with one of the strongest comedic ensembles in recent memory. The show details the fall and subsequent attempted comeback of an all-girl group from the 90’s longing for past glory. Written by Meredith Scardino and executive produced by 30 Rock‘s Robert Carlock and Tina Fey, this has the potential of being the flagship program for the streaming service.

Grammy and Emmy Award winning actress Sara Bareilles plays Dawn, former member of the group who secretly longs for those days of being in the spotlight and now finds herself slinging orders at her brother’s Italian restaurant while attempting to be super mom. Grammy and Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry plays Wickie, the diva of the group who has fallen on hard times but longs to maintain a certain image. Both prove to be the perfect comedic one-two punch and have tremendous chemistry with one another.

‘Girls5Eva’ review: Don’t call it a comeback (it’s a comeback) but this girl-group comedy is an absolute banger

Rounding out the cast are Busy Philipps and Paula Pell. Philipps (who is best known for her work on Dawson’s Creek, Cougar Town and Happy Endings) plays this over the top version of a Real Housewives wannabe and strikes a perfect mix of being too dirty while making sure everyone knows how Christian Summer is. Pell plays Gloria, a former closeted member of the band who not only is out in the open with her sexuality. She runs a thriving dental business while having the distinction of being part of the first LGTBQ divorce in New York. Every scene that Pell and Philipps are in is immediately elevated by their comedic talents. If this show was just Bareilles and Goldsberry, Girls5eva would be good but with the addition of Pell and Phillips to this ensemble we have one the best comedies of 2021.

We were lucky enough to speak with the cast of Girls5eva about their upcoming season. The topics ranged from their favorite memories from shooting the season, the over-the-top dance sequences, virtual press day hacks, and why Paula Pell seems to always have a certain type of scene written for her. Also, there’s a bit of surprise at the end of my time with Sara and Renée that catches everyone off guard.

All eight episodes of the first season of Girls5eva are now streaming exclusively on Peacock.

Photo by: Heidi Gutman/Peacock