Fans of Girls5eva will follow the members of the titular pop girl group to the ends of the Earth — or at least its journey from Peacock to Netflix. After streamer hopping, the musical comedy created by Meredith Scardino is going stronger than ever with its third season where we find Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Summer (Busy Philipps), and Gloria (Paula Pell) on a comeback tour for their new album Returnity. Sounds good right? Well, they have no plan and no venues secured — but that has never stopped them before.
Girl5eva’s return for the third season, their relationships as they go on many adventures a birthday party, confronting parents they believe held them back, and crossing paths with the biggest pop star on the planet — all of which may or may not help them hit again.
In particular, we get to see Gloria, played by Paula Pell, navigate reviving her music career as a queer person in a different world than when she first started. GLAAD talked to Pell about the new season and what the character of Gloria means to her.
Girls5eva found a strong following on Peacock and then migrated to Netflix. How has that journey been — especially during this wild time in Hollywood?
It has been such a truly thrilling ride getting the show to Netflix. We heard our time at Peacock had ended and then were immediately told we were likely getting a second chance, so there was a lot of hope and excitement. They have done an incredible job as our creative partners on season three! We finished shooting the week the strike began, so we were so fortunate to have completed such a fun season before everything went dark.
That said, with the way the world has changed, how have you seen the show change in its first season?
I think there are some subtle differences — running time and number of f-bombs. — now that we’re at Netflix, but I think the core feel of big heart and hard laughs has remained consistent. And Netflix has such a massive amount of viewers, it feels great to get it out to so many people who haven’t seen it.
In the past three seasons, what have been some of your favorite songs you have performed with your fellow cast members/bandmates?
When it comes to laughter and ridiculously joyful songs, it’s “Dream Girlfriends”, “The Splingee” and “Get It Off Your Chest.” For truly loving to harmonize with this murderer’s row of singers, I would say the pop gems “Four Stars” and “The Medium Time” which both make me weep.
Girls5eva isn’t necessarily a “queer” show, but with a cast that includes you, Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Busy Philipps playing a girl group, it by default lands in LGBTQ territory. In addition to Gloria’s journey, how do you think the narratives explored in the series speak to the LGBTQ experience?
I think these boy and girl groups that were assembled at the time had to pretend to be someone they were not. Gloria is a character who never lived her truth the first time around. Not to herself or the world. In the ’90s, I was also still closeted and let very few people I loved know those parts of me. I was happy with who I was but didn’t trust that I wouldn’t lose relationships over sharing it.
What has playing a character like Gloria meant to you?
It is a great joy to play an older queer character who “holds gravity” — my term for a person who is plus size. I get to rock a shit ton of fabulous hairstyles and make-up looks and sing great music. I also get to play the acting spectrum of hard comedy and deep heart. Pure joy. Never did I think at this age I would be playing this character in a show like this.
If there were any musician or girl group (past or present) that you would want to guest on the series, who would it be and why?
My favorite girl group was TLC. They always felt so authentic, and I still play those songs. Also, Whitney was my ultimate queen of pop.
Season 4 is still up in the air, but if there were another season of Girls5eva what would you want to happen with Gloria and the gals?
I would love for Gloria to still work on searching for what makes her happy, try to wrestle her ex Caroline from the clutches of the hilarious Lea DeLaria, and I’d love to watch her navigate some monetary success. She would definitely build a sanctuary for toothless senior dogs and if she had anything left, she would get a gigantic pick-up truck that would bring all the dykes to the yard.
Girls5evais currently streaming on Netflix.