Netflix’s ‘Firefly Lane’ travels complex, largely satisfying path

A story of female friendship, Netflix’s ‘Firefly Lane’ travels complex, largely satisfying path

What would you get if you applied the multipletimeline formula of “This Is Us” to a story of a decadeslong friendship?

Something exactly “Firefly Lane.”

The emotionally satisfying and soul-nourishing if somewhat-drawn-out dramedy series debuting on Netflix this week is an adaptation of the 2008 book of the same name by prolific novelist Kristin Hannah, like

who’s credited as a coexecutive producer.

The series stars Katherine Heigl (“Knocked Up,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) as outgoing-and-assertive TV news reporter-turned-hugely famous daytime talk show host Tully and Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs,” “Roseanne”) as

Kate, her charmingly awkward and extremely loyal best friend.

However, there are three major timelines, and while Heigl and Chalke are convincing enough as the younger adult versions of themselves from their college days to the early part of their careers, as well as the early 2000s-set present day, we also get a good helping of Ali Skovbye (“The Gourmet Detective,” “The Man in the High Castle”) and Roan Curtis (“The Magicians,” “Before I Fall”) as the teen versions of Tully and Kate, respectively.

The performances of the four actresses, along with showrunner Maggie Friedman (“Eastwick,” “Witches of East End”) and other series writers, contribute to make this a friendship well worth experiencing.

This friendship isn’t all that out of the ordinary in many ways — the women share successes and failures, challenges and accomplishments and are there for each other when it comes to the opposite sex — even if they let at least one man come between them. However, what stands out about “Firefly Lane,” again and again, is that while Tully is the bigger success — and the woman more likely to turn heads when the pair walks into a room — she doesn’t take Kate for granted. This isn’t the popular girl with the completely adoring sidekick. At least, not exactly.

If anything, Tully is needy and knows it. In the present-day timeline, Tully lovingly scolds Kate for not being reachable by phone for an entire day. It was too much for her, she says.

But Tully also is there for Kate, again and again, through the years, from defending her from bullies in the school hallway to trying to help her with her frustrated teen daughter, Marah (Yael Yurman, “The Man in the High Castle”). Marah blames her mother for the fact her parents are heading toward a divorce.

The multiple-timeline format results in us knowing early on Kate eventually will marry the tall, dark, handsome and Aussie-accented Johnny Ryan (Ben Lawson, “13 Reasons Why”).

Always longing to be a real newsman again, the compelling Johnny first serves as Kate and Tully’s boss at a Seattle TV station and later as the producer of Tully’s show. He flirts with both of them at various times in the TV-news days, but we know he’ll land with Kate.

Perhaps that’s the downside of this type of storytelling. The upside is the thematic ideas and echoing incidents the writers can explore inside an episode with the way they play the timelines off each other.