GIRLS 5 EVA

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For a couple of days this month, Atomic Kitten were back. After England fans rewrote the group’s 2000 hit Whole Again as a football anthem (“Southgate you’re the one … football’s coming home again”), the group reunited enthusiastically to perform the new version on the morning shows. The whole thing was remarkably similar to the first episode of new American sitcom Girls5eva.

Here, turn-of-the-millennium, one-hitwonder girl group Girls5eva (because forever’s too short) get a second shot at fame after their 1999 chart-topper, Famous 5eva, is used as an “old school” sample on the new single by Lil Stinker, a rapper who’s young enough to be their son. Jimmy Fallon invites the group to sing live backing vocals for Lil Stinker on the Late Show as a nostalgia gimmick, and they come to realise none of them have quite given up on the dream.

The first episode introduces the four living members (the fifth one died after swimming over the edge of an infinity pool) in a variety of grimly adult situations. De facto group leader Dawn (Sara Bareilles) hears their sample on the radio — mid-mammogram, Summer (Busy Philipps) heard it during her spin class, Gloria (Paula Pell) was too busy taking care of her elderly dad and

four spaniels while Wickie (Renee Elise Goldsberry) is a jetsetting international woman of mystery — or at least looks like

one on Instagram.

With no help from their inept former manager, Larry, who can’t even book the group on a 90s nostalgia cruise around the Pacific garbage patch, the four women strike out on an unlikely quest to become middle-aged popstars, riding a wave of very accurately observed millennial nostalgia.

Created by Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt writer Meredith Scardino and produced by 30 Rock creator Tina Fey, Girls5eva is definitely cut from the same comedy cloth.