Trivia / Girls5eva

• Actor-Shared Background: Renée Elise Goldsberry attempted to break into show biz as part of a girl group, but the project came to a screeching halt before the group could get signed^note according to her, someone made a careless comment to a powerful industry figure, which ended up spelling doom.
• The Cast Showoff: While all the main cast sing, since they're in a girl group in the show, Renée Elise Goldsberry gets to solo and demonstrate her singing voice the most, especially since her character, Wickie Roy, is very much a diva so it's completely in character for her to break into song or notes purely to show off.
• Cast the Expert: Half the main cast, specifically Sara Bareilles and Renée Elise Goldsberry, are professional singers, with Bareilles, being primarily a singer-songwriter, playing Dawn, who ends up being the songwriter for Girls5Eva, and Goldsberry being a stage actress who has been on Broadway. Additionally, Ashley Park and Erika Henningsen, who play Ashley and young Gloria respectively in flashbacks, are also singers who have also been on Broadway.
• Channel Hop: After two seasons on Peacock, the show's third season was announced to premiere on Netflix in 2023.
• Creator's Oddball: This is the first regular TV gig for Sara Bareilles, primarily a singer-songwriter who previously made sporadic one-off guest appearances as herself on other series. Also, the music she performs on this show is very different from the piano-driven ballads she's known for.
• The Danza: Ashley Park as Ashley.
• Dawson Casting: While Girls5Eva are meant to be in their 40s, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Paula Pell were in their 50s (albeit in tail-ends of the decade) when the show premiered. Gloria's older appearance is explained in the series by the stress of hiding her sexuality prematurely aging her.
• Production Posse:
  • Tina Fey co-produced this show, and she previously worked with Erika Henningsen (young Gloria), Ashley Park (Ashley), and Grey Henson (Tate) in Mean Girls.
  • Several crew members from 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt return, notably, Fey's husband and composer/producer Jeff Richmond and series creator Meredith Scardino.
• Real-Life Relative: Gloria's ex-wife Caroline is played by Janine Brito, the real-life wife of Gloria's actress, Paula Pell.
• Queer Character, Queer Actor: Like her character Gloria, Paula Pell is a lesbian. The same goes for Janine Brito, who plays Gloria's ex-wife Caroline (and is Pell's wife in real life).
• Shoot the Money: Why did the show go back to the transparent piano joke time and time again? It was a hideously expensive prop and they were going to get their money's worth. They even moved the thing between multiple sets.
• What Could Have Been: The crew intended to ask Dolly Parton to play herself, but COVID issues prevented it. Tina Fey took the role simply by being the best readily available option, even though she had no intention of acting in the show.