There are so many movies and shows about people under 40, who have yet to figure everything out. That’s all well and good, but there’s a particular and profound kind of wisdom to be found in stories about people who have lived long enough to figure out the only thing worth knowing — that nobody ever figures everything out. 

These films and series about seniors are a testament to the richness of one’s later years. Even as they grapple with enormous questions of purpose, mortality, and relevance in a society that too often ignores them, the characters in these stories also find humor in the world around them, meaningful friendships in each other, and beauty in the great privilege of aging.  

And one of the best things about putting the spotlight on seniors is the incomparable talents in the lead roles. Megastars who have had the benefit of honing their craft over decades — including Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Michael Douglas, and Robert Redford — star in these titles, guaranteeing exceptional performances. So choose anything below for a true master class in acting one’s age — whatever that means. 

Grace and Frankie

A pair of powerhouse actors form the heart of this odd-couple comedy from Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris, which ran for seven seasons from 2015 to 2022 (and racked up five Emmy nominations for its stars). Jane Fonda plays the rigorous Grace opposite Lily Tomlin as the free-spirited Frankie, two women whose husbands (Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston), longtime partners at a law firm, realize they’re in love and leave their wives for each other. Newly divorced, Grace and Frankie — who have till now never warmed up to each other — forge an unlikely friendship, and all four find a new and expansive kind of family in each other.

Grace and Frankie

7 Seasons   TV-MA   2015

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The Kominsky Method

There may be no harder place to age than in Hollywood, and Chuck Lorre’s acclaimed dramedy addresses with great heart and hilarity what it’s like to get older in a place that worships youth. Michael Douglas stars as actor turned acting coach Sandy Kominsky (for which he received three Emmy nominations), and Alan Arkin plays Sandy’s agent, Norman. (It was Arkin’s final TV role, for which he was nominated twice.) Together, the old friends move through a changing world in aging bodies, always finding humor in the challenge.

The Kominsky Method

3 Seasons   TV-MA   2018

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The Last Laugh

Humor doesn’t lose its edge with age, which two funny old friends prove in Greg Pritikin’s 2019 buddy comedy. Chevy Chase plays Al Hart, a former talent manager who moves into a retirement village at his family’s urging. Richard Dreyfuss is Buddy Green, a former stand-up (and client of Al’s) who abandoned his dream right on the verge of hitting it big — and whom Al rediscovers in his new community. Inspired by their surprise reunion, Al concocts a scheme for the two of them to hit the road for one final comedy tour.

The Last Laugh

1h 38m   TV-MA   2019

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A Man on the Inside

After devoting decades of one’s life to a career, it can be a struggle to find purpose in retirement. But in Mike Schur’s 2024 comedy, based on Maite Alberdi’s Oscar–nominated 2020 documentary The Mole Agent, Ted Danson’s bored retiree stumbles on the perfect (if unconventional) assignment to occupy his time. A priceless necklace goes missing in a retirement home, and the detective on the case needs a spy who can blend in to assist in the investigation. So Charles (Danson), a widower, infiltrates the scene of the crime, where he finds community as well as clues. Once you’ve solved Season 1, get ready for Season 2, which arrives Nov. 20. 

A Man on the Inside

2 Seasons   TV-14   2024

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Moving On

Soon after Grace and Frankie ended, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin got back together for another buddy comedy, this time a feature film. Paul Weitz’s 2022 revenge tale features Evelyn (Tomlin) and Claire (Fonda), estranged friends from college who reconnect at the funeral of their mutual friend Joyce. Out of respect for her late friend, Claire had long put off pursuing a particular goal — murdering Joyce’s husband, Howard (Malcolm McDowell), who terribly wronged Claire decades ago. Now that he’s a widower, Howard is fair game, so Claire recruits a reluctant Evelyn to help her in her quest for vengeance. 

Moving On

1h 24m   R   2022

Remind Me

Our Souls at Night

Fifty years after Barefoot in the Park, its legendary leads delivered their tender final collaboration in Ritesh Batra’s 2017 romantic drama, based on the novel by Kent Haruf. Jane Fonda and Robert Redford light up the screen as neighbors, a widow and a widower, who scheme to combat their mutual loneliness: They begin spending nights together, platonically, so neither has to sleep alone. Though their loved ones may not understand, the arrangement works, and they find not just some company in each other but also true friendship — which begins to develop into something more. 

Our Souls at Night

1h 43m   TV-14   2017

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The Thursday Murder Club

Giles Keyte/Netflix

When you’ve been around long enough, nothing shocks you anymore. That really comes in handy if you take up solving grisly crimes in retirement as a hobby, as the amateur sleuths of The Thursday Murder Club do. Chris Columbus’s 2025 adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestselling novel stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie as the titular club’s members, all living in the same retirement village in the picturesque English countryside. The quartet meets weekly to crack long-forgotten cold cases, but when a body turns up dead nearby, they apply their investigative skills in real time to try and catch the killer in their midst.  

The Thursday Murder Club

2h 0m   PG-13   2025

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