You can’t open Facebook, Instagram or Twitter in recent days without catching a mention of “Firefly Lane,” the new Netflix original series that dropped February 3. Based on author Kristin Hannah’s best-selling 2008 novel of the same name, the show follows the decades-long friendship of Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke) and Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl), from the day the two first meet as teens in 1974 through their 40s in the early aughts. The unlikely BFFs are perfect foils to each other – the outgoing and uninhibited Tully grows up to be a famous newscaster/talk show host, while shy good girl Kate lives much in her shadow. Sound familiar? It should. The storyline is very “Beaches”-esque.
Largely panned by critics (USA Today calls it a “sappy, soapy mess,” while The Hollywood Reporter deems it “overloaded with saccharin and cheese”), “Firefly Lane” is proving popular with audiences, securing the streaming giant’s no. 1 spot its first week of release. Helmed by showrunner Maggie Friedman of “Eastwick” and “Witches of East End” fame, the series is largely predictable, certainly clichéd and at times dragging, but it’s also a fun romp through the decades, inarguably fun to look at and its soundtrack is perfection. It is also surprisingly addicting. As Allison Shoemaker of RogerEbert.com says, “Full of contradictions, structured with all the soundness of a Jenga tower but anchored by two good (one of them very, very good) performances, it’s the kind of series made for Netflix’s autoplay feature. Watch one episode, roll your eyes, grimace, and settle in for another; emerge 10 hours later, blinking and baffled into the light of a new day.” It’s a valid description – I found myself binging all ten episodes of season one in two nights.
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Image Credit: Redfin It is largely the locations that had me hitting “Next Episode” again and again, particularly the cliffside mansion where adult Kate lives with her teen daughter, Marah (Yael Yurman), and shares parenting duties via birdnesting with her estranged husband, Johnny Ryan (Ben Lawson). Said to be in Seattle where the series is set, the property can actually be found above the 49th Parallel in British Columbia, aka “Hollywood North.” The Atlas of Wonders website did the legwork on this one, identifying the manse’s location as 5240 Marine Dr. in West Vancouver.
And there’s good news for “Firefly Lane” fans! Known as the “Cotton Cove Estate” in real life, the palatial dwelling is currently being offered for sale by Silver Kim of Team 3000 Realty Ltd. for just over $17.3 million (CAD 21,988,000). For those lacking that kind of capital who still want to spend a night in Kate’s digs, the property is also available as a vacation rental through Airbnb with rates starting at a much more reasonable $353 a night. (Guests won’t be able to walk a mile in Kate’s shoes, however – or any shoes for that matter. The rental has a strict no footwear policy indoors.)
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Image Credit: Redfin The residence is just as much of a dream in real life as it appeared to be onscreen. Tucked far off the main road at the end of a long driveway, Cotton Cove Estate sits on an immaculate 1.6-acre lot overlooking Horseshoe Bay about 12 miles outside of downtown Vancouver. Built in 1941, the Tudor Revival features five bedrooms and four and a half baths spread throughout an impressive 7,919 square feet. Inside you’ll find all the creature comforts typical of a luxury home including a chef’s kitchen with a walk-in pantry, a gym, multiple fireplaces, built-ins galore and an owners’ suite with his and her walk-in closets. There is also a finished basement with a recreation room, a sauna and two laundry rooms (because one is just never enough!).
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Image Credit: Redfin The outdoor amenities are the home’s real selling point, though. Surrounded by gardens, huge expanses of lawn and flagstone patios, the property also boasts access to a private cove and beach, a 40×20-foot swimming pool and a detached 633-square-foot beach house. All of it sits perched above a picturesque waterfront, offering staggering views from virtually every angle.
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Image Credit: Redfin Considering its opulent feel, it is not hard to see how the Cotton Cove Estate wound up being pegged to portray the family home of wealthy television producer Johnny on “Firefly Lane.”
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Image Credit: Redfin The production made extensive use of the property, especially the backyard which was showcased in pretty much every episode.
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Image Credit: Redfin The inside of the dwelling was also featured regularly, which is quite unusual for a program of “Firefly Lane’s” scale. Television series, especially ones with a larger budget, typically make use of soundstage-built sets for all interior filming as a studio environment is much easier to control than a real-life location. But “Firefly Lane” deviated from the norm, broadly featuring the inside of Cotton Cove.
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Image Credit: Redfin The pad’s sizable kitchen, with its glass-paned cabinets, sleek black coutertops and massive center island, got the most screen time on the show, for obvious reasons. The space is warm, bright and inviting, all of which resonate beautifully onscreen.
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Image Credit: Redfin Not much of the property was changed for the shoot save for the repainting of a few rooms, including the living room (the site of Marah’s piano recital in episode four, “Love Is a Battlefield”), which was covered in a soft baby blue.
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Image Credit: Redfin The manse’s owner’s suite boasts a large adjoining library and it is that space that the production transformed into Johnny and Kate’s bedroom. It, too, was given a fresh coat of paint for the series, with its typical bright white hue swapped out for a muted yellow.
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Image Credit: Redfin In real life, the home is largely stripped of décor (most likely due to it being a vacation rental) so “Firefly Lane” set decorators dressed it up quite a bit, filling the interior with all the trappings of a typical home like family photographs, tchotchkes and other bric-à-brac of everyday life.
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Image Credit: Redfin Considering its popularity, a second season of “Firefly Lane” seems inevitable, though that has yet to be announced. Heigl, who also executive produces the series, is even thinking beyond that, telling “The Washington Post” that she has her “fingers, toes, everything crossed” for a season three. So whoever winds up buying the Cotton Cove Estate might just have some built-in filming revenue to look forward to!
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: Kate’s house from “Firefly Lane” is located at 5240 Marine Dr. in West Vancouver. Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.