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"Grace and Frankie" is not exactly what Sam Waterston's and Martin Sheen's fans expected to see them in — supporting roles in a comedy that stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

Uptight Grace (Fonda) and free-spirited Frankie (Tomlin) were the longtime wives of Robert (Sheen) and Sol (Waterston). In Season 1, Robert and Sol came out of the closet, declared their love for each other, divorced their wives and announced their engagement.

(The 13-episode Season 2 begins streaming Friday on Netflix.)

"I think people are astonished by this show, frankly," Waterston said "They don't expect such delicate and difficult and hard subjects as late-in-life sexual-orientation changes and divorce and death itself and aging to be funny at all."

Yet "Grace and Frankie" is charming and laugh-out-loud funny. Fonda and Tomlin are an odd couple thrown together by circumstances. And, while they felt angry and betrayed, this is not a show about bitterness — it's about 70-somethings building new lives.

Yes, some viewers are astonished to see the district attorney from "Law & Order" and the commander in chief from "The West Wing" as a couple.

"They were astonished to see Jack McCoy claiming that he was a homosexual and they were astonished to see the [president of the United States] want to marry him," Waterston said, "especially if that involved leaving Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, which was really insane. So, yeah, I think that's the general reaction that I've gotten — astonishment and delight."

The premise is hardly fiction. Creator/executive producer Marta Kauffman ("Friends") came upon a "little coincidence" while shooting an episode on location.

"The woman who owns the house came up to me and she said, 'You know, that was my father's story. They were married 25 years and he came out,' " Kauffman said. "And I just thought it was amazing we were using her house. I've heard it a lot."

"Yeah, we've all heard it," said creator/executive producer Howard J. Morris.

"And I think I've certainly heard a whole lot more about it since I played this part," Waterston said.

It's not just Grace and Frankie navigating new lives and new romances. Robert and Sol get to be openly gay for the first time. And it's not easy for Sol, who's far less interested in "drag queen bingo" than Robert in Episode 3.

"We're not that kind of gay," Sol says, while Robert declares, "It sounds fabulous."

"You're hardly the grand marshal of the gay parade," Sol says.

"Hey, I'm pretty gay," Robert replies. "In fact, I have a husband."

Sol argues that he's the "gayer" of the two because he wears "a man purse."

"That's not gay, that's hideous," Robert shoots back. "And if you were as gay as I am, you'd know that."

It's funny stuff.

Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.