Izzie Stevens and Elliot Reid never crossed paths in their respective medical shows, Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs. But thanks to the arrival of the Netflix drama series Firefly Lane, the actors who played those beloved characters — Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke — prove their onscreen chemistry is a match made in heaven! Based on Kristin Hannah’s novel by the same name, Firefly Lane revolves around the lives of two women and the 30-year friendship they’ve built along the way. Season 1 debuted back in February 2021, but when exactly will Firefly Lane Season 2 premiere? Luckily, fans will get to see what becomes of Kate and Tully’s friendship… but there’s a catch.

The streaming platform renewed the series for a second season back in May 2021, posting a video of Heigl and Chalke on Zoom together where they proceeded to answer fan questions and made the official announcement that Firefly Lane would return for a sophomore season — a fact that they’re equally excited about. “Trust us, it’s going to be worth the wait,” Chalke stated in the clip while toasting the big news with her co-star. “And we promise all of your questions will be answered.” Heigl made sure to chime in as well, stating, “We are so grateful to all of you for your support.”

So, join us in celebrating another season — but, in full disclosure, prepare for a bit of disappointment, too. Here’s everything we know (so far) about the show’s return.

How did Firefly Lane Season 1 end?

Spoilers ahead, so consider yourself warned.

Can we just say how happy we are that Chalke and Heigl have promised Season 2 will answer our questions? Because we’ve got *lots*. So, to quickly recap, many significant things happened at the end of the show’s freshman season. Tully Hart (Heigl) quit her talk show after predatory producer Wilson King (Martin Donovan) started creating chaos. She asked longtime BFF Kate Mularkey (Chalke) to produce a new show she plans to develop, which seemed promising… except, well, more on that in a minute. Kate’s ex Johnny Ryan (Ben Lawson) left on assignment to cover the war in Bagdad, his team fell victim to an IED, and it’s not looking good for our guy. Kate’s brother Sean Mularkey (Jason McKinnon) finally came out to his family and ended up needing to crash at Kate’s for a while. Tully’s on-again, off-again romance Max Brody (Jon-Michael Ecker) appeared to be out of the picture, while her bohemian mom Cloud (Beau Garrett) was back in.

But let’s get to what you’re really here to read about: that funeral scene. In a flash-forward that takes place in the season finale’s final few minutes, Tully and Kate run into each other at someone’s end-of-life service, but the women are no longer friends. What happened between the two for Kate to say she will never forgive Tully “for what she did” and tell her, in fact, that she doesn’t ever want to see her again?

When is the Firefly Lane Season 2 release date?

Now that we know another season is happening, it’s only natural to wonder when Firefly Lane Season 2 will hit Netflix. And now we finally know — on Oct. 3, Netflix and the stars of the series announced that Part 1 of Season 2 will drop on the streaming service Dec. 2. Sadly, it will be the series’ last.

“Firefly Lane Girls are back!,” tweeted Heigl. “We can’t wait to share the second and final season with you all on December 2nd. Part 1 of our 16-episode supersized season features 9 episodes, with Tully & Kate’s story concluding in 2023 with Part 2 and the remaining 7.”

Naturally, fans were disheartened to hear it would be the second season. When one asked why they were cutting the show short so soon, Heigl responded, “Without being spoiler-ish, it is based on the books… and alas, there are only two to adapt.”

Heigl also revealed that the entire final season has already been filmed. Back in November, she tipped off that production was underway by teasing a Season 2 image to her followers. “Hi!!! So I am in the wonderful city of Vancouver,” she wrote in the caption. “Busy filming the second season of #FireflyLane Yay! Look out for it coming your way on @netflix in 2022!”

Who’s returning for Season 2?

As it stands now, it looks like all of the main cast members are slated to return for the second season in some capacity, including Kate’s husband, Johnny Ryan (Ben Lawson), Kate’s daughter, Marah (Yael Yurman), and Tully’s mom, Cloud (Beau Garrett). Additionally, four new cast members have been announced for Season 2 — and one even has a Grey’s connection. According to Collider, Greg Germann, who plays Tom Koracick on Grey’s Anatomy, will appear in Firefly Lane’s second season playing the role of “Benedict Binswanger, a wealthy young man who decides to run for Governor of Washington State in the ’80s.”

India de Beaufort (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Jolene Purdy (The White Lotus, WandaVision), and Ignacio Serricchio (Lost in Space) are also slated to appear. Beaufort will play a quiet journalist named Charlotte with a crush on Johnny; Purdy will play a plucky talent agent named Justine; Serricchio will don the role of cocky sportscaster-turned-reporter Danny Diaz.

Are there any Firefly Lane Season 2 spoilers?

The first season left viewers on a pretty big cliffhanger, particularly regarding Kate and Tully’s friendship — or rather lack thereof. Kate and Tully appear to be on the outs with each other, though fans were left to wonder what precisely happened to cause the rift. Chances are that will prove to be a main focal point in Season 2’s storyline. And yes, you better believe there will be more time jumps, allowing viewers the chance to see more of these characters in their early years of friendship.

That’s something that series creator Maggie Friedman specifically alluded to when speaking to Entertainment Weekly about a potential second season, prior to the show’s renewal. “I think there are a lot more stories to tell, if we’re lucky enough to have a season two, of those girls going through high school and what that’s like,” Friedman told the outlet. “They’re only in eighth grade when we leave them. They’ll have a lot of good teen years and fun seventies, growing up times with the great music and the fashions and all of the cultural changes.”

All in all, it sounds like Chalke wasn’t kidding. Season 2 really will be worth the wait.