Dave Nemetz Reviews The Four Seasons: Tina Fey Delivers A Cozy, Witty Comedy For Grown-Ups — Now, YOU Grade It!
Tina Fey's comedy style is well established by now: rapid-fire dialogue filled with pop culture references and surreal cutaways. Her new Netflix show The Four Seasons, though, is nothing like that. More cozy than frantic, The Four Seasons — now streaming; I've seen all eight episodes — is a warm, laid-back relationship comedy that offers a cast of comedy all-stars, gorgeous locations and a unique look at people facing the middle chapters of life. It may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as 30 Rock at its best, but it's an enjoyable watch that feels like catching up with old friends.
Based on the 1981 Alan Alda film, The Four Seasons follows three middle-aged couples as they reunite for a series of vacations: Kate and Jack (Fey and Will Forte), Nick and Anne (Steve Carell and Kerri Kenney-Silver) and Danny and Claude (Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani). They're all old friends, and it's fun to listen in as they tease each other and dust off inside jokes from years ago. But when one of the couples threatens to split up, it shows how fragile the whole group dynamic is, sending the other two couples into an existential tailspin.
Fey is a big fan of Ina Garten, aka TV chef the Barefoot Contessa, and The Four Seasons feels a lot like if Ina Garten made a sitcom: upscale and aspirational, beautiful and soothing. It's TV comfort food in the best way, in the vein of Nancy Meyers' big-screen rom-coms. No, it's not as gut-bustingly hilarious as some of Fey's previous work — she co-creates this series with 30 Rock alums Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield — but there's still plenty of sharp wit on display here, along with a more naturalistic, lived-in feel. We don't often get TV shows that tackle middle age and long marriages like this, and it's a welcome change of pace.
The cast that Fey has gathered around her elevates the project as well. Kate is right in Fey's Liz Lemon wheelhouse (if a little less pitiful), and Forte is shockingly normal as Kate's nice-guy husband Jack. Carell is already sitcom royalty from his days as Michael Scott on The Office, but Kenney-Silver — so great on The State and Reno 911! — matches him step-for-step as Anne. Plus, as Danny, Domingo shows off incredible comedy chops to go along with his more serious award-worthy work, and Calvani adds gonzo energy as Danny's hothead Italian husband Claude. The six of them establish a genuine rapport right away that makes the whole thing work.
Now I will say that The Four Seasons does take a drastic, dramatic turn in the later episodes, one that I wasn't entirely sure would work in a comedy. But Fey and the writers handle it with grace, and even manage to find a few laughs along the way. In the end, The Four Seasons is a reflection of real life: sometimes funny, sometimes sad and entirely unpredictable. But Fey and company make it a perfectly pleasant vacation — one that I wouldn't mind taking again next year with a Season 2.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Tina Fey's The Four Seasons is less zany than her previous TV work, but still delivers solid laughs, beautiful locations and a fantastic cast.
And since The Four Seasons is now streaming on Netflix, we want to know what you think: If you've watched, give the series a grade in our poll and hit the comments to share your thoughts.