Three couples, six longtime friends, one life-changing event.
Kate (Tina Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), and Danny (Colman Domingo) and Claude (Marco Calvani) have always met up every year for relaxing getaways where they catch up on life together. Their group dynamic has worked well—or at least, well enough—for years, until Nick announces he’s leaving Anne.
Told over the course of a year, The Four Seasons explores the group’s interpersonal relationships and how individual decisions can cause ripples across so many lives. The series’ passing of time is marked by Antonio Vivaldi’s classic concerto “The Four Seasons” and sets up the incoming tumultuous revelry that each episode promises. And boy, does this show deliver. With such a stellar cast leading the way, the comedy is on point with zings and generational quips galore. The cast has good chemistry and bounce off one another; you fully believe the years of friendship and love they share. And that’s why their squabbles burn so brightly, because they have many years of ammo to fire with.
Nick is the seemingly predictable divorced dad who goes for a younger woman—a tale as old as time. But his relationship with the 30-something Ginny (Erika Henningsen) is surprising, and you’ll actually find yourself feeling for Nick; Carell plays him with nuance. Kenney-Silver is hilarious as Anne, the scorned ex-wife who still finds strength in her kindness…but has glorious moments of pettiness you’ll cheer for. Domingo is effortlessly charming as Danny, who struggles to accept the often-suffocating love of Claude, played with stage-worthy dramatics by Calvani. More of them, please!
Kate and Jack are the show’s central couple as the organizers (and often the instigators). Jack has a desperate need to be the good guy, while Kate isn’t afraid to push buttons, especially when upset. Forte plays Jack with so much zeal you can’t tell if you’re supposed to love or hate him, while Fey plays Kate with such relatability it might sting to be reminded of yourself. They try their best to grow together, though, which gives the show its heart.
With that said, Tina Fey might be the devil. Okay, I probably shouldn’t say that, especially in this climate, but she definitely takes great pleasure in setting up happy moments of connection only to pull the rug out from underneath. It’s unbelievably frustrating while you can’t help but laugh. The characters all have their faults—it wouldn’t be half as interesting if they were perfect—and Fey sets them up to bring out the best and worst in one another. If you’ve seen any of her work before, you’ll know what I mean; comedic mishaps and emotionally-charged miscommunications are where Fey and her co-creators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield shine and The Four Seasons is no exception.
Based on the 1981 feature film of the same name, the series is less ridiculous and pop culture-heavy than many of Fey’s more sitcom-style shows, but the comedy is still razor-sharp. Nick’s new girlfriend Ginny is decades younger than him, which prompts a lot of jokes at her expense and at “the younger generations,” which aren’t always unfounded, even if they might make you roll your eyes.
But Ginny isn’t just a one-dimensional plot device; instead, you can see she really tries to fit in, although her attempts at bonding are often dismissed as silly and out of touch. While that can be funny to watch, the series does work to show the group up to be the ones who are out of touch—with their emotions, that is. They are often mean and exclusionary, but they don’t escape the consequences, and that’s what makes this show tick.
The series’ explorations of the dynamics of lifelong friendship and love are funny in their whip-smart observations and also heartfelt in their moments of truth. With so many intertwining lives it gets messy real fast and you’ll revel in every chaotic scene. The Four Seasons is an entertaining binge-watch that’ll keep you laughing and gasping at every turn—just like Vivaldi’s concerto, the series is a complicated moving performance destined for applause.
