The Four Seasons remakes the 1981 classic by Alan Alda into a modernized TV series created by Tina Fey and Lang Fisher. It stays close to the original thematically as it deals with three couples and their marriages through four vacations in four seasons of the year.
The three couples vacation together and have for years. They have been friends for a very long time. Each of their marriages are in various stages of turmoil. In each of the four seasons of the year, they plan a few days away together.
Anne (Kerri Kenney) and Nick (Steve Carell) have been married for 25 years when Nick announces he wants a divorce. Everyone is devastated by the news, especially Anne. The next time the group vacations, Anne is on the outside and Nick brings his new girl, the much younger Ginny (Erika Henningsen).
Kate (Tina Fey) and Jack (Will Forte) are mostly tight, but they do annoy each other. Maybe therapy will help.
Danny (Colman Domingo) still has a wildly emotional Italian spouse, but it’s now Claude (Marco Calvani) instead of a woman. They have their issues, too.
Somehow the couples manage to remain close to both Anne and Nick, even though the dynamic between Anne, Nick, and Ginny disrupts their vacation plans again and again.
The series is mostly light and fun, but there are some serious moments around parenting, marriage, and friendship. I thought Tina Fey and Colman Domingo had wonderful chemistry as the unnamed leaders of this pack. The jokes were good, especially the generation gap gags.
My favorite scene was when Alan Alda showed up for a few minutes in the role of Anne’s father. Tina Fey rushed up to him, gave him a hug, and said, “I love you so much.” That didn’t feel like acting at all.
The women directors were Shari Springer Berman and Lang Fisher.
The episodes of The Four Seasons were short. About 30 minutes a pop for eight episodes. The final episode is both sad and happy, with a bit of a scare thrown in for good measure. It’s streaming on Netflix. It’s a fun watch. I think everyone will enjoy it.
The 1981 classic with Alan Alda and Carol Burnett is also available on Netflix.
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