It’s hard to believe it now, but the original The Four Seasons, a romantic comedy written and directed by Alan Alda, was one of the biggest hits of 1981. The movie was even big enough to inspire a short-lived CBS series. Whatever pop culture cache the film once had is now long gone. Oddly enough, that makes it the perfect candidate for a remake. Something fondly remembered by a select few, but not big enough to attract rabid fans annoyed at any changes made. This is 2025 though, so a movie won’t work. Better make it a streaming series!
This version of The Four Seasons, created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, follows the same basic premise with a few modern updates. Three middle-aged couples go on a series of different vacations (one for each season) as they adapt to various changes in their lives. Like the film version, the show is a comfort watch. It asks only that you enjoy its cozy vibe and capable cast of actors playing off one another.
The Four Seasons assembles a group of gifted comedians and simply asks them to hang out. Tina Fey and Will Forte play Kate and Jack, the traditional married couple. They do great work at conveying the type of relationship where you know exactly what to expect of each other. We even get a few Forte freakouts. The always excellent Coleman Domingo plays Danny, who is in an open relationship with his husband Claude (Marco Calvani). The show wisely sidesteps any potential drama that would bring and instead focuses on Danny’s upcoming heart surgery. Unsurprisingly, Domingo is the strongest actor of the bunch, bringing gravitas to a relationship that occasionally feels under-baked. Steve Carell and Kerri Kenney-Silver round out the couples as Nick and Anne. Nick reveals early on that he plans to divorce Anne and that revelation is the impetus that drives much of the plot.
As a show, The Four Seasons is a “soft comedy,” more concerned with the interplay and banter between the characters than crafting big comedic moments. It works thanks to the cast’s chemistry, but it helps to go in knowing you won’t be getting anything too zany. There’s also a tendency for the series to veer into drama, what with all the middle-age angst swirling around these characters. It’s a tricky tonal balance to hit and there are plenty of misses throughout the episodes I’ve seen.
Still, there’s a lot to love, even if it comes in fits and starts. The show is warm and inviting with a cast that you want to spend time with. The changing seasons and different locations help provide a visual boost as well. Would this have made a better movie? Probably, but that’s not the world we live in. As it stands, The Four Seasons is a pleasant way to spend 4 hours. By the end, you might even feel like part of the gang.
The Four Seasons is currently streaming on Netflix.