The Four Seasons tracks three couples over the course of four group vacations taken throughout one year -- in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. (Classical music fans will know exactly what Vivaldi music accompanies these trips.) Relationships experience turmoil and fractures over the seasons... though comedy often ensues.
I think myself pretty well "read" in film history, but I wasn't aware of the 1981 movie from which all this was adapted. Written and directed by -- and starring -- Alan Alda, The Four Seasons apparently told a similar story. In my book, it's kind of the perfect thing to remake 44 years later. I presume that many people are like myself and had no awareness of the original. But even if they were, the changing nature of the world means that some differences would be baked right into the adaptation. The Four Seasons series leans into that in one way by changing one of the original movie's pairings to a gay couple. But brushes with social media, broader global awareness, and a widening generation gap all play small roles in the story.
The show has quite a cast, starring Tina Fey, Will Forte, Steve Carell, Colman Domingo, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, and Erika Henningsen. Much of the surface appeal of the show is getting just what you'd expect from some of those names; there are moments of the show virtually guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. But at the same time, don't go in expecting a conventional half-hour sitcom. This is a heavy dose of humor mixed with a lot of relationship drama. Couples argue and reconcile, come together or break up, in a wide variety of situations over the course of these 8 episodes -- two each devoted to one of the titular four seasons. If you come to this because you liked 30 Rock, The Office, Saturday Night Live, or "whatever thing you liked that star in," I expect you will like The Four Seasons. You'll just also think, "but it's not as funny as that other thing." (Nor is it intended to be.)
Intriguingly, the show hit well enough (by murky Netflix metrics) to be renewed for a second season. So regardless of how closely the first season did or did not follow the original movie (which I have yet to watch), they're going to have to blaze their own story trail to continue things for another season. (Well, four seasons, I guess.) The writers of the series (which also includes Tina Fey) seem to have considered this possibility, with the final episodes teasing new potential ground for the story to explore.
I'd give The Four Seasons a B+. Moreover, it's probably going to be my "have you watched this?" option to inject into TV talk for the foreseeable future. I mean... by this point, I think everyone knows that Star Wars: Andor is not to be missed. But how many people have even heard of The Four Seasons?
Well... now you have.
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