Netflix’s The Four Seasons is a comedy about the slow death of a friendship. It’s also a show about people who refuse to let that friendship die, even as it becomes the thing strangling them. Created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, the series follows three married couples who have spent decades taking annual weekend retreats together. When one couple divorces, the tradition becomes a burden rather than a comfort. The show wants to be a funny meditation on aging, marriage, and the way we keep promises to each other. Mostly, it succeeds at being funny.
The premise is simple. Kate (Tina Fey) and Danny (Colman Domingo) are one half of a couple who have been married for years. They’ve spent every summer, fall, winter, and spring weekend together with their friends Jack (Will Forte) and Anne Pagano (Kerri Kenney), and the couples Ginny (Erika Henningsen) and Claude (Marco Calvani). When Kate gets divorced, the group is forced to confront what the retreats actually mean. The show is an adaptation of the 1981 film of the same name, directed and written by Alan Alda, who appears in a guest role here. That earlier film is a quiet, melancholic look at middle-aged men trying to hold onto a sense of purpose. This version is louder, funnier, and occasionally meaner.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Couples and Their Retreats
The core of the show is the tension between the couples. Danny and Kate are the anchor, the ones who started the tradition and kept it alive. Jack and Anne Pagano are the wild cards, the ones who show up late and drink too much. Ginny and Claude are the new kids, the ones who joined later and are still figuring out the rules. Each couple brings a different energy to the weekends, and the show spends its first season establishing those dynamics before throwing a wrench into them.
The show is at its best when it leans into the absurdity of these retreats. A weekend getaway sounds nice on paper. In practice, it means six adults crammed into a house, arguing over who gets the shower first, who forgot to buy milk, and who hasn’t cleaned their plate. The show captures that friction with a sharpness that feels both familiar and exaggerated. It’s the kind of comedy that works because it starts with a specific truth about shared living spaces, then amplifies it until it’s almost unbearable.
Danny and Kate’s divorce is the engine that drives the season. Kate leaves Danny after years of unhappiness, and the show spends the early episodes exploring what that decision means for everyone else. The retreats were supposed to be a celebration of their friendship. Now they’re a reminder of everything that went wrong. The show doesn’t rush this. It lets the tension simmer across several episodes, allowing the audience to feel the weight of what Kate has done before anyone says it aloud.
The Cast Carries the Load
The cast is uniformly excellent. Tina Fey plays Kate with a weary precision that makes her the emotional center of the show. She’s the one who made the decision to leave, and she’s the one who has to explain it to her friends. Her performance is the reason the show works as drama. When the comedy falters, she picks up the slack.
Colman Domingo plays Danny with a nervous energy that’s both comic and sympathetic. He’s the guy who can’t stop talking, the one who always has a joke ready, but underneath that chatter is a man who’s genuinely hurt. Domingo finds the sadness in Danny’s jokes, making him feel like a real person rather than a punchline. Their chemistry is the strongest pairing in the show, and it anchors the ensemble.
Will Forte plays Jack as a lovable loser, the kind of guy who means well but always ends up doing the wrong thing. His performance is broad and physical, which makes him the perfect foil for the more restrained Domingo and Fey. He’s the one who cracks jokes at funerals, the one who shows up with a gift that’s completely inappropriate. Forte sells that oblivious charm, making Jack feel less like a caricature and more like a friend you love to hate.
Kerri Kenney is a revelation as Anne Pagano. She plays the wife of Jack with a sharp wit and a dry humor that feels distinctly her own. Kenney has a history of physical comedy, but here she’s mostly restrained, playing a woman who’s tired of being the sidekick. She’s the one who sees through Jack’s jokes, and she’s the one who knows he’s not as clever as he thinks. The show gives her some of the best lines, and she delivers them with a timing that feels effortless.
Erika Henningsen plays Ginny as the newcomer, the couple who joined the retreats later and is still figuring out the rules. Her performance is warm and sincere, the kind of actor who makes you want to root for her. Marco Calvani plays Claude as the supportive husband, the one who tries to smooth things over when Jack and Anne Pagano get into trouble. Together, the two couples form a contrast to Danny and Kate, showing what a healthy relationship looks like alongside one that’s falling apart.
The Comedy and Its Limits
The show is a comedy, but it’s not a laugh-out-loud comedy. It’s more of a slow burn, a show that builds its humor out of awkward silences and uncomfortable truths. The jokes land because they’re grounded in the characters’ actual feelings. There’s a moment in the first episode where Kate and Danny are sitting in a car, driving to the retreat, and Kate says something cutting about the weekend ahead. The silence that follows is more painful than any punchline could be.
That’s the show’s strength. It’s willing to let the comedy sit in the background while the drama takes center stage. The retreats are a chance for the couples to be honest with each other, and the show captures those moments with a sincerity that feels rare in network comedies. It’s a show about grown-ups, and it treats them like grown-ups.
The show isn’t without its flaws. Some of the jokes rely too heavily on repetition, with characters saying the same thing multiple times to get a laugh. The show also struggles with pacing in the middle of the season, where a few episodes feel like filler rather than building blocks. These are minor complaints, but they’re worth noting because they undercut the show’s strengths.
The Divorce Plot Drives the Season
The divorce is the show’s central conflict, and it’s handled with a care that’s unusual for network television. The show doesn’t rush the story. It lets Kate’s decision hang in the air for several episodes, letting the other couples react in real time. The show is patient about this, and that patience pays off.
The show also explores the ripple effects of divorce. The retreats were a shared ritual, and now that ritual is broken. The show captures the grief of that loss, the way a small change can shake the foundations of a long-standing arrangement. It’s a show about the way we hold each other accountable, and the cost of failing to do so.
The show’s willingness to linger on the aftermath of the divorce is what sets it apart from other sitcoms. Most shows would resolve the conflict within an episode or two. This show drags it out, and the result is a richer, more emotionally resonant story.
The Adaptation and Its Roots
The show is an adaptation of Alan Alda’s 1981 film. That film was a quiet, character-driven drama about middle-aged men who find meaning in their friendships. This version is louder and funnier, but it shares the same DNA. Both versions are about the way we define ourselves through our relationships, and both explore the idea that the people we spend time with shape who we are.
The show respects that legacy while putting its own stamp on it. It keeps the core idea intact, but it adds new wrinkles. The addition of female characters, for example, changes the dynamic in ways that feel fresh. The show is also more explicit about the sexual politics of the situation, something the original film was more coy about.
Alan Alda appears in a guest role in the show, which is a nice touch. It’s a way of acknowledging the source material while also moving forward. The show is clearly proud of its roots, but it’s not content to simply repeat them.
The Final Episodes and Their Payoff
The season finale is a strong payoff to the show’s central conflict. The retreats continue, but they’re no longer the same. The show captures the bittersweet nature of that change, the way a tradition can survive even as its meaning shifts. It’s a fitting end to a show that’s been circling this idea for ten episodes.
The finale also sets up the show’s future. The show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 28, 2026. That renewal suggests the show has legs, and the finale hints at what those legs might look like. The show ends on a note of uncertainty, leaving the audience wondering what will happen next.
The show’s ability to set up a future season without feeling rushed is a credit to its writers. They know when to stop, and they know when to let the audience wonder. The finale is a good ending, not a great one, but it’s the right one for the story they’ve told.
The Score
The show is a solid, enjoyable watch. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s consistently good. The cast is excellent, the writing is sharp, and the show has a clear vision for what it wants to be. It’s a show about friendship, marriage, and the compromises we make to keep them. It’s a show about the way we hold onto things that no longer serve us, and the pain that comes from letting them go.
The show earns its place in the Netflix lineup. It’s a show that rewards attention, and it’s a show that stays with you after you finish watching. It’s not a show you’ll recommend to everyone, but it’s a show you’ll recommend to the people you actually care about.
Key Facts
- Creator: Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, Tracey Wigfield
- Network: Netflix
- Seasons: 2, with a third season confirmed
- Episodes: 16 total
- First aired: May 1, 2025
- Last aired: May 28, 2026
- Genre: Comedy
- Cast: Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Colman Domingo, Will Forte, Erika Henningsen, Kerri Kenney, Marco Calvani
- Guest star: Alan Alda
The show is a good one. It’s not a great one, but it’s a good one. It’s a show that understands the difference between a joke and a truth, and it’s a show that commits to both. It’s a show that’s worth watching, and it’s a show that’s worth remembering.
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