Netflix’s The Kominsky Method is a comedy about getting old, and it knows exactly how to make that funny. Created by Chuck Lorre, the series follows Sandy Kominsky, a faded Hollywood acting coach, and his best friend Norman Newlander as they struggle with the disappointments of middle age. It premiered on November 16, 2018, with a second season following on October 25, 2019, and a final season arriving on May 28, 2021. The show stars Michael Douglas as Sandy, Alan Arkin as Norman, Sarah Baker as Mindy Kominsky, Nancy Travis as Lisa, and Kathleen Turner as Roz, with the final season running without Arkin. The series is a comedy-drama, but it leans hard into its jokes.
Trailer, via KinoCheck.com.
Sandy and Norman’s Partnership
The show’s engine is the partnership between Sandy and Norman. Douglas plays Sandy as a man who once had a brief fling with success — a minor role in a hit movie — and has spent the rest of his life trying to convince himself it was enough. Arkin plays Norman as a man who has always been a little behind the curve, a financial planner who can’t manage his own money but is surprisingly good at reading people. Together they are opposites, and the chemistry between them is the reason any scene works.
Their friendship is the show’s anchor. They keep each other laughing through the worst of it, whether it’s Sandy’s ex-wife Lisa closing in on him or Norman’s son refusing to take his father’s advice about anything. The show is at its best when it lets these two men simply be in a room together, trading jokes and half-truths. Arkin’s absence in the final season is a loss, but the show compensates by promoting Turner’s Roz to a lead role alongside Douglas.
The Supporting Players
The show is populated with characters who are all versions of the same thing: people who have failed to be what they wanted to be. Nancy Travis plays Lisa, Sandy’s ex-wife, who is unhappily married to a man who is better at everything than she is. Sarah Baker plays Mindy, Sandy’s assistant, who is sweet and loyal but constantly frustrated by her boss’s refusal to face reality. Turner’s Roz is the show’s most interesting addition, a psychologist who is drawn to Sandy even though she can see exactly what he is.
The recurring cast is impressive. Jane Seymour, Jacqueline Bisset, and Paul Reiser all appear in season two, with Bisset playing Sandy’s ex-wife before being recast with Turner. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner had previously worked together in Romancing the Stone (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), and The War of the Roses (1989). The recasting with Turner is a smart move, and it pays off in the final season.
The Comedy and Its Limits
The comedy is the show’s biggest strength. Lorre, the creator, has a gift for writing dialogue that sounds exactly like how people actually talk, and the show is full of jokes that land because they are specific and earned. The show also has a taste for physical comedy, with Douglas in particular doing some surprisingly nimble work in scenes where Sandy is forced to confront how much he has aged. The show’s jokes are often about failure — failing at love, failing at work, failing at life — but they are delivered with such affection that they never feel cruel.
The show also has a darker side. Norman’s son is a recurring source of conflict, and the show is honest about how difficult it is for parents and children to understand each other. The show is not afraid to show its characters being unhappy, and that honesty is what makes the comedy work.
Arkin’s Absence in the Final Season
Arkin’s absence in the final season changes the dynamic, but the show adapts by promoting Turner’s Roz to a lead role alongside Douglas. The show uses the shift as an opportunity to explore Sandy’s life without Norman, and the result is a more mature, more thoughtful story. The final season focuses on Sandy’s relationship with Roz, and the show handles the transition well.
The show’s tone shifts slightly in the final season, moving away from the buddy-comedy formula that defined the earlier episodes. The show is a comedy-drama, and the shift in tone works.
The Series as a Whole
The show is a good show, not a great one. The first season is the weakest, with a few episodes that feel like they are padding out the season. The show is inconsistent in its pacing, with some episodes doing more with less than others. The show is also a product of its time, and its jokes about Hollywood and aging may not play as well in a decade. But for what it is, it is a well-crafted, well-acted, and often very funny show. It is a show that understands its characters and knows exactly what it wants to say.
The show is a comedy-drama, and it is a good one. It is a show that is worth watching, but it is not a show that you will remember for the rest of your life.
Release Dates and Season Breakdown
| Season | Date |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | November 16, 2018 |
| Season 2 | October 25, 2019 |
| Season 3 | May 28, 2021 |
The Cast’s Order of Appearance
- Michael Douglas – Sandy Kominsky
- Alan Arkin – Norman Newlander
- Sarah Baker – Mindy Kominsky
- Nancy Travis – Lisa
- Kathleen Turner – Roz
- Paul Reiser – recurring season 2
The show is a comedy-drama, and it is a good one. It is a show that is worth watching, but it is not a show that you will remember for the rest of your life.
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