Netflix’s newest 8-episode miniseries, The Four Seasons, shouldn’t work as well as it does. In 1981, Alan Alda made his directorial debut with what was to be his most acclaimed film, also titled, The Four Seasons. His story of three couples whose lives and friendships are upended when one of them divorces was well received by critics and audiences alike. Using Vivaldi’s group of four classical violin concertos to give expression to the change of seasons and the characters’ fluctuating life paths, made the film a unique, smart, and funny piece. Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield adapted Alda’s original screenplay for the modern age. While this one is sometimes tonally unfocused, Fey (who also costars) and company infuse the story with a sharp wit and relatable insight into what makes or breaks a marriage.

As did Alda’s original film, the miniseries assembles a fine cast who navigate their characters with ease, each one making us believe these folks have known one another for most of their lives. Even when the series hits a few potholes when trying to find a smooth rhythm, the skilled cast never lets the story or its themes falter.

The Four Seasons focuses on a group of three married couples and old friends who go on vacations with one another four times a year; Kate (Fey) and her husband, Jack (Will Forte), Danny (Colman Domingo) and his husband, Claude (Marco Calvani), and Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver).

The series opens with Nick and Anne coming up on their 25th anniversary. As all gather at the couple’s lake house everything seems normal, with everyone happy to be together for the first trip of the year, yet all is not blissful. On a walk through the woods with Danny and Jack, Nick informs them that he is leaving Anne; a shocking revelation that sends ripples of uncertainty through the other couples. 

Kate and Jack spend so much time assessing everyone else’s relationship issues that they have never focused on their own. The two are presented as a fairly well-adjusted modern couple. While their marriage isn’t perfect, there doesn’t seem to be anything too problematic that would bring them down. After Nick’s announcement, Kate and Jack find their issues illuminated, waking them up to harsh truths they already knew.

Danny and Claude are already polar opposite personalities. Danny is more bluntly cynical while his hubby is a warm and flamboyant soul who beams with positivity. The two have their problems, as Danny is going through a health scare and must have a minor operation. Burying himself at work and pushing off getting the surgery, he is alienating Claude.

One year of the friends’ lives is covered over eight episodes, as each seasonal trip sees marital upheaval and the confrontation of real issues to the three-couple symmetry.

Nick’s new, much younger, girlfriend Ginny (Erika Henningsen) begins to join them on their trips, making things even more uncomfortable. The script handles Ginny quite well. The character isn’t presented as a bouncy, younger woman cliché and portrays her as a real person who may try too hard to become part of the group, but only wants the best for Nick. Some good laughs and self-reflective truths are found in the way everyone treats Ginny, while Henninsen gives an honest and ultimately touching performance.

The Four Seasons benefits from sharp writing. Each of the three couples represent different levels of the problems (big and small) that can infest even the strongest marriages. The series is at its best when focusing on what years of ignoring a problem in favor of getting along can do to a couple.

Alda (who serves as a producer) gave his feature a four-part structure that flowed quite nicely and allowed for the characters to evolve. The seasonal shifts work for the miniseries as well, with each segment running 30 or so minutes. The writers and performers allow the characters to experience a myriad of emotions where every viewer can relate.

We follow the characters through the opening Spring get-together, a tropical excursion in the summertime (the most uneven segment of the series), a Fall trip to their old college campus, and to the final New Year’s Eve celebration at a cabin in the snowy mountains. Along the way, we are introduced to Nick and Anne’s daughter, Lila (a wonderfully angry Julia Lester) who can’t understand why or how her father could do this to the family. Lester’s scenes with Carrell are imbued with an uncomfortable realism and are the best in the series. Kate and Jack’s daughter Beth (Ashlyn Maddox) isn’t allowed the depth of Lila’s character and deserved more exploration.

For most of the episodes, The Four Seasons achieves an intimacy that gives weight to its exploration of marriage, monogamy, and communication. Occasionally, the comedy gets in the way when the focus should stay on the drama, but this doesn’t happen often. A great deal of the humor is natural and funny.

Marriage is as changing as the seasons. Sharing a life with someone who can stay the course through pain and tears, joy and laughs, and everything life throws their way is what sustains us. No one does the right thing all the time and marriages get bumpy. It is in these rough times where a couple can find their strength or realize they don’t have what it takes. Friendships are the same way. 

Alan Alda’s original film and this engaging and perceptive miniseries grasp these truths with an astute and thoughtful understanding.

The Four Seasons

Co-Creator / Co-Showrunner / Executive Producer / Writer: Tina Fey

Co-Creator / Co-Showrunner / Executive Producer / Director / Writer: Lang Fisher

Co-Creator / Co-Showrunner / Executive Producer / Writer: Tracey Wigfield

Executive Producers: David Miner, Jeff Richmond, Eric Gurian

Starring: Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen, and Steve Carell

Netflix, Big Wig Productions