Tina Fey’s The Four Seasons Series Is Cozy TV with Tart Edges

Netflix reboot finds new bite—and plenty of comfort—in the classic couples-vacation formula.

Sun-dappled lakes, Vivaldi on the soundtrack, and six long-married friends who know each other a little too well: The Tina Fey The Four Seasons series announces itself as comfort food from its very first frame.

Yet across eight half-hour episodes that hop from spring to winter, the show layers bittersweet notes atop its breezy setup, delivering a comedy that’s as likely to make you dab away a tear as laugh at a yurt mishap.

Familiar premise, sharper seasoning

In the 1981 Alan Alda movie, an annual group getaway implodes when one marriage collapses. The Tina Fey The Four Seasons series keeps that spine but updates the cultural DNA.

Tina Fey The Four Seasons Series Review: Cozy With a Bite

Fey pairs with fellow SNL vet Will Forte as Kate and Jack, a passive-aggressive duo who’ve turned decision-making into an Olympic sport. Steve Carell’s restless Nick drops a divorce bomb on Kerri Kenney-Silver’s blindsided Anne, while Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani round out the sextet as Danny and Claude, an openly gay couple navigating illness and codependency.

Spring awkwardness, summer cringe

Episodes one and two (spring) play like classic farce: Who will tell poor Anne her husband wants out? By the time summer episodes arrive, Nick’s new girlfriend Ginny (a scene-stealing Erika Henningsen) has booked the gang into a Puerto Rican eco-resort with mosquito-swarmed yurts.

Tina Fey’s The Four Seasons Series Is Cozy TV with Tart Edges

Physical comedy ensues—yes, even the “noisy neighboring tent” gag—but Tina Fey The Four Seasons series never lets the slapstick overshadow the bruises beneath.

Cast chemistry carries the load

Fey and Forte weaponize years of comic shorthand; her eye-rolling decisiveness collides perfectly with his puppy-dog dithering. Carell soft-pedals his usual man-child energy, revealing a mid-life panic that feels earned.

Best of all, Domingo and Calvani bring fresh flavor to roles once written as broad stereotypes. Their arc gives Tina Fey The Four Seasons series its emotional ballast, especially when health scares test the group’s loyalty.

When cozy turns contrived

Not every punch lands. A fall-semester college trip, featuring Nick’s fury-ridden daughter (Julia Lester), leans into sitcom theatrics—wardrobe-tossing, onstage meltdowns—that feel imported from another era. At moments like these Tina Fey The Four Seasons series mistakes bigger gestures for deeper stakes.

Still, plenty of reasons to binge

What rescues the wobblier turns is tone. Director Jeff Richman shoots lakeside mingling in golden light, echoing the wistfulness of shows like Somebody Somewhere. Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield’s scripts sprinkle modern anxieties—open marriages, healthcare dread, generational wealth guilt—without puncturing the gentle vibe Netflix bills as “cozy comedy.” The result: a streaming equivalent of a warm cardigan with a surprise scratchy label.

A year in thirty minutes

Each pair of episodes represents a season, meaning the friendships evolve (and fracture) at an engaging clip. By winter’s finale, fractures are mended just enough to make next year’s vacation plausible—and to leave viewers hoping Tina Fey The Four Seasons series earns a second-year renewal.

Verdict

If you crave prestige shock twists, look elsewhere. If you’d like to spend four breezy hours with pros who can wring pathos from spilled hot cocoa, Tina Fey The Four Seasons series is a worthy sofa companion. Bring a blanket and maybe a glass of wine—you’ll want to toast these messy, lovable tourists even while cringing at their group-chat disasters.

The Four Seasons streams Thursday, May 1, exclusively on Netflix.

The Four Seasons (miniseries)

The Four Seasons is an American comedy miniseries written by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield for Netflix. An adaptation of the 1981 film of the same name and also a mini series in 1984, it stars Fey, Steve Carell, Colman Domingo and Will Forte.