The Four Seasons: A Delightful Comedy-Drama Miniseries
Netflix’s new comedy-drama miniseries, The Four Seasons, has been making waves with its unique take on the passage of life. According to a review by The Independent, the series is a "delight" that captures the subtle changes in temperature that moderate the climate of human existence.
The series, which is loosely adapted from Alan Alda’s 1981 movie of the same name, follows the lives of three couples as they navigate the ups and downs of relationships over the course of four holidays, each pegged to a different season. The ensemble cast, which includes Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Colman Domingo, brings to life the complexities of human relationships, from the mundane bickering to the piercing side-eye of couples and friends.
As noted by The Independent, Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons concerti, which accompanied the sonnets to guide the audience through the year, serves as a universal thread for the series. "When Vivaldi composed his famous Four Seasons concerti, he accompanied them with sonnets to guide his audience through the year," the publication writes. "Led from ‘spring’s beautiful canopy’ to the ‘hard season, fired up by the sun’, through the ‘songs and dances’ of autumn, to, finally, ‘tremble from cold in the icy snow’."
The series takes Alda’s gentle, humane portrait of middle age as a jumping-off point and injects it with Netflix’s signature oversaturated aesthetic and a dollop of broader comedy. Tina Fey, who co-created the series, stars as Kate, a likeable everywoman, alongside Will Forte as her partner Jack. The couple’s relationship is put to the test as they navigate the complexities of middle age, along with their friends Nick and Anne (played by Steve Carell and Kerri Kenney-Silver) and Danny and Claude (played by Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani).
As noted by The Independent, Fey and co-writers Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield take Alda’s original story and add new plot points to increase the jeopardy and stakes. "A surprise vow renewal, a sea urchin foot injury, an out-of-the-blue tragedy: new plot points add jeopardy to the ambling stakes of the 1980s," the publication writes. "Yet Fey and co retain a love of the mundane bickering and piercing side-eye of couples and friends."
The series has been praised for its talented cast, with Steve Carell standing out as the mercurial Nick. "Carell is given more to do as the mercurial Nick," The Independent notes. "At times he’s likeable and self-aware, at other moments his selfishness threatens the cohesion of the group." The publication also highlights Carell’s comedic timing, noting that he is given the show’s best lines.
While some characters, such as Ginny (played by Erika Henningsen), are slightly misplayed, the ensemble as a whole is "terribly entertaining," according to The Independent. "Netflix has taken the unvarnished joy of the film and added a slick coat of gloss," the publication writes. "The structure (each season takes place over the course of two episodes) is well suited to television, building from the promise of spring to the dark nights of winter."
In conclusion, The Four Seasons is a delightful comedy-drama miniseries that explores the complexities of human relationships over the course of four seasons. With its talented cast, witty dialogue, and well-suited structure, it’s no wonder that this series has been making waves on Netflix. As The Independent notes, "Life – and its relationships – might eschew easy metaphors, but Fey, like Alda and Vivaldi before her, has captured the subtle changes in temperature that moderate the climate of human existence." This article has been sourced from The Independent and can be found here: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/four-seasons-netflix-review-tina-fey-steve-carell-b2739330.html.
