The Four Seasons returns to Netflix on May 28.
By Elazar Abrahams
The first season of The Four Seasons was a delight, the rare comedy that felt genuinely adult in what it was exploring, be it marriage as a long-term negotiation, or lifelong friendships that change as the people in them evolve individually.
The second season of the series is still really strong, but a slight step down. That is in part due to the absence of Steve Carell, whose character Nick passed away at the end of last season, leaving the group reeling. These new episodes carry the show forward without him, and as great as Erika Henningsen is, she’s not a worthy replacement in the ensemble.
What continues to work, though, is the structure. Once again, every two episodes is a different time of the year and a different vacation that this group of friends is going on. It’s a smart way to change the scenery of the story, and the different backdrops also allow for the passage of time, with months and years skipping between stories, where viewers can really get a sense of the shifting dynamics and shared history these couples have with each other.
It’s still a blast watching these masters of the craft barb with each other. The writing knows how to let them play.
While Nick’s death is not a footnote, I was surprised at how quickly the season makes space for other problems without digging more heavily into what his friends would realistically be going through after losing a friend of decades, especially with the added complication of the pregnant girlfriend left behind. While their grief is a throughline, it ends up feeling weirdly compartmentalized.
The bond between Tina Fey and Colman Domingo’s characters is especially strong this year, and it’s satisfying to see that friendship get more attention and texture The show remains best when it’s doing what it does better than most comedies: making adult life feel specific, the monotony, the compromises, the empty-nester identity crisis, the way long marriages can drift without anyone doing anything “wrong.”
The last two episodes, set in winter in Italy, are the highlight. And I’d actually shout out Will Forte as perhaps the MVP of the season. He’s super underrated. The fall episodes, which take place over Thanksgiving, really allow him to shine both comedically and dramatically.
If you liked the first season, you’ll certainly want to keep going with this new batch of vacations.
I give The Four Seasons Season 2 a B+.
