Tina Fey and Steve Carell in “The Four Seasons.”
Tina Fey’s romantic comedy series The Four Seasons is new on Netflix. How many episodes does the show have and how are critics reacting to it?
Created by Fey and her 30 Rock collaborators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield, The Four Seasons began streaming on Netflix on Thursday. The Four Seasons is based on writer-director Alan Alda’s classic 1981 movie of the same starring Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, Rita Moreno and Jack Weston.
The official summary for The Four Seasons reads, “Six old friends head for a relaxing weekend away only to learn that one couple in the group is about to split up. The three couples, Kate (Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), and Danny (Colman Domingo) and Claude (Marco Calvani), are completely upended by the news.
According to Netflix, there are eight episodes total that range in length from 27 minutes to 35 minutes apiece. The first episode is titled Lake House, followed by Garden Party, Eco Resort, Beach Bar, Family Weekend, Ultimate Frisbee, Ski Trip and Fun.
All eight episodes premiered on Netflix on Tuesday.
How Are Critics Reacting To Tina Fey’s ‘The Four Seasons’?
As of Thursday, The Four Seasons has an 81% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Among the top critics on RT giving The Four Seasons a “fresh” rating is Judy Berman of TIME Magazine, who writes, “It’s a thoroughly enjoyable watch, one that reflects the wisdom and patience of age rather than the merciless genius of youth.”
Also giving the series a “fresh” rating is Lucy Mangan of The Guardian, who writes on RT, “The Four Seasons is [Tina] Fey and her writing and acting ensembles on fine form, everything informed by her rigorous intelligence, wit and experience. Rest your aching bones and enjoy.”
Nick Schrager of The Daily Beast is also lauding The Four Seasons, writing in his review on RT, “Tackling the headaches of marriage with wit and warmth, it contends, persuasively, that the search for peace, contentment, and togetherness—and for who you are, what you want, and where you’re going—doesn’t end once the knot has been tied.”
Among the top critics on RT who give The Four Seasons a “rotten” rating is Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter, who writes, “We get a whole lot of stuff that’s merely … there. There are a few sharp lines and the occasional solid comedic payoff, but not enough of either to give The Four Seasons any particular sense of humor.”
Alan Sipenwall of Rolling Stone isn’t impressed with The Four Seasons, either, writing, “There are some amusing moments, and a few genuinely poignant ones, but on the whole it feels thin — less a TV show than an excuse for a bunch of talented people, several of them old friends IRL, to hang out together in a variety of pretty locales.”
Also among the detractors of The Four Seasons is Ben Travers of IndieWire, who writes in his “rotten” review on RT, “Given the barrage of comedy we’re used to seeing from [Tina] Fey’s sitcoms, it’s odd to sit through so much of The Four Seasons with little more than a sedated smile.”
The Four Seasons, co-created by and starring Tina Fey, is new on Netflix.
