Critic Reviews

The second season of her midlife comedy drama is even more perspicacious, poignant and hilarious than the first.

A TV winner about, and for, grown-ups of an older (if not yet over-the-hill) age.

What continues to make “The Four Seasons” so compulsively watchable is how it accurately captures small but relatable details about middle-aged friendships and relationships.

Despite the aforementioned lack of jokes, the show is never too intense, with the eight half-hour installments flowing by breezily. The characters are entertaining and worth spending time with, and the miniseries boasts well-written banter, immersive settings, and, best of all, Antonio Vivaldi’s eponymous violin concertos acting as a comforting companion throughout this journey.

Part White Lotus without fatalities, part Gilmore Girls on HRT or Golden Girls with men, The Four Seasons is Fey and her writing and acting ensembles on fine form, everything informed by her rigorous intelligence, wit and experience.

Just about staying the right side of low-key, and propelled along by Vivaldi’s violins, The Four Seasons is something of a delight.

The mix of Fey and her writing team’s combination of clever wordplay and broad comedy is performed as skilfully as you would expect from a cast this strong, but it is smart rather than smart-arsed.

The new Four Seasons is more than twice the length of Alda’s movie, and it makes good use of its expanded scope, broadening our understanding of each character so no one feels shoved aside. .... But it’s Jack and Kate’s marriage that feels the most lived-in. .... You can feel them [Tina Fey and Will Forte] cradling each other as performers, allowing the tenderness and the spite to flow unchecked.

Everyone in this cast is notoriously funny, and while this show isn’t exactly doing “prestige comedy” at the level of “Hacks” or even “The Righteous Gemstones,” it’s a gentle joy to watch, even during dicey moments that could hit a little too close to home for some couples.

The writing is tack-sharp and the ensemble is full of underappreciated comic performers.