Review by Chadd Clubine

All eight episodes of the second season of The Four Seasons are now available to watch on Netflix. Co-created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, the show stars Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen, and Colman Domingo.

Coming off a hard year, our group of friends carries on their tradition of vacationing together — now with a baby in tow. The Four Seasons picks back up with the core group — Kate, Jack, Anne, Danny, Claude, and Ginny — as they journey from the familiar comforts of the Jersey shore and upstate New York to the stunning landscapes of Italy. With warmth and wit, personal blind spots surface for the group as they each grieve their late friend and embark on new adventures.

When the first season premiered, I was really looking forward to it, mainly because it starred Steve Carell and Colman Domingo—two of my all-time favorite actors. I don’t often hear them mentioned together, or even as shared favorites among other people, so seeing them in the same show felt like it had been made specifically for me.

I initially thought it was intended to be a miniseries, so I was surprised when a second season was announced. That said, I’m glad it continued, because the second season is even better than the first.

The second season wastes no time establishing its new dynamic, especially with Steve Carell no longer part of the cast. Given the changed circumstances the characters find themselves in, the story quickly sets everyone on a more compelling path, making this season even stronger than the last. While I enjoyed the first season, it sometimes felt messy due to certain character choices. That issue still appears at times here, but this season ultimately improves by giving the characters more room to grow and evolve.

The characters are messy and complex, which is exactly what makes the show so compelling. Their actions feel more understandable in light of what unfolds in the first season. By the end of the season, it’s easy to become invested in everyone’s story, even if it feels a bit underwhelming when the eight episodes come to a close. Every episode stands strong on its own, but there’s still the lingering uncertainty about a third season that feels genuinely needed.

Part of what makes the show so easy to connect with is the variety of locations the characters visit. From the cinematography to the experiences they have, it’s hard not to feel a sense of envy and wish you could be part of it all. In a world that often feels overwhelming, it’s refreshing to see these characters embrace their younger selves and not take life quite so seriously. They certainly have their problems, but they manage to get through them together.

Without getting into spoilers, there’s an episode this season that really stands out as a surprise, particularly in the way it deepens the characterization and expands on what we already knew. I wouldn’t call it one of the best episodes I’ve seen this year, but it’s definitely among the strongest the series has delivered so far. Given how it’s structured, it also leaves me curious whether the show will take a similar approach again in a potential third season.

With Steve Carell no longer part of the main cast, the series adjusts by giving Erika Henningsen a more prominent role. It feels like the show could expand the ensemble further if it ever chose to, but I hope it doesn’t, since it already seems to have found a strong formula with its current cast. While the entire ensemble performs well, Colman Domingo is especially noteworthy, continuing to give his all in every role he takes on. How he balances such a demanding schedule while consistently delivering high-quality work is genuinely impressive.

As for this season’s shortcomings, some character decisions can still feel a bit childish and unrelatable, though the show does make an effort to let them learn and grow from their mistakes. Certain plot points also come across as somewhat cliché and predictable, which undercuts some of the tension that could have been explored further in a potential third season.

Overall, the second season of The Four Seasons is a strong success. While it carries over some of the same lingering issues from the first season, it also manages to address a few of them, ultimately making it an improvement on what came before. It’s a show I’d be eager to see continue with these characters, and I can only hope this isn’t the last we see of them.

VERDICT: 4/5 – Great