The Four Seasons

I loved this limited series. Good cast, good script, I laughed out loud several times in every episode. The person whose review called it bourgeois sounded very bitter and was way off base in my opinion. I did not find the characters "out of touch" and there were no "lavish" vacations. One of them owned a vacation home that the all went to twice. One of the other trips was to their and their children's college for " family weekend" and the third was to a presumably inexpensive ie not very fancy Caribbean resort. I have seen the 1981 movie 2-3 times and was pleased with the way this version was similar but did not try to replicate the original. And I loved the ending which I was not expecting. Such an enjoyable experience!

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. The acting was perfect and the writing was outstanding. Some of the script was so funny and well written I had to rewind to appreciate it all over again. I won't ruin the story so no spoilers here. There is one part where a character is looking at a beautiful moon and then tries to take a picture with their phone and the picture is awful. Not part of the story at all but it just made me laugh as haven't we all done that? I can't recommend more though I'm not sure if a younger audience would appreciate it as much. I went from laughing, cringing to crying and laughing again all in a matter of minutes. As soon as it started it felt like a film not a series and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. I really hope they do a series 2.

The Four Seasons is an enjoyable relationship dramedy that manages to pack a lot of emotional depth into short episodes. I especially liked Kate and Jack's storyline - Tina Fey gives a sharp, believable performance, and their couple felt the most authentic and grounded.

That said, the show leans too heavily on certain stereotypes. Claude's character felt exaggerated to the point of caricature, and it distracted from what could have been a more nuanced role. Other characters, like a grown daughter who reacts childishly to her parents' choices, or a group of 30-somethings acting more like Gen Z tropes, also felt a bit off. These moments undercut the realism the show otherwise tries to create.

Still, the writing is often clever, and the central theme - how long-term relationships shift and survive - is handled with honesty and warmth. It's not groundbreaking, but it's worth watching for the cast and the insights.

This updated series is an improvement on the original movie. Really hits home for those of us going through many years of marriage. Tine Fey is a great writer and doesn't pull any punches in revealing the challenges of marriage. I loved how the updated series focuses not only on marriage, but friendship and parenthood. Also, there's the fact that not every couple has the same issues or deals with their issues in the same manner. The series is funny and it was very sad also. The ending is unexpected if you saw the original but it's quite griping. I believe if you are 50+, you will be able to see yourself in one of the characters of this series.

I'm a gen Xer who watched, and liked, the original Alan Alda movie and it tells you something that the funniest bit in the 3 episodes i have seen is his cameo. This show has a charismatic cast that are let down by a script that simply doesn't quite dare to go where it probably needs to go to be both seriously funny and insightful. It tries, but it just seems a bit scared of itself and every time it goes close it runs away and hides.

A show about long term relationships should offer a fertile ground for both humour and pathos and yet it fails to seriously deliver on both counts. Yes, there are some funny moments...just not quite enough.