FOUR SEASONS
I love Alan Alda. I love Tina Fey. Why don’t I love Four Seasons? The original film from 81 was written and directed by Alan Alda. It has some great lines, and nice little Alda type moments. While it is more complex, and does provide a story with a decent amount of depth, overall it feels a bit too much like a lot of early to mid 80’s anti-rom-coms. I do think Alan Alda did write and direct the very best version of that trope though, and if you love that genre, and can handle a movie in all it’s early 80s glory, you should check it out. I don’t know, it’s OK.
1984?
There was also a Four Seasons series in 1983-84 that was intended as a sequel to the movie. The network had too much influence and botched the whole thing. There was a strong cast and it probably could have gone somewhere special.
Fast forward to 2025 and we have a new Four Seasons. Just like the original movie, there is a brilliant writer at the helm, and a stellar cast on the stage. Will Forte is great, if at times seemingly a tied up and gagged version of himself. Steve Carell plays Steve Carell in this one. Coleman Domingo is stellar, he is both subtle and deep in his performance. Marco Calvani feels a little bit like a caricature of himself until about 3/4 of the way through the series. In the end none of it lives up to the typical quality of work we’ve seen from the talent.
Tina Fey did right by Alan Alda, even keeping that annoying Vivaldi theme music. Problem is, I’d rather see Tina Fey’s vision over what we got, which is a nice homage to Alan Alda. I can’t blame her, one thing apparent is that she adores Alan Alda (I get it, I am a huge fan) to that end her appreciation for the source material and her loyalty to it are on full display. Just a little too much. The series is good, and it does a good job running right up to the line of cynical romance without crossing over it. It’s still anti-rom-com in that way that a lot of anti-rom-com feels a little bit like self-serving/masturbatory story telling rather than good story telling (says the guy writing a blog about TV shows).
In fact, if it weren’t for one little deus ex machina (we’ll call it mortis ex machina maybe?) I would say it’s fairly predictable. I won’t fully begrudge the move, and technically it *is* a refreshing step away from the source material. It feels more like a solution to some external production problem than to the story. It’s not quite full on Contrived Resolution, it does provide some nice, real depth. It’s just that the show in it’s third act, like the movie, feels lost and searching for an ending, and this was the best solution that Fey and team came up with to get us across the finish line.
If you truly love the Cynical Romance or Anti-Rom-Com genres, this is a nice subtle miniseries that won’t quite quench the cynical side of your thirst. If you love everything Alan Alda has even remotely touched, (he makes a nice guest appearance) you will probably have to watch it and be slightly less than satisfied. If you are looking for that amazing, boisterous, brilliant, bright, quick Tina Fey Wit, there isn’t a lot of it here, there is some, just not a lot.
I don’t know, it’s OK.