Friends who vacation together don’t necessarily stay friends — or so we learn in the climactic changes in “The Four Seasons,” a Netflix adaptation of the hit Alan Alda film.
Set over the course of, duh, four seasons, the comedy shows how those friendships ebb and flow, usually with one person or couple on the outs with the others each time they meet. It’s a hit-and-miss proposition that works every time Kerri Kenney-Silver is on screen.
In the opener, the group is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Ann (Kenney-Silver) and Nick (Steve Carell). He doesn’t know there’s going to be a renewal of vows ceremony; she thinks his mood swings can be fixed.
From left, Marco Calvani, Colman Domingo, Tina Fey and Will Forte star in "The Four Seasons."
Soon, however, the friends catch on and see Nick wants out and Ann’s desperately trying to hang on. The other couples play their roles, then realize what started in college may finish at a cabin in the woods.
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Will Forte and Tina Fey play the group’s lead couple, determined to keep the façade. They, too, have problems but they’re usually settled by the time he’s flossing and she’s falling asleep. A gay couple (Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani) have other issues. One has a heart condition and ignores the signs of danger; the other smothers him with attention.
As they wade through the troubles associated with group trips (yurts on an island, anyone?), Nick begins a relationship with a much younger woman (Erika Henningson). That leaves Ann out of the loop and away from friends.
Steve Carell and Kerri Kenney-Silver play a couple whose marriage is on the rocks in "The Four Seasons."
By fall, when everyone plans a Parents Weekend to their alma mater, there’s sufficient angst even DoorDash can’t erase.
An interesting play (written by Nick and Ann’s daughter) says what the friends won’t say and becomes a wedge for everyone. Can a new partner become a player in an old friendship?
Lines that update the concept still have an Alan Alda/Carol Burnett tinge. The series, in fact, makes you want to see the original just to understand how they finessed some of the rough spots.
This “Four Seasons” doesn’t necessarily succeed at spackling over them but it does address situations with cellphones, generational differences and bonds that go beyond “Real Housewives” drama.
Colman Domingo and Tina Fey are among the friends who vacation together in "The Four Seasons."
While Forte gets great dad-like moments, Fey really has to keep this friendship circle going. She tries, perhaps, too hard and gets lines that provide closure.
Domingo gets the good stuff; Calvani provides the emotion. While Carell seems removed from the bunch (should he be this aloof?), Forte is every dad in Kohl’s shorts. Parents Weekend lets him be particularly snarky and ready for a confrontation. That’s left to Nick and his daughter.
Ever the peace-maker, Fey doesn’t get broad moments, just the joy of knowing she’s given Kenney-Silver a stellar role and viewers a welcome respite from the world’s problems.
“The Four Seasons” airs May 1 on Netflix.
