How Comedy & Drama Pushed Tina Fey’s ‘The Four Seasons’ Into Netflix’s Top Spot

Cue up Pachelbel’s Canon in D, because The Four Seasons is a hit indeed!

The series, which stars Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani, Steve Carell, and Kerri Kenney-Silver as three emotionally messy couples who regularly vacation together, is currently number one globally on Netflix with 11.9 million views and counting. Not too shabby for a project based on a 44-year-old feature — Alan Alda’s 1981 big-screen rom-com of the same name — that doesn’t rely on heavy special effects, reality-show screaming, overheated teens, or serial killer Joe Goldberg, whose final season of YOU was bumped from the top spot.

Instead, TFS manages to mine eight instantly bingeable episodes out of razor-sharp dialogue, off-the-charts chemistry among the entire ensemble, and universally relatable situations. Whether it’s how the group reformulates after Carell’s Nick divorces Kenney-Silver’s Anne and takes up with a younger woman (played by Hazbin Hotel‘s effervescent Erika Henningsen), an ongoing health concern for Domingo’s Danny, or the casual cruelty Fey’s Kate hurls at long-suffering husband Jack (Forte), each two-part getaway with this gang bristles with moments that will feel all-too real to anyone with old friends who know exactly how to push their buttons.

Courtesy of Netflix

Not that there aren’t broadly comic moments keeping viewers hitting that “Next Episode” button, as well. The sight of them all frantically escaping a tropical storm via a Pedal Pub or an unhinged Carell losing his mind after cutting his foot open are well-calibrated uses of this all-star cast’s comedic chops, but the true heart of the show lies in the quieter, more grounded moments. And they aren’t just resonating with subscribers: Fey, who co-created the show with writers Tracey Wigfield and Lang Fisher, is thrilled that Seasons is such a showcase for her costars’ versatility, especially the often under-appreciated Forte.

JON PACK/Netflix

“It was such a fun experience because it was the best of both worlds,” she told TV Insider’s Meaghan Darwish ahead of the premiere, admitting that the idea was to give the actors “really good comedy and good fun, grounded scenes” steeped in authentic emotion. “So you’re constantly getting to do the stuff you’re comfortable with and then go outside your comfort zone to do some more dramatic stuff, which it was really exciting.”

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“I think it was a fun challenge for us,” she added. “And I’m really delighted in people getting to see that side of Will. I think Will’s a really gifted actor [and] such a lovable presence on screen. I feel like a lot of married women are going to hit on [him].”