The Four Seasons Season 2 Review Roundup: Tina Fey's Netflix Dramedy Finds Its Footing Without Steve Carell

📷 Image: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0) — via Wikimedia Commons

Tina Fey doesn't do sequels. Or at least, she didn't — until The Four Seasons came along. The Netflix dramedy returned for its second season on May 28, and the early consensus among critics is surprisingly warm for a show that lost its biggest star between seasons. Steve Carell, who anchored the first season as one of the three vacationing husbands, is conspicuously absent from the new episodes — and according to several reviewers, that might actually be a good thing.

A Quick Refresher: What Is The Four Seasons?

If you missed the first season, here's the setup: three married couples have made it a decades-long tradition to take quarterly weekend getaways together — spring, summer, fall, winter. It's a cozy ritual until one divorce throws the entire dynamic into chaos. Tina Fey stars alongside a stacked ensemble that originally included Steve Carell, Colman Domingo, Keri Russell, and Marco Calvani. The show is loosely inspired by the 1981 Alan Alda film of the same name, but Fey's version blends her signature whip-smart dialogue with genuine emotional heft.

Season 1 was filmed largely at the Jersey Shore and earned solid if not spectacular reviews. Critics praised the cast chemistry and the show's willingness to sit in uncomfortable emotional moments, but some felt it hadn't quite figured out what it wanted to be — half sitcom, half tearjerker, never fully committing to either.

The Carell-Sized Elephant in the Room

When Netflix announced that Steve Carell would not be returning for Season 2, fans had reason to worry. Carell's character was central to the group's dynamic, and his absence felt like it could unbalance the entire ensemble. But according to USA Today's review, the show is "better off without Steve Carell in Season 2" — a blunt assessment that several other outlets echoed in more diplomatic language.

Collider's review put it more delicately, noting that the season is "both helped and hurt by a Steve Carell-sized absence." The argument, essentially, is that Carell's character dominated too much screen time in Season 1, and his departure forces the remaining cast to step up — which they do. Will Forte steps into a more prominent role, and the writers wisely use the extra breathing room to deepen the other two couples' storylines.

Carell, of course, is no stranger to ensemble comedy. He spent seven seasons as Michael Scott on The Office before leaving that show in its seventh season — a departure that many fans initially resented but which ultimately allowed the supporting cast to flourish. History appears to be rhyming.

The Reviews Are In: What Critics Are Saying

The critical response to Season 2 has been broadly positive, with some outlets going as far as to call it Fey's best work since her NBC days.

The Guardian didn't hold back, declaring the new season "up there with 30 Rock" — high praise considering 30 Rock won 16 Emmys and is widely considered one of the greatest TV comedies ever made. The review highlighted the show's tonal maturity and Fey's willingness to let scenes breathe without undercutting emotional moments with jokes.

Roger Ebert's site described Season 2 as proof "that some things do get better with age," praising the writing as sharper and more confident than the first outing. The review noted that the tragicomedy balance — which felt wobbly in Season 1 — has been recalibrated beautifully.

Forbes reported that the Rotten Tomatoes scores are "shining on Tina Fey's series," with both the critics' and audience scores climbing above the first season's numbers. The word "assured" appears in review after review.

Not everyone was won over. IndieWire offered a dissenting take, calling the show an "incurious Netflix series" that "remains in limbo." The review argued that the show is too polite — too hesitant to really dig into the messiness of its characters' lives. It's a fair criticism, and one that some viewers may share, but it's worth noting that IndieWire's review is an outlier in an otherwise warm critical reception.

Grazia Daily went for the heart, describing Season 2 as a midlife comedy that will "break your heart — and critics say it's a must-watch." The publication highlighted the Italy-set episodes, where the group's vacation takes on a more melancholic, reflective tone against the backdrop of Tuscan countryside.

Why Season 2 Works (Even Without Its Biggest Name)

Several factors seem to be driving the improved reception. First, the Italy setting — Season 2 takes the group abroad, which visually opens up the show in ways the Jersey Shore couldn't. The cinematography is reportedly richer, the locations more cinematic, and the change of scenery forces the characters out of their familiar rhythms.

Second, the writing has matured. Season 1 sometimes felt like it was straining for laughs in moments that called for silence. Season 2 trusts its audience more. Fey, who wrote or co-wrote several episodes, has spoken about wanting the show to reflect the actual experience of middle age — not the sitcom version where everything wraps up neatly in 22 minutes.

Third, the ensemble has gelled. Will Forte, long one of comedy's most underappreciated talents, gets more screen time and makes the most of it. Colman Domingo continues to be one of the most magnetic presences on television. And Fey herself — who in Season 1 sometimes seemed to be playing a variation of her Liz Lemon persona — has found a more grounded register.

The Bigger Picture: Tina Fey's Streaming Era

After dominating network television for over a decade with 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Fey's move to Netflix with The Four Seasons felt like a significant shift. The streaming model gave her more creative freedom — no commercial breaks, no network notes about likeability, no 22-minute constraints — and Season 2 suggests she's finally comfortable using it.

The comparison to 30 Rock is instructive. That show was a joke machine, firing off punchlines at a rate no other sitcom could match. The Four Seasons is something different — it's a hangout show, a dramedy in the truest sense. It wants you to laugh, but it also wants you to sit with the uncomfortable truth that friendships change as people do.

Whether the show reaches the cultural saturation of 30 Rock remains to be seen. But creatively, Season 2 makes a strong case that Fey's post-NBC chapter is just getting started.

Should You Watch It?

If you enjoyed Season 1 but wished it had a little more confidence, Season 2 is exactly what you're hoping for. If you skipped Season 1 because the reviews were mixed, now might be the time to catch up — the consensus is that the show has found its voice. And if you're a Tina Fey completist, this is non-negotiable viewing.

All episodes of The Four Seasons Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Netflix.

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What do you think — does The Four Seasons work better without Steve Carell, or do you miss his presence in Season 2? Drop your thoughts in the comments.