Cormandomingo returns to comedy with Netflix’s “The Four Seasons”
“Four Seasons” is a breath of fresh air for two-time Oscar candidate Colmandomingo.
decider.com
NEW YORK – Considering a typical preteen film, you’d never imagine a cozy marriage drama starring Alan Alda and Carol Burnett.
But the growing seasons were a formative touchstone for the young Tinafey, who worshipped at the altars of “M*a*s*h” and “The Carol Burnett Show.”
“Did I look like I’m married? It was basically my version of ‘Twilight’ fan fiction,” says Fay, 54, who rethinks the 1981 film as a Netflix series (streaming May 1). He also said, “There was something defined for me back then.
“That’s the goal,” says actress Erika Henningsen, 32, reunites with Fay after Broadway’s “Mean Girls” and Peacock’s “Girls 5eva.” “And we did that! We really put on our sweaters and walked around!”
Tina Fey is able to bending new muscles in the dramatic “Four Seasons.”
Co-created with Lang Fisher (“Never I’m Me”) and Tracy Wigfield (“Great News”), “The Four Seasons” follows a three-set couple – Kate (Fay) and Jack (Wil Forte), Nick (Steve Carell), Anne (Kelly Kenny Silver), Danny (Colman Domingo) and Claude (Colman Domingo) divorce and the frustration of the couple. Like the film, the 8-episode series is set over a year and four (seasonal) holidays.
The show spent nine seasons as a writer and cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, making jokes “30 Rock” and “Destructible Kimmy Schmidt.”
“It’s like, ‘OK, so we’re not going to end this by joke? Will these people just have their feelings and the scene ends?” Faye says. But anecdotally, “It seems people appreciate it. Sometimes when there are 10,000 jokes, it can prevent you from actually caring about the story.”
The series follows many of the same beats as the film, giving depth to characters such as hilariously sending Ginny (Henningsen), who began dating after Nick left Anne. The close companion initially rejects her as a young “other woman”, but at that stage in his life he becomes patient with Nick, empathetic and righteous.
“She’s confusing a group of friends, but she’s not an adversary,” Henningsen said. “Between Ginny and Anne, you’re given Nick’s two compelling and interesting partners. The goal is to love both of these women.”
The show’s candid view of the drawl can be recognized by anyone who is involved in a long-term partnership. “Many of us in the writer’s room knew each other for 20 years, so everyone was very generous in sharing details about their relationship,” says Faye, who has Alice, 19, and Penelope, 13, along with her composer husband Jeff Richmond.
“Four Seasons” proved cathartic for the nine Emmy Award winners who filmed the project last fall.
“I definitely kept me in the world because I was able to keep it in my home more and more easily,” Fay says. “This certainly has a close-knit theme and topic, and it was good for me to re-enter the world.”
The series also resonated with Henningsen, who married her “Mean Girls” co-star Kyle Selig in 2023. Both actors returned to Broadway this spring.
During filming, “I was sucking up life experiences through this cast. I’m just listening to them talking about manipulating an incredible career, being very current parents and still being with their spouse,” says Henningsen. “I’m going home and saying, ‘I’m working with people who want to do it.’ ”
Erica Henningsen feels “lucky” after joining Fay’s TV multiverse
Fey and Henningsen met in the sweaty audition room for the “Mean Girls” musical in 2017. “Erica remembers that it was clearly a great choice from the moment she came,” Fey recalls. “She has this intelligent and healthy quality for her,” he worked for Ginny.
Henningsen always appreciated the way Faye seeks her feedback through the start of the show, and the two quickly became good friends. They remember their post-pandemic hangs when Faye’s family rented a house outside of New York and invited Henningsen and her husband to come to the barbecue by the pool.
“Penelope let me play me in a music video. Jeff was really into the flesh,” Henningsen says with a laugh. “You really make everyone feel like they’re at home.” For many years, it’s not surprising that you’ve wanted to tackle ‘The Four Season’ just by looking at how to care for deep-rooted friendships. ”
Faye has long been beginning with her “SNL” days and has maintained a close circle of collaborators. (“The women there were so strong,” she says. “We were raising each other, in a way.”) Fisher and Wigfield wrote for “30 Rock” when they started.
“To me, seeing her as a mom and running the show was huge for me,” Wigfield says. “Now I’m happy to say there are a lot of women who do it all, but that didn’t seem impossible before her.”
Although Forte (“SNL”) and Carell (“Date Night”) both worked with Fey before, many of the crew on this show came from past television projects. She will then reunite with “30 Rock” favourite Tracy Morgan in a potential NBC comedy.
“When you work with great, smart and good people, you want to do it again,” says Fay. “Why do you want to do that in another way?”
“You’ve created a small family that will carry you with you,” adds Henningsen. “I feel lucky to be one of the people who build the Tina Faye Avengers universe. The world is burning. Let’s have a good time.”