Tina Fey’s The Four Seasons Season 2 is drawing a strong critical response on Rotten Tomatoes, giving Netflix a fresh reason to spotlight the comedy-drama. The new season has opened with an 86% “fresh” score on the Tomatometer from 14 reviews, signaling a warmer reception than Season 1.
That early reaction matters because the series returns after a season that ended with major changes for its central group of friends. The show continues to follow Kate, Jack, Danny, Claude, Anne, Nick, and Ginny through seasonal getaways, but the latest chapter shifts the setting to Italy and puts the group’s grief over Nick’s death at the center of the story.
A stronger critical start for Season 2
Season 2 arrived on Netflix with all eight episodes available at once, and critics have quickly focused on how the series handles its ensemble after the loss that reshaped Season 1. The new Tomatometer score stands above Season 1’s 78% rating, which came from 80 reviews, while the earlier season also posted a 63% Popcornmeter score from viewers.
The current Rotten Tomatoes data is still incomplete in one respect, since the site’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary, and Popcornmeter score remain pending. Even so, the early batch of reviews suggests that critics are responding favorably to the show’s shift in tone and its continued focus on group dynamics.
What critics are noticing
Several reviewers point to the ensemble chemistry as a major reason for the improved response. Kelly Lawler of USA Today called the season a reminder that “everybody can learn and grow and do better, even a TV show,” after describing the first season as uneven and questioning whether it needed to return.
Benji Watson of the Daily Telegraph praised the writing for leaning into interaction rather than isolated punch lines. He noted that the humor comes from the group itself, adding that Season 2 is “such a blast” that Nick’s death and Steve Carell’s absence are easy to overlook.
Christina Escobar of RogerEbert.com also gave the season a fresh review, saying the characters “grow in compelling, hilarious ways.” Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News highlighted the performances of Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani, writing that the pair “makes us laugh the loudest and warm our hearts.”
Where the season goes next
Season 2 moves the friend group from familiar trips to the Jersey shore and upstate New York to Italy, tying the setting to Claude’s homeland. That change gives the series a new backdrop while keeping the emotional fallout from Nick’s death close to the surface.
The second season also continues to include Ginny, whose pregnancy was revealed in the first season’s finale. With all 16 episodes across Seasons 1 and 2 now streaming on Netflix, the series has become a fuller ensemble story built around loss, adjustment, and the changing dynamics among the characters.
One dissenting voice among the top critics
Not every major review has been positive. Ben Travers of IndieWire is the only top critic on Rotten Tomatoes so far to give Season 2 a rotten score, arguing that the series is “exactly what we saw in Season 1, no better, no worse — unless you factor in wasted potential.”
That split is part of what makes the current reception notable, since the season still holds a comfortable fresh score despite the criticism. For Netflix, the early Rotten Tomatoes results show that The Four Seasons has managed to keep critic interest alive by leaning into its ensemble cast, its relationship drama, and the newer Italian setting without losing the tone that defined the series from the start.
Read more at: www.forbes.com