Tina Fey has been behind some of the most absurd comedies of the last two decades, including 30 Rock and Mean Girls. But with her new Netflix show, The Four Seasons, she’s reining it in.
Sitting down with DECIDER to chat about the show, a TV remake of the 1981 film starring Alan Alda and Carol Burnett, Fey explained that as a longtime fan of the movie, she wanted to give the world a modernized reimagination that still delves into the complexities of relationships.
Both the original movie and the new series follow three couple friends who go on seasonal vacations and face the ins and outs of longtime friendships and marriages, something Fey was drawn to from the start.
“I just always thought the movie was so kind of well observed and I loved how — especially since a lot of the comedies that we’ve written are just high-speed, high joke density — they do inevitably become absurd and explode,” the Saturday Night Live alum said.
In the Netflix version, Fey takes over the role of Kate from Burnett while Will Forte plays Jack, a character originated by Alda. The M*A*S*H star also wrote and directed the film, which Fey shouted as a grounded and nuanced project that influenced her own version’s authenticity.
She added, “I was like, ‘Can we restrain ourselves to just actual human behavior and still make it funny?’ Because I think that’s what Alan did so beautifully. He wrote all those characters so well in the original movie and that was our goal, was to try to emulate what he did.”
Forte, who previously starred in Baby Mama alongside Fey, said that accepting the role of Jack was even more straightforward for him as a fan of Alda and his fellow SNL cast member.
“When somebody calls and says, ‘Hey, Tina wants to know if you wanna do this partner show,’ it’s the easiest yes of all time. You know it’s gonna be so funny and so well-written, and it’s just always a special experience,” he said.
Keep reading for DECIDER’s full chat with Fey and Forte.
DECIDER: Tina, I know at one point you were producing a Carrie and Me film [based on Carol Burnett’s book]. And here, you get to take over the role of Kate from Carol –did you get any advice, any tips?
TINA FEY: You know, we have never talked about this, and I really feel truly lucky to have met Carol a few times over the years and have gotten to spend a little bit of time with her. She was busy shooting Palm Royale while we were shooting this, and so I didn’t really want to be like, “Hey, I know you’re really, really busy, but can I just tell you what I’m thinking?” But I hope that she sees it, and I hope she likes it. The one thing that I really wanted to pay homage to, one of my favorite things she does in the movie, when she’s fighting with Alan Alda, I wanted to make sure we had a big fight scene like that and I wanted to really aggressively brush my hair because I love it. It’s so 70s. She has short hair in the movie and she’s just like fighting with Alan and she is brushing her hair so much, which, of course, really just makes your hair go like [poofs hair]. So that is my homage to Carol, my violent hair brushing.
WILL FORTE: I’m jealous I’ve never met Carol Burnett.
FEY: How is that possible?
FORTE: I know.
FEY: You gotta call [Kristen] Wiig, get her to introduce you.
FORTE: That’s a good call.
FEY: She’s such a cool person.
Maybe a role in Palm Royale Season 2?
FEY: You would look great in the Palm Royale aesthetic. Because you’re kind of like a classic white guy.
FORTE: Thank you.
I do think people are gonna finish this show though and be like well, “Can we get a second season of The Four Seasons?” Maybe you guys could get her for a Season 2. Would you be willing to do that?
FEY: I mean the doors listen the doors always open for Carol Burnett.
This show is about complex relationships and the ins and outs that we deal with every day. Friendships, husband-wife, husband-husband. What was it that initially drew you to this role, Will? And Tina, as the co-creator, why did you specifically want to do this?
FEY: I just always thought the movie was so kind of well observed and I loved how — especially since a lot of the comedies that we’ve written are just high-speed, high joke density — they do inevitably become absurd and explode. I was like, “Can we restrain ourselves to just actual human behavior and still make it funny?” Because I think that’s what Alan did so beautifully. He wrote all those characters so well in the original movie and that was our goal, was to try to emulate what he did.
FORTE: For me, what drew me to this was that when somebody calls and says, “Hey, Tina wants to know if you wanna do this partner show,” it’s the easiest yes of all time. You know it’s gonna be so funny and so well-written, and it’s just always a special experience. So I was so excited when I heard that, and then you read the script, and it was like, yeah, of course, it’s… Perfect like you would imagine from something she’s a part of so yeah it was the easiest yes of all time. I didn’t even have to read it but I did.
FEY: Will can’t read.
FORTE: Somebody read it to me.
Is that a scoop I’m getting right now?
FORTE: Yes.
Well, also when I was talking with EPs Tracy [Wigfield] and Lang [Fisher], they said that they almost cut my favorite line, which is “all these were made by demented children” because they felt like it might be going a little bit too far.
FEY: [We thought], “Is it too much of a joke?” Oh, I’m glad you like that. I love that line.
Do you have a favorite line in any of the episodes?
FEY: Oh my gosh, I have some favorite moments. You’d think I’d have this answer locked and loaded. I mean, one of my favorite moments, and again, it’s human behavior, it’s not even really a joke, but there’s a scene in Episode 8 where you sit Kerry [Kinney-Silver] down to talk to her about some stuff that you messed up, and the way you sit — he sits next to Kerri on this couch — and for some reason that couch, you’re much lower than Kerri and he’s like, “I effed up.” But just like the way you’re relating to Kerri, it’s not like a typed-out joke on the page, but it’s so funny to me the way you’re like bowing down, you know you’ve messed up so bad and you’re just like shrinking down in front of her and she’s like “no!”
FORTE: I mean, it was all written for me.
FEY: That’s not gonna make any sense, what I just described, until you see it. So you have to get all the way to Episode 8.
I’ll splice in the scene for social cuts.
FORTE: This is just the line that I thought of when you said is there a favorite line. For some reason, I kept coming back to this because I have some messed up toenails. My toenails suck so bad, but there’s this element in there that’s talking about, somebody talking about the thickening of toenails and that always hit me.
FEY: Colman says to me like, “Do you wish you could be with someone else?” And I’m like, “I’m not out here trying to find a new set of thickening toenails.”
FORTE: Yes, and for some reason that always, every time I saw that I was like, “Yep, that’s the truth that happens to people.”
Because it is as funny as it is relatable. And that’s exactly what Tracy and Lang said to the toenail line.
FORTE: Oh, really? Oh, that’s crazy.
FEY: I will say, my husband, he has the feet of a baby, so that’s not about him. He’s blessed with baby feet.
I’ll also splice in a picture of your husband’s feet.
FEY: I’ll get you one, I have like 100 of them on my phone.
Season 1 of The Four Seasons is currently streaming on Netflix.
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