If you’re missing the exotic stays of The White Lotus already, there’s a new Netflix original to check in for the weekend. Tina Fey’s latest comedy series The Four Seasons, follows a group of longtime college friends who reunite for a seemingly relaxing getaway. But with two of them on the brink of divorce, old wounds reopen and the mid-life crisis sets in. In the course of eight episodes, the miniseries throws some unexpectedly emotional curveballs that balance its stylish, high-profile locales with some heartwarming camaraderie.
For Tina Fey, The Four Seasons is an actual reunion, as she created the show with her 30 Rock writer-producers Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield. As for its ensemble cast, Fey leads the pack with Date Night co-star Steve Carell, Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Will Forte (Nebraska), Kerri Kenney-Silver (Reno 911!), among others.
Contrary to its title, The Four Seasons isn’t set within the resort chain of the same name. In fact, the name comes from Vivaldi’s timeless Four Seasons concerti that play throughout every episode as emotional motifs (much like the 1981 romcom The Four Seasons that the show adapts).
From upscale New York localities to a Puerto Rican resort, The Four Seasons boasts some elegant locations that deserve a spot on your travel list. Here’s a seasonal guide to the key spots.
Where was The Four Seasons filmed?
Every two episodes in The Four Seasons, the weather starts to change. Punctuated with Vivaldi’s violin-driven masterpieces, the time jumps and segues require us to pack clothes for every season. Barring the spring chapter in Puerto Rico (episodes 3-4), the rest of the series utilises several New York locations. This seems like an ideal choice, as Fey explains: ‘It’s a really, really beautiful place to get these four seasons.’
Hudson Valley, New York
The Netflix show opens with a two-episode stay at a spacious lake house. This is where banker Nick (Carell) and ceramicist Anne (Kenney-Silver) host their best friends. But what is supposed to be a weekend getaway to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary becomes a time of contemplation for Nick and Anne.
With the scenes shifting from hiking in the backyard forest to sailing a boat in a nearby lake to hosting a vows renewal ceremony in the garden, various upstate areas of New York’s Hudson Valley provide the backdrop for the house and its neighbouring town. Properties in Cold Spring, Fishkill, and Newburgh were all used for filming these ‘Spring’ episodes.
Palomino Island, Puerto Rico
Come summer, and the gang flies off to Puerto Rico. Their first stop is a New Age eco resort on Palomino Island – one that’s proudly carbon-neutral, surrounded by baby crocodiles, and driven by hipster wheezes like a ‘pedal pub’. While the island does host the Aité Eco Resort, the one in the show is heavily exaggerated to serve the narrative. Otherwise, Palomino Island would make for a great vacation if you’re into seaside activities like surfing and swimming with sea lions.
Steve’s friends, however, aren’t cut out for this aquatic vacationing, especially when they’re allocated glamping yurts with no air-conditioning. This is where Kate (Tina Fey) and Jack (Will Forte) rethink their marriage in the wake of paddle-boarding swims and beach bar parties. For Danny (Colman Domingo), the eco resort is ‘the hotel equivalent of a white guy with dreads’. As he demands ‘the hotel equivalent of Lenny Kravitz’ his partner Claude (Marco Calvani) Googles a resort within one mile. And that brings us to…
El Conquistador Resort, Puerto Rico
At first, Danny and Claude go to the El Coronado Hotel and Spa just to laze by the pool (while pretending to be hotel guests, the best way to get in). But then when a hurricane brings stormy clouds over the group’s glamping tents, they all book a room in the fancy resort.
The actual resort doubling for El Coronado is the El Conquistador Resort, a popular refuge for many a tourist visiting Puerto Rico. The Palomino Island is, in fact, a private property under the same resort. A Puerto Rican mainstay since 1962, the resort closed its doors in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. But in 2021, it was redesigned with a Mediterranean feel, and now, it has found its way on Netflix.
Vassar College and Poughkeepsie, New York
By autumn, the friends pay a visit to their alma mater for parents weekend. But as Carell and Kenney-Silver’s characters visit their rebellious playwright daughter (also a student in the same university), familial tensions rise. While the college isn’t explicitly mentioned, Vassar College in Poughkeepsie doubles as the institution. The rest of Poughkeepsie’s streets and neighbourhoods also feature as the crew walks around the town, coming across vinyl stores, wine bars, and diners-turned-vape shops.
Mount Peter
With the last two episodes, winter arrives and the show takes a snowy detour to Mount Peter. This time around, the characters find themselves in a ski resort. The temperatures might be low, but the friendships and relationships reach a boiling point here.
A one-hour drive from New York City, Mount Peter is located in Warwick, Orange County. With the resort’s ski season usually lasting from December to March, it is renowned for its ski trails but also provides activities like snowboarding and tubing. Perhaps all of it would be exhaustive for our already-worn-out protagonists, who are already grappling with hip replacements and heart surgeries.
Where can I watch The Four Seasons?
All episodes of The Four Seasons are streaming on Netflix.