A look at The Four Seasons ending, why the creators had regrets, and what could happen in Season 2 on Netflix.

Netflix’s The Four Seasons wraps its first season with a powerful mix of comedy, heartbreak, and personal growth. The ending certainly made fans emotionally invested and eager for more. Created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, the eight-episode dramedy follows three longtime couples who commit to taking four seasonal vacations together.

The ensemble cast features Tina Fey, Will Forte, Steve Carell, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Colman Domingo, and Marco Calvani. As the couples navigate personal and relational challenges. Tensions rise, especially after Nick and Anne’s 25-year marriage ends in divorce. But the series ending has an unexpected twist, even the showrunners regret the results.

How did The Four Seasons end?

The Four Seasons may be a comedy, but it takes a tragic turn in the final episode. Based on the 1981 movie, the series follows three couples, but Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver) and Nick’s (Steve Carell) marriage deteriorates, and they split. Nick introduces his much-younger girlfriend, Ginny, to the group. While Anne begins dating a new partner as well, the friend group finds itself divided.

Steve Carell as Nick and Kerri Kenney as Anne in The Four Seasons | Credit: Netflix

Then, during a separate winter vacation, Nick dies in a sudden car accident. It changed the show’s tone completely. The finale focuses on Nick’s funeral. Anne, overwhelmed with grief and unresolved feelings, initially bars Ginny from speaking. Meanwhile, Kate’s cost-cutting leads to a near-disastrous service.

Anne attempts to deliver a eulogy but finds herself unable to capture who Nick was in his final months. She hands the microphone to Claude, who shares a dream he had about Nick transforming into a butterfly, symbolizing the personal changes Nick was undergoing before his death.

Following the service, tensions rise as Ginny confronts the group for sidelining her. She stormed in the frigid weather, which led to a search operation. Eventually, Anne finds her in the front yard and they share a raw, emotional conversation, finally acknowledging each other’s pain and connection to Nick. The season ends on a surprisingly warm note as the group invites Ginny to join their next trip. In a final twist, Ginny reveals she is pregnant with Nick’s child, setting the stage for season 2.

The Four Seasons’ emotional ending left the showrunners regretting their decision

Steve Carell in a still from The Four Seasons | Credit: Netflix

In a recent interview with Collider, showrunners Fisher and Wigfield opened up about their controversial decision to kill off Carell’s character. Wigfield admitted,

We regretted it immediately. When we were shooting the show, and it was too late, we were like, ‘Why have we done this?’

Still, the creative team stands by the choice, emphasizing that Nick’s death was essential to exploring themes of midlife crisis and emotional renewal. Fisher said,

Middle age is when you start acting younger than you are, but then there are realities of actually getting older, and things do happen. In real life, you do lose friends.

According to Fisher, Nick was trying to live more fully, and that’s the tragedy of it. He knew what he wanted, and he figured it out.

We wanted to show someone who was having a midlife crisis, but actually making a decision for himself to live the life he wanted to live.

They appreciated Carell’s work on both on and off screen. However, the showrunners admitted that if there are other ways to bring him back, through flashbacks, they will explore those options.

Everything we know so far about Season 2 of The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons cast in a still from the show | Credit: Netflix

Though Netflix has yet to confirm a second season, the creators are optimistic. The show might explore Ginny’s pregnancy, which was also in the original movie. The showrunners revealed they have numerous ideas but have not settled on anything. Plans also include four more seasonal trips, new romantic partners for Anne and Ginny.

They go on more trips. It isn’t an anthology kind of show where we want to mix up the group so much.

In true Tina Fey fashion, The Four Seasons blends humor with emotional complexity. Whether it returns or not, its first season ends on a note that shows that even in loss, life has a way of moving forward.

Stream the first season of The Four Seasons on Netflix now.