The saying ‘those that can, do, and those that can’t, teach’ applies heavily to the Netflix series The Kominsky Method. It’s a web series that made its way over to Netflix in 2018, was renewed for a second season, and based on it’s continued success, it was thus renewed for a third. Starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin, the series a comedy/drama based on an acclaimed Hollywood acting coach who had the fair bit fame in his earlier days as an actor, but now clings to the artistry in the present day as near down and out instructor.
The series was successful enough to take a home a couple of Golden Globes for both the first season, and even a few Emmy nominations as well. In the series, Michael Douglas is the leading man playing Sandy Kominsky, with Alan Arkin playing his agent Norman Newlander. As both of them have aged and are likely living out there last days together they face the daily struggles of accepting where they lives have taken them, learn how to deal with personal loss, attempt to mend relationships and develop new ones, all while pondering their present day journey of being and coping with the reality that ‘it is what it is’ and not quite what they think it should be. One could almost call this a ‘coming of age’ story, but in all actuality it is the exact opposite in that their time is almost at its end.
The majority of the episodes were directed by Andy Tennant and Beth McCarthy-Miller, with Donald Petrie directing two and Chuck Lorre directing one both from the first season. Less is in fact more with this show however, as all the directors kept a consistency with one another which worked sufficiently in sync with the shows writing style, Chuck Lorre authoring most of said episodes between both seasons. Alan J. Higgins and David Javerbaum are also credited with writing for the series, and also kept things close to shows the concept. As far as the writing goes, it’s deep enough without doing too much, and just light hearted enough to take the morbid idea of old age and making it an enjoyable thing to watch. The directing is fairly standard, as is the cinematography, though it is professional and keeps the focus on the characters where it belongs. If a third season looks anything like the first two, it should make for great viewing.
The Kominsky Method is a relatable show for those in their elder years, and an interesting take for those who are still much younger.
The Kominsky Method is a relatable show for those in their elder years, and an interesting take for those who are still much younger. Douglas and Arkin show they’re still in the industry for a reason, as they offer up many a moment of laughs and sympathy for their characters. As it is also technically a web series the episodes aren’t time consuming either, so getting through the entire two seasons won’t take long if time is allotted as most of them are only about twenty-five minutes in length.
