Jeff Richmond’s directing is difficult to separate from his composing and producing. The Four Seasons gives us reason to value his knack for a comfortable comic mood, and to wish he would sometimes let the uncomfortable conversations sting.
Fi1m perspective
The holidays in The Four Seasons (2025) look inviting even when the friends are making life difficult for one another. Tim Orr’s cinematography and Sharon Lomofsky’s production design make the trips look worth taking, while Jeff Richmond’s music keeps the mood easygoing. We found that reassurance mildly frustrating once the conversations became uncomfortable: the music softened the friction we wanted to feel. It is a decent, uneven relationship comedy, with Richmond contributing to both the comfort and the excessive gentleness.
His route into directing runs through programmes on which he already had other jobs. He joined 30 Rock (2006) as composer and producer, adding directing credits from 2010, and continued combining those responsibilities on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015). Girls5eva (2021), another comedy with original songs, extends that pattern, with Richmond directing the episode “Album Mode” in 2022. Tina Fey and writer-producer Robert Carlock are recurring collaborators, so we should be careful about assigning the comic character of these programmes to Richmond alone.
The clearest thread is his use of original songs and elaborate musical parodies, giving music something funny to do within an episode. That contribution deserves attention in its own right, without pretending that composing, producing and directing are interchangeable skills. On The Four Seasons, he again serves in all three capacities, but the score is where his contribution is easiest to identify. It suits the gentler comedy; our reservation concerns the scenes where a little less reassurance would allow the friends’ difficulties to register more strongly.
Nor should the music take the blame for writing that too often falls back on familiar complaints and intermittent laughs. Colman Domingo is our strongest reason to spend time with this particular group, and the warmth of the performances helps sustain interest when the jokes are thin. There is pleasure in watching people whose holidays look worth sharing, even if their conversations do not always repay the attention. Try The Four Seasons for that company, provided a relationship comedy need not be particularly sharp to hold your interest.
Biography
Jeff Richmond (born 7 January 1961) is an American composer, producer and director. He grew up in Garrettsville, Ohio, and attended Kent State University. He has been married to writer and actress Tina Fey since 2001.
Richmond worked as a music director on Saturday Night Live before joining the production of the sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013), for which he composed music, served as producer and directed several episodes. He later composed music and executive produced Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019) and Girls5eva (2021–2024).
Richmond composed the music for the film Mean Girls (2024) and served as its executive producer. He composed the score, directed episodes and executive produced the Netflix series The Four Seasons (2025). He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards.
