| Genre: | Comedy drama |
| Creator: | Chuck Lorre |
| Composer: | Jeff Cardoni |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 22 |
| Producer: | Marlis Pujol |
| Cinematography: | Anette Haellmigk |
| Camera: | Single-camera |
| Runtime: | 22–33 minutes |
| Network: | Netflix |
The Kominsky Method is an American comedy-drama television series, created by Chuck Lorre, that premiered on November 16, 2018, on Netflix. It stars Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin, Sarah Baker, Nancy Travis, Paul Reiser and Kathleen Turner and follows an aging acting coach who many years earlier had a brief moment of success as an actor.
A second season premiered on October 25, 2019 and a third and final season, without Arkin, premiered on May 28, 2021.[1]
This was Arkin's final TV project, just five years before his death from cardiac arrest on June 29, 2023 at the age of 89.
The Kominsky Method follows Sandy Kominsky, an actor who years ago had a brief fling with success and is now a revered Hollywood acting coach.[2]
On August 14, 2017, it was announced that Netflix was finalizing a series order for the production for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was set to be written by Chuck Lorre, Al Higgins, and David Javerbaum. Lorre was also set to direct the first episode and executive produce alongside Michael Douglas. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros. Television.[5] On July 29, 2018, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual summer press tour that the series was to premiere on November 16, 2018.[6] On January 17, 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season consisting of eight episodes.[7] The second season was released on October 25, 2019.[8] On July 2, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a third and final season,[9] which was released on May 28, 2021.[10]
Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin had been cast in the lead roles of Sandy Kominsky and Norman Newlander, respectively.[5] In January 2018, it was announced that Nancy Travis and Sarah Baker had been cast in main roles and that Susan Sullivan, Emily Osment, Graham Rogers, Ashleigh LaThrop, Jenna Lyng Adams, Melissa Tang, Casey Brown, and Lisa Edelstein would appear in a recurring capacity.[11] [12] [13]
On February 7, 2019, it was announced that Jane Seymour, Jacqueline Bisset and Paul Reiser had been cast in recurring roles for season two. Bisset was set to play Sandy's ex-wife, but the role was recast with Kathleen Turner, with whom Douglas had previously co-starred in the films Romancing the Stone (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), and The War of the Roses (1989).[14] On September 23, 2020, it was announced that Alan Arkin would not be returning for the show's final season, with Turner's character Dr. Roz Volander instead promoted to a lead role alongside Douglas as Sandy.[3]
The series received a positive critical reception upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 80% with an average score of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Full of humor and heart, The Kominsky Method paints a surprisingly poignant – if a little paint-by-numbers – portrait of life and aging, elevated by two top-notch performances by acting legends Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 68 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | American Film Institute Awards | Top 10 TV Programs of the Year | The Kominsky Method | [17] | |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Comedy Series | [18] | ||
| Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Michael Douglas | ||||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | The Kominsky Method | [19] | ||
| Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Michael Douglas | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Alan Arkin | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Michael Douglas (for "Chapter One: An Actor Avoids") | [20] | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Alan Arkin (for "Chapter Two: An Agent Grieves") | ||||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation | Yuri Reese, Bill Smith and Michael Hoffman (for "Chapter 1: An Actor Avoids") | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Musical or Comedy Series | The Kominsky Method | [21] | ||
| Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series | Michael Douglas | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or TV Film | Alan Arkin | ||||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Jenna Lyng Adams, Alan Arkin, Sarah Baker, Casey Thomas Brown, Michael Douglas, Ashleigh LaThrop, Emily Osment, Graham Rogers, Susan Sullivan, Melissa Tang & Nancy Travis | [22] | ||
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Alan Arkin | ||||
| Michael Douglas | |||||
| 2020 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | The Kominsky Method | [23] | |
| Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Michael Douglas | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Alan Arkin | ||||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Jenna Lyng Adams, Alan Arkin, Sarah Baker, Casey Thomas Brown, Michael Douglas, Lisa Edelstein, Paul Reiser, Graham Rogers, Jane Seymour, Melissa Tang & Nancy Travis | [24] | ||
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Alan Arkin | ||||
| Michael Douglas | |||||
| Casting Society of America | Television Pilot & First Season – Comedy | Nikki Valko, Ken Miller & Tara Treacy | [25] | ||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | Chuck Lorre, Al Higgins, Michael Douglas, Andy Tennant, Beth McCarthy-Miller & Marlis Pujol | |||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Michael Douglas (for "Chapter 12: A Libido Sits in the Fridge") | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Alan Arkin (for "Chapter 14: A Secret Leaks, a Teacher Speaks") | ||||
| 2021 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Michael Douglas | [26] | |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Kathleen Turner | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | Chuck Lorre, Al Higgins, Michael Douglas, Andy Tennant, Beth McCarthy Miller & Marlis Pujol | |||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Michael Douglas (for "Chapter 20. The Round Toes, Of The High Shoes") | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Paul Reiser (for "Chapter 18. You Only Give Me Your Funny Paper") | ||||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | Morgan Freeman (for "Chapter 20. The Round Toes, Of The High Shoes") | |||
| Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series | Nikki Valko, Ken Miller & Tara Treacy | ||||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation | Yuri Reese, Sean Madsen & Brian Wittle (for "Chapter 21. Near, Far, Wherever You Are") | ||||
| 2022 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Jenna Lyng Adams, Sarah Baker, Casey Thomas Brown, Michael Douglas, Lisa Edelstein, Ashleigh LaThrop, Emily Osment, Haley Joel Osment, Paul Reiser, Graham Rogers, Melissa Tang, and Kathleen Turner | [27] | |
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Michael Douglas |
The first season was released to general retailers on November 19, 2019 in Region 1, with a Blu-ray version made available exclusively through the Warner Archive Collection.[28]