''The Kominsky Method'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series created by Chuck Lorre, that premiered on November 16, 2018, on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

. It stars

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...

, Alan Arkin, Sarah Baker, Nancy Travis,

Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and television writer. He is known for his roles as Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom '' My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 f ...

, and

Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely ...

and follows a fictional 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.

Premise

''The Kominsky Method'' follows Sandy Kominsky, a fictional actor who years ago had a brief fling with success and is now a revered Hollywood acting coach.

Cast and characters

Main

as Sandy Kominsky, a once successful actor who now works as a revered acting coach in Hollywood. * Alan Arkin as Norman Newlander, Sandy's agent and friend (seasons 1–2) * Sarah Baker as Mindy, Sandy's daughter who runs his acting studio with him. * Nancy Travis as Lisa, a recent divorcée who decides to take acting lessons from Sandy. (seasons 1–2) *

as Martin Schneider, Mindy's boyfriend (season 3; recurring, season 2) *

as Dr. Roz Volander, Sandy's ex-wife (season 3; guest, season 2)

Recurring

Students in Kominsky's acting class

Melissa Tang Melissa Tang (born May 7, 1985) is an American actress. Early life and education Tang was born in Los Angeles, California, and is of Chinese descent. She graduated with a BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007. Career She ha ...

as Margaret * Jenna Lyng Adams as Darshani * Graham Rogers as Jude * Casey Brown as Lane * Ashleigh LaThrop as Breana * Emily Osment as Theresa

Other

* Susan Sullivan as Eileen, Norman's wife to whom he's been married for 46 years (seasons 1-2) * Lisa Edelstein as Phoebe, Norman's estranged daughter who struggles with a pill addiction * Ramon Hilario as Alex the Waiter * Cedric Begley as Mathew, Lisa's son (season 1) * Anoush NeVart as Rosamie, Norman's housekeeper (season 1) *

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

as Diane, Norman's friend (season 1) *

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

as Madelyn, a rekindled flame from Norman's past (seasons 2-3) * Haley Joel Osment as Robby, Phoebe's son (seasons 2–3)

Guest

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's '' The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 20 ...

as himself *

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

as herself *

Jason Kravits Jason Kravits (born May 28, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying A.D.A. Richard Bay on ABC's ''The Practice.'' Early life and education Kravits was born in Passaic, New Jersey. In 1975, his family moved to Rockville, Mar ...

as Woody Littlehales *

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series '' L.A. Law'',

as himself * George Wyner as Rabbi *

Elizabeth Sung Elizabeth Fong Sung (; 14 October 1954 – 22 May 2018) was a Chinese-American actress, director, and screenwriter. She was also a revered acting teacher and mentor to young performers and filmmakers in the Asian-Pacific community. Early life a ...

as Mrs. Liu *

Rex Linn Rex Maynard Linn (born November 13, 1956) is an American film and television actor. He is best known domestically for playing the role of Sgt. Frank Tripp in the CBS drama ''CSI: Miami'' and more recently for playing Kevin Wachtell in the televi ...

as Ed *

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

as Dr. Wexler, a urologist *

Elliott Gould Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s. Elliott's breakthrough role was in the '' Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination ...

as himself * Lauren Weedman as Director * Jocelyn Towne as Jeanine *

Azie Tesfai Azie Tesfai is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, including '' Jane the Virgin'' and ''Supergirl''. Early life and education Tesfai was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Eritrean immigrants wh ...

as Lynda *

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Par ...

as himself * Jen Drohan as Receptionist *

Bob Odenkirk Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off '' Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has ...

as Dr. Shenckman * Matt Knudsen as Dad *

Jeffrey D. Sams Jeffrey D. Sams is an actor known primarily for his television work. Sams has been a main cast member of several television series, few of which have made it past their first season. These include '' Medicine Ball'', '' Sleepwalkers'', Rob Tho ...

as Arthur * Willam Belli as Cherry *

Lainie Kazan Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ''St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...

as Norman's grandmother * Allison Janney as herself *

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

as himself * Barry Levinson as himself * Jon Cryer as himself *

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and ''Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has c ...

as Estelle

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2021)

Production

Development

On August 14, 2017, it was announced that

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 Alan Joel Higgins (sometimes credited as Al Higgins and Alan Higgins) is an American television writer and producer. Higgins was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and is the brother of actor David Anthony Higgins and ''Saturday Night Live'' assistant p ...

, and David Javerbaum. Lorre was also set to direct the first episode and executive produce alongside

. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of

Chuck Lorre Productions Chuck Lorre Productions is an American television production company founded on 10 January 2000 by producer Chuck Lorre, best known for producing the long-running television series '' Two and a Half Men'', '' The Big Bang Theory'', '' Mom'', and ...

and

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

. On July 29, 2018, it was announced during the

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canada, Canadian television television criticism, critics, journalists and columnists who cover television television programme, programming for newspapers, ...

's annual summer press tour that the series was to premiere on November 16, 2018. On January 17, 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season consisting of eight episodes. The second season was released on October 25, 2019. On July 2, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a third and final season, which was released on May 28, 2021.

Casting

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, respectively. 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,

, Casey Brown, and Lisa Edelstein would appear in a recurring capacity. On February 7, 2019, it was announced that

, Jacqueline Bisset and

had been cast in recurring roles for season two. Bisset was set to play Sandy's ex-wife, but the role was recast with

. On September 23, 2020, it was announced that Alan Arkin would not be returning for the show's final season.

Reception

Critical response

The series has been met with a positive critical response upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, 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."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 68 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Awards and nominations

Home media

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.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kominsky Method, The 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2018 American television series debuts 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2021 American television series endings Best Musical or Comedy Series Golden Globe winners English-language Netflix original programming Television series about actors Television series about cancer Television series about old age Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series created by Chuck Lorre Television shows set in Los Angeles