The Kominsky Method
The Kominsky Method is an American comedy-drama streaming 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 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. Production. Development. 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. 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. 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, Melissa Tang, Casey Brown, and Lisa Edelstein would appear in a recurring capacity. 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. 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, 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, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 68 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable  reviews." 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.