''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 aer ...

series created by

Chuck Lorre Charles Michael Lorre (; born Charles Michael Levine; October 18, 1952) is an American film & television director, writer, producer, composer and actor. Called the "King of Sitcoms", he has created/co-created and produced sitcoms including ''G ...

, 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 fil ...

. 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 Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...

, Sarah Baker,

Nancy Travis Nancy Ann Travis (born September 21, 1961) is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television miniseries ''Harem'' opposite Omar Sharif. ...

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 fi ...

, 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 k ...

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. *

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. *

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 Emily Jordan Osment (born March 10, 1992) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Osment began her career as a child actress, appearing in numerous television shows and films, before co-starring as Gerti ...

as Theresa

Other

Susan Sullivan Susan Michaela Sullivan (born November 18, 1944) is an American actress. Sullivan is best known for her roles as Lenore Curtin Delaney on the NBC daytime soap opera '' Another World'' (1971–76), as Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom ''It's a Living' ...

as Eileen, Norman's wife to whom he's been married for 46 years (seasons 1-2) *

Lisa Edelstein Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

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), ''B ...

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

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their Wives of Henry VIII, marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen followi ...

as Madelyn, a rekindled flame from Norman's past (seasons 2-3) *

Haley Joel Osment Haley Joel Osment (born April 10, 1988) is an American actor and voice actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, Osment's role in the comedy-drama film '' Forrest Gump'' (1994) won him a Young Artist Award. His breakthrough came with the psyc ...

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 2009 ...

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, M ...

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 George Wyner (born October 20, 1945) is an American film and television actor. Wyner graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 as a drama major and was an in-demand character actor by the early 1970s. Wyner has made guest appearances in over 10 ...

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 an ...

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 f ...

as himself *

Lauren Weedman Lauren Weedman (born March 5, 1969) is an American actress and comedian, known for her regular role on the HBO television series ''Looking'' (2014–2015), and its subsequent series finale television film, '' Looking: The Movie''. She is also kno ...

as Director *

Jocelyn Towne Jocelyn Towne is an American actress, producer and director. Early life Towne was born in Santa Monica, California, to an American father and French mother, the latter through whom she became a French citizen in 2013. Career Towne has appeared ...

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 who g ...

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 Parad ...

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 re ...

as Dr. Shenckman *

Matt Knudsen Matt Knudsen (born March 10, 1974) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the villain Sonny Appleday in the Cartoon Network TV film '' Re-Animated'' and its spinoff series ''Out Of Jimmy's Head''. Early life Knud ...

as Dad * Jeffrey D. Sams as Arthur *

Willam Belli Willam Belli (, born June 30, 1982), mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of '' ...

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 Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. In a career spanning three decades, she is known for her performances across multiple genres of screen and stage. Janney has received various accolades, including an Academ ...

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 Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...

as himself *

Jon Cryer Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Born into a show business family, he made his motion picture debut as a teenage photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy ''No Small Affair''; his bre ...

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 co-s ...

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

, Al Higgins, and

David Javerbaum David Adam Javerbaum (born August 5, 1971) is an American comedy writer and lyricist. Javerbaum has won 13 Emmy Awards in his career, 11 of them for his work on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He runs the popular Twitter account @TheTweet ...

. 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 ''Y ...

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 Canadian television critics, journalists and columnists who cover television programming for newspapers, magazines and web publications. The TCA accepts app ...

'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

had been cast in the lead roles of Sandy Kominsky and Norman, respectively. In January 2018, it was announced that

and Sarah Baker had been cast in main roles and that

, Graham Rogers, Ashleigh LaThrop, Jenna Lyng Adams,

, Casey Brown, and

would appear in a recurring capacity. On February 7, 2019, it was announced that

Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in '' The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet Ride'', for which she rec ...

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 Wang ...

, 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 review aggregator, 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 arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, 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

Premise

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Students in Kominsky's acting class

Other

Guest

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2021)

Production

Development

Casting

Reception

Critical response

Awards and nominations

Home media

See also

References

External links