There are lots of good TV shows about friendship visiting exotic locations, but the vast majority of them focus on younger characters, which could be due to the popularity of YA literature over the last two decades. Fortunately, The Four Seasons is a break from the norm, focusing on an older group (played by an all-star cast) with a long history of fun, adventure and emotional support throughout the ups and downs of life.
If you’ve finished binge-watching Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield's Netflix miniseries and want to find similar TV shows about friendship, travel and long-lasting friendships, here are the 10 best TV shows like The Four Seasons on HBO Max, Hulu, and more.
Friends (1994-2004)
It’s hard to talk about TV shows about a group of friends beyond their teenage years without recommending the quintessential show about adult friendships, Friends. This is a comedy about how your friends will be there for you, no matter what, and it’s probably the best show of all time about friendship. It’s a perfect show for those who enjoy rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally (1989) or sitcoms like New Girl (2011).
Unlike The Four Seasons, there’s not much in the way of travel in this one, but when the gang does get out of New York, it’s memorable. Their trips to London and Barbados are some of the show’s most popular storylines and have a long-lasting impact on the group’s dynamic once they return home. Plus, the good thing about Friends is that there’s likely a “friend” for everyone. Personally, I think Monica Geller is one of the best characters on TV. Fight me.
The White Lotus (2021-Present)
The White Lotus is technically a show about being on vacation—shot at different The White Lotus resorts every season—but it's also a murder mystery. If that’s not offering something different to viewers, then I don’t know what is. The interesting thing about this one is that the vibes are different every season, so you won’t get bored, and you don’t technically need to watch every season, since this is an anthology!
This series might work for you if you’re looking for similar vacation vibes to The Four Seasons, but not so much if you’re looking for wholesome friendship vibes. It’s more The Residence (2025) meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) than The Four Seasons, and the people in The White Lotus are all kind of hard to root for, season after season. But you can enjoy the pretty scenery and every season has a pretty dang entertaining story to tell.
Sweet Magnolias (2020-Present)
The friendship group in Sweet Magnolias don’t go anywhere, so there’s really no vacation aspect to it, but this show will still scratch that The Four Seasons itch thanks to its loveable characters. Think cozy and homey in an idyllic town that’s actually way too pretty to be true. Honestly, if we lived in such a perfect town, we might not go anywhere either! In fact, the entire point of the series is that they very much stayed in the town they grew up in. However, if you’re looking for a show about grown up friendship between women, you should look no further than Sweet Magnolias.
This one’s really about how, no matter what life throws at you, you can get through it with a little help from your friends. It’s like the nicer cousin of Virgin River (2019) and Firefly Lane (2011), with less drama and more friendship. Perfect for anyone who wants a feel good show to watch after The Four Seasons.
Harlem (2021-2025)
Harlem is one of the best new shows about life after college and what friendship is like after you graduate. You know that scary time when it feels like you’re going to lose contact with all your friends and there’s this thing called “real life” breathing down your neck? Well, Harlem is about that exact feeling. It’s a great addition to your watchlist if you enjoyed The Four Seasons and shows like Insecure (2016) or Run the World (2021).
Like Sweet Magnolias, Harlem isn’t really about travel, but it captures the vibes of New York like it’s part of the cast. The show gets extra points for some A+ guest stars, like Whoopi Goldberg and Lil Rel Howery.
Dying for Sex (2025)
This one’s got a premise you didn’t see coming. This hilarious comedy, which focuses on friendship and making the most of the time you have left, sees a woman (Michelle Williams) discover she has cancer and contemplate the things she hasn’t done and experienced yet—like good sex. Yeah, you read that right.
Despite the premise, Dying for Sex is both insightful and downright funny. As strange as it sounds, friendship is indeed at the center, just like The Four Seasons. This show is less Sex and the City (1998) and more Dead to Me (2019), and it’s proof that Michelle Williams is one of the best actresses of her generation. It’s only eight episodes, but it’s absolutely worth your time.
The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
The original sitcom about the chaos of aging—even if the idea of aging has changed a lot since the '80s—tackles the idea of life after marriage and what it means to be friends in your later years. If Friends defined friendship for a generation, The Golden Girls did the same for the generation before.
Honestly, if you’ve never watched The Golden Girls, you’re definitely missing out. Think Grace and Frankie (2015) mixed with Designing Women (1986), with a dash of Maude (1972). So if you like female friendships and comfort shows, there’s no doubt this is your happy place—even without the vacations.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2019)
What do you do after you’re saved from a doomsday cult? If you’re Kimmy Schmidt, you figure out how to live, in the funniest way possible. That means making friends, even if you don’t really know what friendship is yet. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which is another Tina Fey comedy, has a lot of similar vibes to The Four Seasons, making it a great watch for anyone looking for a similar style of comedy. It’s also perfect for fans of Abbott Elementary (2021) and The Good Place (2016).
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as the name says, is all about surviving in a world that often strives to take you down. It’s not easy, and sometimes, it’ll take a little help from the people around you. But if Kimmy can do it, so can we.
Friends From College (2017-2019)
The show might be called Friends From College, but it’s not about friendship in college. Instead, it focuses on how to maintain those friendships in your forties. It’s basically The Four Seasons without the vacations. It’s a pretty funny show and a top recommendation for anyone who wants to see another show about grown-up friendships. Fans of Master of None (2015) will find this has a lot of similarities, and it’s great for people who enjoy shows like Platonic (2023) or Nobody Wants This (2024).
The show, which only has two seasons of eight episodes each, walks the line between the nostalgia of what friendship used to be for a group of people and what it has become in the present day, and it’s up for the audience to decide which is better. The show has moments that are hilarious, thought-provoking, infuriating, and always great to watch.
Palm Royale (2024)
Palm Royale is closer to The White Lotus than The Four Seasons, but it’s still an interesting recommendation if you’re looking for something that has a similar aesthetic (rather than a focus on friendship). It’s a campier, sillier version of Mike White’s HBO drama, and although it’s unlikely to shock you as much as The White Lotus, you will still have a lot of fun watching it.
If you mix Acapulco, Dickinson and Nine Perfect Strangers, you might end up with something like Palm Royale. Come for the vibes, stay for Ricky Martin. And for the silly (but still smart) drama in every episode.
Parks and Recreation (2009)
Parks and Recreation might be more of a work-focused comedy than anything else on this list, but it’s still all about building relationships as an adult and maintaining those friendships. We all need a reminder that this is possible from time to time, including the characters in The Four Seasons. But Parks and Recreation isn’t just one of the quintessential work comedies. It also features one of the best sitcom romances ever, one of the best friendships, and the iconic character of Ron Swanson.
Whether you come for the chemistry between Ben and Leslie or the iconic references, the truth is that Parks and Rec is a show that, like The Office or 30 Rock, you’re either going to watch or miss out on a lot of inside jokes. It has even more rewatchability than The Four Seasons, so if you end up watching every episode multiple times, well… that’s just the magic of Parks and Recreation.
