This series is continually brilliant. Stories about a family of floating people, trying to find something to hold on to in a world so confusing and random. It's the human condition, captured poignantly by the creator of the series. We see the lives of the Pfeffermans, and we see the lives of the people that came before them, and in this wide frame it's easy to understand the motives, trials and sense of lack that drive the lives of these flawed and beautiful humans, but they cannot see what wee see, so they continue to stumble, fall and rise, stumble, fall and rise. This show has the potential to take one on a journey of self discovery, if one lets it.

The Pfeffermans head to Israel in this delightful fourth season of the powerful Amazon comedy series. Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor) is invited to lecture in Tel Aviv on Judaism and gender. When Ali (Gaby Hoffmann) learns that her professor with whom she had a relationship has written and published an embarrassing poem, she decides to tag along with Maura. They head out to Israel having trouble in the airport when security can't decide which gender of TSA agent should search her. The family gathers in the first episode and it is chaotic. Shelly (Judith Light) explores improv and develops a new character that gives her strength and confidence. Sarah (Amy Landecker) explores her sexuality with her ex-husband Len Novak (Rob Huebel) and a woman she meets in a sex addicts group, Lila (Alia Shawkat).Josh Pfefferman (Jay Duplass) copes with visions of the older woman who took advantage of him when he was younger and also attends the sex addict meetings as well. As Maura lectures, she keeps hearing about another Pfefferman who had a catchy advertisement years ago for air-conditioning. The "cool guy" turns out to be Maura's father Moshe (Jerry Adler) who abandoned them when they were young and went to Israel. Ali has garnered fame for her internet video of Maura at the airport and falls in with a group of protesters who are trying to make a difference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She returns to help Maura approach Moshe who has become wealthy off of his air-conditioning business.Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

Let me say at the outset that there have been a lot of disappointed reviewers, and most of them just don't get it - the comedy and the drama come from a series of contrasts.The rest of the cast are so delightfully screwed up that it helps us to be sympathetic to Jeffrey Tambor's character. This isn't a one-trick pony, as the continuing adventures of the entire cast sets up some beautiful compare and contrast moments.Not that this is for everybody. If your are looking for high discourse, the don't choose a comedy, and don't try to map an excellent slow comedy into a disappointing drama. It is simply a well-written light comedy about society and the opening up of transgender issues within that context.

I did like it at first. As many have pointed out the first season was pretty good but it went down hill in the second season. The oldest sister fighting with her husband seemed very realistic about how a lot of married couples interact. Everyone on TV in the past 7-8 years or so is a lesbian. You can't watch a streaming drama, movie or TV show, set in the present time without a lesbian couple or two. 15 years ago you never saw it or once in a blue moon. The lesbian angle is not shocking and ground breaking and cutting edge. No instead it is the cliché' of the '10s. The way it is presented on these shows it would appear that 50% of all women are lesbians. Now BOTH sisters are lesbians? What was the whole point of the younger Ali meeting the guy at the beach? What a waste of film, it had no point. Ali is a total spoiled brat and doesn't even look for a job. Ack I feel like I should finish all of it though, I am at the end of season 2 but I'm getting more and more annoyed with the idiotic plots and the annoying people. Like they were really going to kill Ed? They were all yapping about doing something that is illegal? Maura is great but his kids suck ass! That rabbi would not look twice at the ugly and non-religious son. His son Colton looks nothing like him, just not believable at all. I am going to plow through but Ali bedding Syd just is ridiculous and the Feminist professor plot line is also ridiculous.