The hangout comedy is still holding its own with FX’s Adults, which was renewed for a second season on Thursday. Created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw and produced by Nick Kroll, the series follows a group of semi-aimless 20-somethings living together in New York City. In a statement, FX Entertainment’s Executive Vice President of Development Kate Lambert said, “Ben and Rebecca are incredibly talented writers, and they have expertly and hilariously captured the experience of being a young adult in today’s world. The entire cast—Malik [Elassal], Lucy [Freyer], Jack [Innanen], Amita [Row] and Owen [Thiele]—is exceptional in bringing it to life in a way that has truly connected with its audience.”
In her B+ review, The A.V. Club‘s Saloni Gajjar observes that although the series doesn’t get much time to breathe over its eight-episode first season, “there’s plenty of potential here, thanks to laugh-out-loud moments … and delightful guest stars.” She writes, “Most of all, the show taps into what life is like for older Gen Zs in the current socioeconomic and political climate. Stepping into adulthood during uncertain times is awkward and a challenge for the series’ five chums, who cope with the insurance troubles and lost jobs, adjust to the gig economy, stand up for political beliefs, or generally exist in this era of overwhelming dating apps, data tracking, and social media.”
Speaking with Collider in May, Shaw teased the possibility of a second season for Adults. “We’re really hoping there will be. We have so many more stories to tell with these characters. We have fallen madly in love with them and want to see what they look like in relationships and out of, and at work, and navigating new friendships, and friendships falling apart,” she said. The first season ended on a cliffhanger—spoiler alert—of Anton (Thiele) and Issa’s (Rao) Canadian boyfriend Paul Baker (Innanen) getting married to help Paul Baker get his green card. But feelings seemed to spark between the newlyweds that may cause friction in the friend group. “Issa and Paul Baker’s relationship is one that we’ve sort of taken for granted over the course of the first few episodes,” Shaw said. “I think there’s a lot more to mine there and things that we’re so excited for our audiences to see.”
Kronengold added, “So much of your 20s is going out into the world and taking a big, wild, confident swing and then retreating to your comfort zone and your comfort people and being like, ‘I think I just did something really, really wrong,’ and having the intimacy to be like, ‘I’m trying to have all the right thoughts and to be the right kind of person, but I’m really afraid I’m fucking it up,’ and your best friend saying, ‘Me fucking too.'”
