“Anton’s my spirit animal. Trailing the perfect man only to find a rat.”
As if in opposition to the ungodly year of our lord Jimmy Fallon and his ‘Pickleball Golf Labubu Death Challenge’, FX’s Adults successfully captures the political and the politically incorrect in a 20-something’s comedy constructed most truthfully as Gen Z. It is evidently the product of minds that grasp the antic hay of practicing adulthood and finds magic in screwing up alongside a new generation of audience.
Surviving in New York in a housemate’s parents’ home, the cast each embody a character emblematic of Gen Z archetypes: Billie, a less glamorous Andrea Sachs; Paul Baker, the classic ‘performative male’ himbo; Anton, the ‘friendslut’; Issa, a cool girl with no chill and Samir…who is just a guy. However, in contemporary fashion, each of their identities transcends these labels, thanks to a healthy dose of crises that, in turn, strengthen the group dynamic. So, ‘no labels’, they ‘don’t usually describe it like that’. The cast’s chemistry forms a natural synergy in the characters; take, for instance, the progression of Samir and Paul Baker’s relationship from ‘you and your friend’s boyfriend’ to a cutesy bromance.
Breaking tradition, the sitcom’s limited eight-episode format differentiates Adults sufficiently to defend from the inevitable accusations of treading old ground, à la Friends. With its unwavering comedic tone, Adults tackles difficult themes such as abortion and assault, defying Gen Z’s ‘snowflake’ allegations via sensitive treatment. There is an elegance to the show’s humour, not just in the absent laugh track, but rather in moments such as the unacknowledged consumption of cornflakes out of a mug and in the embellishment of genuine vulnerability with frightening admissions of being ‘priced out of blonde’. Alas, the jokes are so on point that they take away from the disappointment of facing your latest disaster that occurred yesterday. Watch it before the world ends.
“New York Subway” by derekskey is licensed under CC BY 2.0.