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Season two finds plenty of laughs in Gen Z’s growing pains
FX’s Adults was already very funny in its first season, so there was not much it needed to change. Season two keeps the chaotic friendships and questionable decisions, improves the jokes and gives us more reasons to care about the people making them.
Samir Rahman (Malik Elassal), Billie Schaeffer (Lucy Freyer), Issa Damani (Amita Rao), Anton Evans (Owen Thiele) and Paul Baker (Jack Innanen) are back in Samir’s parents’ house in Queens, New York. They remain a group you would enjoy hanging out with, although asking any of them for advice would probably leave you with a second problem.
Gen Z, without trying too hard
Adults gets Gen Z culture remarkably well, especially considering some of its actors are already in zillennial territory, around the overlap between millennials and Gen Z.
Much of that comes through in how they speak. There is very little filtering between having a thought and saying it aloud, even when keeping quiet would save everyone some trouble. The conversations can be edgy, blunt and wildly inappropriate but they sound familiar. If you have spent enough time in a group chat with your friends, you will probably recognise the way a ridiculous comment becomes an entire discussion nobody should be having.
Their patchy knowledge of older media is another good touch. A reference someone older assumes everyone knows can mean absolutely nothing to them. The show understands how funny that gap can be without turning every exchange into a lecture about generations.
Most importantly, the jokes are very good this season. The cast of Adults knows how to keep a conversation going until someone makes it considerably worse.
Some of them have jobs
It is also good to see more of their working lives. Last season, it was not always clear what everyone did when they left the house, particularly Paul Baker.
This time, we get a better look at that side of him, while Issa and Anton’s workplace scenes are especially enjoyable. Seeing how they operate around colleagues adds something we could not get from watching them hang out with friends.
Samir barely seems to do any delivery work this season though and Billie remains as jobless as ever.
That unevenness feels familiar. Your twenties can involve watching one friend settle into a career while another has absolutely no idea what comes next.
Could someone be sensible?
One thing Adults could use is a more consistent comic “straight man”: someone relatively sensible who points out how ridiculous everyone else is being.
Everyone is quite wacky and outgoing. Nobody really fills the role of the quieter, more introverted friend who watches a bad idea develop and asks why anyone is entertaining it.
There are differences between their personalities but almost everyone is ready to participate in the chaos. A more grounded character could give the group some variety, especially when several people are being equally absurd.
Still, it is hard to complain too much when the results are this funny.
More feelings, phonier house
Following the emotionally shocking ending last season, there are bigger feelings to deal with. The friendships become more complicated and being able to say anything does not mean these people know how to have a difficult conversation.
Those moments make the group more interesting without taking away the humour.
My main complaint for Adults season two is the house itself. Samir’s parents’ home looks phonier this season, to the point where it becomes difficult to ignore the soundstage appearance. There also seem to be fewer exterior shots than before, making the setting feel more confined.
Otherwise, this is a very good return. The jokes are better, the characters get more to do and I would happily watch another season of them making a mess of things.
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