Season 1 of FX’s Adults felt both like a breath of fresh air and like getting everything you could want to see on television nowadays. If you can relate to the messy and honest struggle of finding your footing in a world that feels too big at times, then Adults is for you. Billie (Lucy Freyer), Issa (Amita Rao), Anton (Owen Thiele), and eventually Issa’s boyfriend Paul Baker (Jack Innahan) have settled into living out their ‘Friends’ dream in Samir’s (Malik Elassal) home. But the group or home has never had a day of peace. And it’s understandable.
They’re all a bunch of mid-twentysomethings with loud personalities and different outlooks on life. But the one unshakeable thing? They have love and genuine support for each other. Despite their flaws or setbacks, this group sticks together no matter what.
The show relies on heavy humor that’ll make you laugh out loud or roll your eyes. We have to admit that we did a bit of both. Jokes and snappy retorts were told in a way that all Gen-Z could understand. In such a blunt force that you kind of hate yourself for laughing at it. You can nod along and find humor in the vulgar yet genuine delivery of banter.
The dialogue felt real between the group, in a way that could be any of us talking with friends in this generation. The show is made up of current and relevant jokes, apps, slang, and pop culture references, making it an easy and enjoyable watch. (Jojo Siwa, mentions of #FreeBritney, dating and social media apps, and Zoom calls are just to name a few examples).
When you’re with your friends, there’s freedom to gossip or share opinions on people with no judgment. Quite frankly, you could say anything you want with the right people. If you’re surrounded by friends who truly love you, they won’t bash you for saying something mean, offensive, or rude. They’ll point you in the right direction to become a better person. Or at the very least, they’ll stand with you in the mess you created. And that’s what matters in Season 1 of FX’s Adults.
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What We Loved About These Characters
There’s a nonchalance and lack of filter to these characters that made us feel seen. Sometimes it’s true that we don’t think about the consequences of our actions, and we become impulsive in the moment. It can happen to anyone, but it hits harder for those in their mid-twenties when everything feels like a constant doom circle. Most mistakes do come back to bite us, as seen with Anton’s storyline in Season 1, Episode 3, ‘Have You Seen This Man?’. We’re older Gen-Z, so we most definitely wouldn’t give our numbers out to random strangers even if we’re having a spontaneous great day.
However, we can see where Anton was coming from in doing so. He didn’t know he was talking to a serial stabber in their neighborhood. He’s just the type of guy to want to connect with people and be social in spreading a little joy. Some of his actions are clouded by a selfish desire to be liked by everyone he meets.
If we’re honest, each of these characters struggles with the same flaw of being selfish, self-obsessed, or narcissistic at times. But it’s these qualities that add multi-dimensions to their personalities to make them different from each other. Especially when we get to see who they are aside from those “mean” traits.
We found something to love in each of these characters. Simply, it was because of the many sides they represented in the young adult experience.
We Appreciate Their Flaws
There’s an ugly side in all of us that’s messy, overbearing, and flawed. These characters could be yelling at each other, wondering what’s wrong with them one night, and then admitting they love them the next day. As seen in Episode 3, with multiple conversations between Issa, Anton, and Billie as the serial stabber believes Anton is his friend.
As the girls yell frantically at Anton, wondering why he can’t say no to the serial stabber’s affection, he’s close to tears as he’s unable to come up with an answer. The next day, they agree with him when he jokingly says that everyone’s obsessed with him with a kind of care and warmth that tells us they told the truth.
Instances where characters love and embrace the other despite flaws are what make Adults heartfelt, even if defined as comedy. It’s one of the show’s biggest strengths. Because those actions show how important it is to embrace your friends and community when they need you. Finding and loving people who are all good, bad, and ugly and who do the same for you in return is incredibly special to find. Writers Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold cherish that discovery in Season 1.
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Nobody’s Perfect
Audiences can see themselves in Billie’s struggles to stay afloat when hitting her first roadblock of adulthood in Season 1, Episode 2, ‘Spit Roast’. People can relate to Samir’s anxiety, being the focus of attention in moments that matter. Or Issa’s voice for being ride or die for her friends, and her unwavering self-confidence. Anton’s ability to connect and make someone relax in a crowded room felt like a warm hug.
Samir (Malik Elassal) in particular battled his anxiety over relationship issues and worrying over keeping his parents’ home intact. We felt his fear of growing up as he searched for a job and stood up to Billie’s doctors. He ends up losing his job offer at a financial company for showing too much enthusiasm to his bosses. And it’s evident in Season 1, Episode 5 ‘Theracide’ that Samir is one to barely allow himself to lose his composure daily.
He’s emotionally guarded and afraid of confrontation as it scares him to do anything wrong. Being quiet and afraid to raise his voice made his moments of growth impactful as he fought against his mental obstacles. Nobody’s perfect in Season 1, and it’s a life reminder we all should think about from time to time.
Lucy Freyer shines as Billie
Billie (Lucy Freyer) felt like her life was falling apart for most of Season 1. She lost her job in a newsroom after disrespecting her boss and ended up with temporary medical debt due to medical procedures. These events took place within days of each other. Her storyline hit us deep in the feels because her excelling in high school put high expectations of adulting in her head. So naturally, when the world kicked her down for the first time, Billie believed she’d never be more than a high school academic success.
The thought became so overwhelming that she hooked up with one of her high school teachers (a charming but unstable man played by Daredevil‘s Charlie Cox). Their relationship in Season 1, Episode 6, ‘Roast Chicken’ was short-lived. But helped teach Billie a lesson about how older adults also don’t have their lives together either. It’s a struggle for everyone at any age to find their purpose, look happy or healthy, or like life is working in their favor. You could fall apart at any time.
Mr. Teacher unconsciously helped Billie confront her fear of being a lost cause in making something out of her life that’s only just begun. Even if he didn’t know, he did because he was high and disoriented at Billie’s dinner party. And we’re thankful for his behavior because it proves Billie wrong in her belief. It’s okay for her to be a little messy right now in making carefree decisions. She had to face the fact that high school was over, and life wasn’t that simple anymore. Characters like Mr. Teacher and Issa pushed Billie along on her journey of self-acceptance. But it’s Freyer’s ease of portraying Billie, a girl who’s just trying to survive what life throws at her while also embracing pockets of joy, that made us pick her as our group favorite.
Window for Growth
The show delicately touches on real-life issues, ranging from health insurance struggles, housing an out-of-state young girl seeking an abortion in Episode 7, ‘Annabelle’, and sexual harassment claims. While these issues for young people are overall handled with care, there are other problems to talk about. The sprinkling of fun or humor to lighten up the “mood” brought down the ability to connect with these plot lines. And as a result, we’re in a limbo with these characters where we love their relationships but don’t feel entirely drawn into their stories yet. Mostly because everything moves so fast in episodes that last only twenty minutes.
The tone shifts between comedy and worrisome confessions about life happened abruptly for the most part. It was a turn-off at times when wanting to fully invest in Season 1. Samir admits in Episode 1 that he believed the world was annoyed by his presence. But it became a fear that didn’t return. Issa struggled with being heard within the group, and her turmoil lasted for an episode as she suffered in silence. Teasing audiences with multiple instances where potential storylines lacked payoff or further exploration feels like incomplete storytelling. Because we’re getting tastes of complexity with these characters, where neglect and anger could disrupt friendships. But they don’t change anything.
Loving this group for the people that they are is different than wanting to invest in their character journeys. We’d want to connect with these characters on a deeper level.
Last Thoughts
In Episodes 7 and 8, ‘The Mail’, we started to uncover more of their personalities. The lack of character depth and backstory is worth noting for everyone, even if they began fixing it in the finale. We loved learning about Paul Baker’s awful beginnings and visa struggles. Same with Issa’s devotion to musical theater and matchmaking. They’re a couple that became the unexpected heart of the show for us.
They supported and pushed for the people around them to succeed, whether in life or love. Issa and Paul are adorable together. They didn’t end up getting married, but they confronted their fears of moving too fast in life at 24 years old. Which was more important because there is no rush for either of them to commit. While on good terms, it’s undeniable that Paul and Anton also have some chemistry as “husbands”. Which could throw everyone’s rare peaceful night of eating wedding cake into a mess we aren’t sure anyone’s ready for.
Season 1 of FX’s Adults is a promising beginning for a show that has a lot of potential to become one of the best comedies of the year. Because yes, we’d love to see this group again. Give us more of these people figuring out how to write checks or learning how to talk to strangers. Show us how to have fun but also survive everyday self-doubt that threatens to knock you down. If FX gives them another season, writers would be able to continue showing audiences the highs and lows of adulting when it’s kind of the last thing you want to do when you’re young.
All episodes of FX‘s Season 1 of Adults are now streaming on Hulu! What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments!
