Whenever you turn around, someone is trying to recreate the tried-and-true television formula of putting a group of twentysomethings in a house and following their personal and romantic lives as they try to get real and finally grow up.
We’ve seen it play out in numerous comedy series over the years, and the new FX series Adults hopes to join that ever-growing list of series that stand out among the many.
But does it succeed? Oh yes, it does.
Adults, previously titled Snowflakes, follows five friends who live and exist in New York City while trying to navigate that pesky little thing called adulthood.
The five friends are Samir, Billie, Issa, Anton, and Paul Baker (whom you must refer to by his full name because those are the rules!). And they all live together in Samir’s childhood home.
The quintet is extremely close — some may say, at times, too close — but that may also be a product of the times.
Back in the days of Three’s Company or Friends, the main characters may have lived together or co-existed in the same spaces frequently, but they also had their own spaces.
Nowadays, it’s not remotely uncommon for multiple friends, like more than three, to share a two-bedroom apartment.
That’s not exactly the case with Adults, where bestie roommates share everything at all times, and you quickly learn that these friends are wildly comfortable with one another in ways most friends typically are not.
The de facto leader of the bunch is Samir (a quietly hilarious Malik Elassal), whose house everyone is living in. By that metric alone, he assumes the role of leader for the audience, even if this isn’t really a show that signals anyone out as being the leader of anything.
He’s longtime friends with Billie (Lucy Freyer), who is a fellow roommate alongside Issa (scene-stealer Amita Rao), Anton (Owen Thiele), and the aforementioned Paul Baker (Jack Innanen).
The roommates don’t have the same personalities, but they all mix well together.
These types of shows don’t work without the relationships feeling lived in, and from the very first scene of the series, which has to be seen to be believed, you can tell these are a tight-knit group of friends.
Their friendships aren’t superficial, even if, at times, they may not always seem like they’re on the same page. That’s more a product of longstanding friendships than a deficiency in the leads’ chemistry, which is consistent throughout the first season.
However, with episodes that hover around 22 minutes, you’re dropping right into plots, which leaves little room for exploration of the characters themselves.
With such limited time for each episode, the series chooses to forgo heavy exposition and get right into the plot points, meaning that while we’re learning about the characters through their actions, it also feels like we don’t know much about them at the same time.
In the six episodes made available to the press, no character’s backstory, other than Billie’s, is explored meaningfully.
Though her “backstory” is just played out through the knowledge that she’s still stuck in reveling in years past.
The characters’ chemistry and relationships feel earned, but the series does not explore them in depth.
The pilot is a little heavy, considering we have never met any of these characters, but it also lets you know what kind of show you’re signing up for.
The central plot revolves around a friend of the group making national headlines for being a sexual assault whistleblower, and Samir struggles with whether or not he’s ever been untoward with any of his past exes.
The subject isn’t handled delicately but rather through humor and self-deprecation. If that’s not your cup of tea, then the subsequent episodes probably won’t be either. However, each episode builds upon itself, and you can see the show finding its footing as it goes on.
This is not your broadcast television kind of comedy. Instead, they take chances with each episode, and that’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it does allow the comedy to stand out amongst the crowd.
And that’s precisely what comedies need to do nowadays.
Adults‘ strength is simply in the mundaneness of being a roommate.
Except there is nothing mundane about this group of friends.
During the second hour, Billie discovers she needs medical attention, and she finds out when the whole house is in the bathroom with her while she’s on the toilet.
This is that kind of show.
It’s messy, honest, and unhinged enough to stand out in the crowded comedy pack.
The series also has many great guest stars, including a hilarious turn from Daredevil‘s Charlie Cox, who feels right at home amongst the absurdity.
It’s not a perfect show, but it’s sure to make you laugh.
If the show is renewed for future seasons, it should invest a bit more in the characters, but not too much so that it loses its charm.
Will you be checking out Adults?
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Adults premieres on FX at 9/8c with the first two episodes on May 28th.
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