Gen Z are finally “Adults”. Allegedly. 

Do you know how to write a check? Fix a hot water boiler? How about cooking an entire roast chicken for a dinner party? I don’t, probably because I’m 24. Neither do the characters in “Adults”.

FX’s “Adults” just aired its second season on August 27th, 2026. Written by co-writers Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, it follows five mid-twenties friends as they juggle relationships, friendships, work, and the many (many) mishaps of your twenties. 

The group lives in Samir’s childhood home while his parents are away on an empty-nester RV trip—and no, he didn’t get permission first. Samir tries to be responsible but repeatedly fails to get his act together. The next household member is his childhood best friend, Billie, who is equally a mess. As a former high-achieving student, she struggles with the reality that life sometimes doesn’t pan out how you planned. The only couple in the house is Issa and Paul Baker. Issa is loud and outspoken, the most unpredictable of the group. Paul Baker is more of a pushover, trying hard to never be in the way and to fix everyone else’s problems. Lastly, Anton, a fashionable queer icon, charms and befriends everyone in sight while struggling to connect and let his walls down on a deeper level. They are all legally ‘Adults’, yet not one of them manages to handle daily life like one…which is exactly why it works. 

Most current twenty-somethings are either still living with their parents or struggling in the workforce. They are just trying to get by with the responsibilities of rent, bills, taking care of themselves and managing adulthood. “Adults” meets them there. Samir bombs an interview at a fintech company and ends up being a delivery driver instead. Billie says the wrong thing at work and gets fired from her reporting job that she was so eager about. They sit on the couch discussing the semantics of emoji use in networking emails. Almost none of the advice they give each other is good. The show is in on the joke of your twenties being hard and a hot mess, where you repeat mistakes over and over again. The characters make the same misguided attempts that any of us could see ourselves doing. 

With a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score and a 40% increase in viewership for the second season, it seems to be a hit. Adults wasn’t afraid to take a risk. In one of the most memorable episodes, they take acid only to soon realise a raccoon got into their house. This leads to a chaotic dash trying to coax the animal out before they all get too high. The chase is paired with a timer counting down to the drug hitting, creating tension that has you both on the edge of your seat and giggling at the absurdity. Yet, with all this going on, there is still personal drama and a relationship “Talk” between the couple. 

Adults has everything you need in a sitcom. The cast are relatable and realistic, and the chemistry between them is magnetic and amusing. It has great humour, ongoing jokes and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Despite this, it still manages to broach complicated and sensitive topics like sexuality, an age-gap relationship or consent. It deals with the very real anxiety of getting older and still feeling directionless while struggling to make a career and life. It manages difficult relationship dynamics, co-dependency and the personal insecurities of the characters. We see them struggle with family tension, code-switching between friend groups, getting over exes, and simply failing at making dinner. 

For Gen Z, it’s a refreshingly chaotic show that is highly relatable, funny and oddly reassuring. It’s a reminder that you may not be the only one making up ‘adulthood’ as you go. For older viewers, it’s a memory of the time when your life was also a complete mess, and maybe, despite being old enough to know better, you still have some things to figure out.