Adults (2025)

Adults is an American television sitcom created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw about a group of friends in their twenties experiencing adulthood in Queens, New York City.

Adults premiered on FX on May 28, 2025, with the full season available the next day on Hulu and FX on Demand. The series was renewed for a second season in October 2025, which premiered on August 27, 2026, on FX and FXX, with the full season available the next day on Hulu and FXX on Demand. A special prequel episode premiered on July 31, 2026. The series has received widespread critical acclaim, often drawing comparisons to previous hangout sitcoms like Friends (1994–2004) and New Girl (2011–2018).

Premise

Adults follows a group of young friends—Samir (Elassal), Billie (Freyer), Paul Baker (Innanen), Issa (Rao), and Anton (Thiele)—as they navigate the challenges of early adulthood while living together in Samir's childhood home. The series explores themes such as career struggles, healthcare, modern dating, and social dynamics, portraying both the comedic and difficult aspects of transitioning into adult life.

Cast

Main

Malik Elassal as Samir Rahman, Billie's childhood friend from Bayside, Queens who is allowing his friends to stay in his parents' home rent-free. Samir is generally good-natured and a caring friend, especially towards Billie, but can be selfish and prone to neuroticism. He is in a long-term relationship with Carly for most of the show, but they split amicably at the end of the second season.

Lucy Freyer as Billie Schaeffer, Samir's childhood friend and former next-door neighbor. Billie is the most concerned of the group about being an adult and what that entails, but her attempts to be mature often end in failure. After losing her job as a temp worker for a news agency in the pilot, Billie spends most of the show unemployed and trying to look for a new job. Billie often struggles with relationships, such as one with her high-school teacher, due to her reluctance to grow up.

Jack Innanen as Paul Baker, Issa's sexually-fluid boyfriend and a recent immigrant from Canada. Almost exclusively referred to by his full name, Paul Baker is kindhearted, sweet, and unfailingly polite to everyone he meets and quickly endears himself to the rest of the group. He works as a waiter for a local diner named Vladi's and occasionally bartends at night for extra money. Paul Baker and Issa are dating when the show begins and he moves into the house in the second episode, but he marries Anton after his visa expires.

Amita Rao as Issa Damani, Paul Baker's girlfriend and a college friend of Samir and Anton's. Issa is flighty, self-centered, and outgoing, but also a loyal friend. She is a part-time ballet teacher, and also mentions a desire to be a singer and has extensive vocal training. Her parents are wealthy South Asian immigrants originally from London. She dates Paul Baker for most of the show, but breaks up with him in the second season.

Owen Thiele as Anton Evans, a college friend of Samir and Issa's. Anton is an extroverted people-pleaser known for being extremely charming and able to quickly win people over; however, most of this is superficial and he eventually forgets most people he befriends. Anton works in digital ad sales and is the only member of the group with a well-paying, stable corporate job, which he secretly enjoys. He has an older sister named Talia and is the black sheep of his family, whom he is notably cold and irascible towards. He marries Paul Baker in the first season finale after Paul Baker's visa expires, and eventually has to admit that he has genuine feelings for him.

Recurring

Rachel Marsh as Carly, a dental assistant and Samir's girlfriend

Charlie Cox as "Mr. Teacher" (season 1), Billie and Samir's former high school teacher and Billie's short-lived boyfriend. His name is later revealed to be Andrew.

Rico Tudico as Vladi (season 2), the owner of Vladi's Diner and Paul Baker's boss

Liam Cullagh as OJ, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2)

Joey Dardano as Schnee, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2)

Jordan Kronis as Brent, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2)

Will Sennett as Roach, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2)

Guest

Julia Fox as herself, a close friend of Paul Baker

Julian Manjerico as Zack-Carlos bin Laden, a former college friend of Samir, Anton, and Issa. He married Issa as a joke in college, and is constantly scheming to reinsert himself back into the friend group.

Will Ropp as Kyle Haberman (season 1), an acquaintance who makes national news after being sexually harassed at work.

Ray Nicholson as Ethan (season 1), a man Anton befriends on the train. He is later revealed to be the Bayside Stabber.

Grace Kuhlenschmidt as Taryn (season 1), an acquaintance of Issa's who believes she can commune with the dead.

Tala Ashe as Hilary (season 1), Mr. Teacher's ex-wife.

D'Arcy Carden as Allison (season 1), one half of a couple whom Billie has a threesome with.

John Reynolds as Brian (season 1), one half of a couple whom Billie has a threesome with.

Susie Essman as Arlene Walters (season 2), the mother of Billie's high school friend Danielle.

Gaten Matarazzo as Fake Samir (season 2), the first inheritor of Samir's fake ID.

Isaac Cole Powell as Eric (season 2), a man who Anton makes a connection with at a club.

Sophie Telegadis as Sophie-Rose (season 2), the current owner of Billie's fake ID.

Raven-Symoné as Talia (season 2), Anton's older sister who he has a tempestuous relationship with.

Ben Marshall as Colin (season 2), a man who Billie takes an interest in while clubbing

Dylan Arnold as Greg (season 2), Samir's coworker who briefly dates Billie.

David Paymer as Sandy Adler (season 2), Paul Baker's opponent in the HOA election.

Zosia Mamet as Nina Adler (season 2), Sandy's mean-spirited daughter

Mia Fowler as Margaux (season 2), a librarian who befriends Issa

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Mr. Lee (season 2), a neighbor who holds a grudge against Sandy.

Additionally, Yvette Nicole Brown voices Anton’s mother over a phone call.

Episodes

Season 1 (2025)

Special (2026)

Prequel episode showing the origin story of the friend group and Paul Baker. The episode was written as a new pilot to be placed as the first episode of the series on FX and streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu. The episode was made as a new way to introduce viewers to the series, as viewership was low for the first season.

Season 2 (2026)

Release

Production took place in Toronto, Canada. Adults premiered with its first two episodes on May 28, 2025, with new episodes scheduled to air in back-to-back pairs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FX. The full series was released for streaming on Hulu on May 29. Internationally, the series became available on Disney+. In-person promotional events for the series took place at laundromats in New York City and Los Angeles. The second season premiered on FXX on August 27 and features guest appearances by Susie Essman, Raven-Symoné, Gaten Matarazzo, Jake Shane, Isaac Powell, Ben Marshall, and Zosia Mamet. A special prequel episode, which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival on June 11, premiered on FXX and Hulu on July 31.

Reception

Critical response

Adults premiered to generally positive reviews from critics. For the first season, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 77% approval rating based on 35 critic reviews with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Every generation deserves its own sitcom of likable screwups, and Adults more or less delivers one for Gen-Z with its ensemble of funny and maddening strivers." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 65 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. For the second season, which was described as an improvement over its first, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 27 critic reviews with an average rating of 8.1/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 79 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Dave Nemetz of TVLine described Adults as a welcome return to television for stories about people in their twenties. He found that the show captures the chaotic energy of Gen Z life with humor and charm. Nemetz appreciated its blend of influences, noting echoes of Friends, Girls, and especially Broad City, and praised the surreal, irreverent tone. He also complimented the cast of newcomers, highlighting Owen Thiele's performance as a standout. Nemetz said the show delivers big laughs and proves that comedy is still alive and well, even within a more socially conscious landscape. Karl Quinn of The Age said that while Adults adopts the familiar framework of a share-house sitcom, it also functions as a reflection of its cultural moment. He found that the series combines elements of Friends and Girls with contemporary concerns such as identity politics and cancel culture. Quinn appreciated the show's ability to satirize its twenty-something characters' contradictions and posturing while still extending empathy toward them. He singled out the sixth episode as "hilarious" and "unhinged". While acknowledging that not every element of the series is successful, Quinn praised its originality and cultural resonance.

Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club wrote that Adults attempts to fill a void of fun, low-stakes hangout sitcoms focused on tight-knit friend groups. She found that while the series does not fully rise to the level of the next great hangout comedy, it shows plenty of potential with laugh-out-loud moments and strong guest stars. Gajjar appreciated how the show taps into the awkwardness and challenges faced by older Gen Zs today, weaving in socio-political commentary reminiscent of Broad City and Search Party. She praised the creators and writers for their comedic backgrounds and the goodwill behind the series, but noted that the humor can sometimes feel over-the-top. Michel Ghanem of TheWrap asserted that Adults marks a strong return to the messy twenty-something friend-group comedy, filling a gap left by shows like Girls and Search Party. He noted that while the pilot may feel a bit overwhelming with heavy themes, the series quickly finds its footing with relatable moments and effortless laughs. Ghanem praised the chemistry among the cast and the show's grounded approach to misadventures, avoiding sitcom clichés. He also highlighted the subtle character development around quarter-life crises and personal growth, suggesting that Adults has the potential to grow into a standout comedy over multiple seasons.

Ratings

The premiere episode of Adults, which aired on May 28, 2025, had 188,500 household viewers and a 0.15% rating. On June 11, the series recorded 91,000 viewers among viewers aged 2 and older (P2+) and a 0.03% rating, representing a 3% decrease from the previous week. Among adults aged 18–49, the episode had 27,000 viewers and a 0.02% rating, while the 25–54 demographic had 38,000 viewers and a 0.03% rating.

Season 1 saw a 50% increase in streaming viewership following the release of the standalone prequel episode "Marathon Day" on July 31, 2026, a month before the release of season 2. After 12 days of viewing, season 2 had a 40% increase in viewership compared with season 1, accounting for viewers across Hulu and Disney+ globally. International viewership also increased by 100%.

Accolades

At the 2026 Queerties Awards, Adults was nominated for TV Comedy, while Owen Thiele was nominated for TV Performance.

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Adults at IMDb