If you’re looking for something easy, genuinely funny, and not emotionally exhausting, Adults is kind of perfect for a weekend binge. It already has a second season coming, which honestly tracks because it’s the kind of show you don’t realise you’re hooked on until you’re three episodes in.
It follows a group of five friends in New York, all trying to figure out adulthood in their own messy, slightly chaotic ways. Living together in Samir’s childhood home, the show tracks their friendships, bad decisions, small wins, and everything in between as they navigate work, relationships, and just the general confusion of being “adults.”
It has that Friends-like group setup, but way less polished and way more honest. Nobody has their life together, everyone is slightly spiralling, and yet it never feels heavy. That’s the best part. You can laugh at it, recognise bits of your own life in it, and still not feel drained after an episode. It just feels easy in the best way.
It also doesn’t try to over-explain itself or force big “moments.” The humour comes from small things, awkward pauses, weird reactions, conversations that go on a little too long. It trusts you to get it, which makes it feel a lot more natural than most shows in this space right now.
The Characters: The Ultimate Friend Group
- Billie (Lucy Freyer) is constantly in her own head, overanalysing everything and turning small moments into full-blown internal crises.
- Samir (Malik Elassal) is just…. a good dude. A little clueless, a little slow sometimes, but always trying to be there for his friends in whatever way he can.
- Issa (Amita Rao) is brutally honest, emotionally intense, and slightly terrifying in social situations, but also the kind of friend who would absolutely have your back no matter what.
- Anton (Owen Thiele) is chaotic, social, and ridiculously entertaining. He’ll befriend anyone, but when things start getting serious, you can see him pull back.
- Paul Baker (Jack Innanen) is easily the standout. He joins the group later but fits in instantly, like he was always meant to be there. He’s kind, a bit awkward, effortlessly likeable, and yes, not hard to look at either. His dynamic with Issa is soft but complicated in a way that works.
Standout Episodes (Spoilers Ahead, but Nothing Major)
“The Pilot” episode drops you straight into the group’s rhythm without holding your hand. The plot is simple but effective, it revolves around the group navigating a very normal, slightly chaotic day that quickly spirals into miscommunication, awkward encounters, and small conflicts that feel bigger than they are. What really works is how naturally the dynamics are set up. Billie overthinks, Issa says too much, Samir tries to help but misses the point, Anton stirs things up, and Paul isn’t fully in the picture yet. By the end, you already understand who these people are without any forced introductions.
Then “Have You Seen This Man?” is where the show really leans into chaos. The entire episode revolves around the fact that there’s a stabber loose in the neighbourhood, and the group slowly realises that Anton may have accidentally befriended him. What follows is pure panic in the most unserious way possible.
The highlight here is the gun shop sequence, especially Paul Baker trying to have a completely normal conversation with the store manager while clearly being out of his depth. It’s awkward, slightly tense, and very funny because of how seriously he’s trying to handle something he absolutely does not understand. At the same time, Anton and the others are spiralling in their own way, trying to process the idea that they might actually know the guy everyone is afraid of. It’s chaotic, but the humour lands because every reaction feels very “this is exactly how this group would handle it.”
“Roast Chicken” is also one of the strongest episodes. It’s built around a dinner that slowly falls apart, and every character is dealing with their own mini-crisis at the table. Billie is spiralling internally over how she’s being perceived, Issa is overcompensating socially and making things worse, Samir is trying to keep things smooth but failing quietly, and Anton is leaning into the chaos instead of diffusing it. The tension builds through overlapping conversations, awkward silences, and things being said that probably shouldn’t have been said.
The guest appearances here really elevate everything. Julia Fox walks in and completely shifts the energy, making an already unstable situation even more unpredictable. Charlie Cox blends into the chaos in a way that doesn’t feel like a stunt cameo. The whole episode feels like one of those dinners you regret attending but can’t stop replaying later.
Finally, the finale, “The Meal,” brings everything to a head. This time, the dinner setting isn’t just awkward, it’s tense. The whole situation around Paul’s visa as a Canadian trying to stay in the US leads to conversations about green card marriage that quickly get complicated. What starts as a practical discussion turns into something much more personal, and you can feel the group dynamic start to crack a little.
People start taking things personally, relationships get tested, and the easy dynamic they had before doesn’t feel so easy anymore. And then that ending, Anton and Paul Baker kissing, completely shifts everything. It’s unexpected, messy, and leaves things in a place that feels unresolved in the best way possible.
Final Verdict: Is It Worth Watching?
Adults is one of those rare shows right now that just lets you have a good time. It’s funny in a very real way, the characters are messy but genuinely likeable, and nothing about it feels forced or over-produced. You’re not watching it to learn something or to sit with heavy emotions after. You’re watching it because it’s entertaining, familiar, and just really easy to slip into.
And that doesn’t mean it’s forgettable. If anything, it sticks because it feels honest without trying too hard. The jokes land, the dynamics feel real, and the episodes move quickly without feeling rushed. It’s the kind of show you recommend to friends with “just watch one episode” and then end up discussing specific scenes the next day.
It also feels like something we don’t get enough of anymore, a sitcom that is actually funny, actually warm, and doesn’t leave you feeling weirdly heavy afterwards. It knows its tone, sticks to it, and lets you just enjoy the ride.