I find a deep comfort in watching sitcoms that center characters in their 20s or 30s. They are typically making questionable decisions and figuring their lives out. Yet, in these shows I have the security of knowing that everything will work out for them. They typically have an apartment, a group of friends who are always available to hang out and a disposable income to grab coffee whenever they want.
Then there is FX’s 2025 series “Adults”.
Like many viewers, “Adults” has become the latest sitcom to take over my life. “Adults” follows five 20-something-year-olds living together in Queens, New York. The audience follows them navigating careers, relationships and the general struggles of growing into adulthood. The second season premiered in August 2026.
While the series maintains the “group of friends living together” format of other sitcoms, there is one major difference that sets it apart from similar shows like “Friends” or “New Girl.” In “Adults,” the characters are deeply struggling financially and career-wise.
The most obvious difference is where the protagonists live. The cast of “Adults” does not reside in a Manhattan apartment or large Los Angeles loft. They are secretly living in Samir’s childhood home while his parents are traveling. It is a comfortable space, yet it highlights that the characters have not yet achieved the financial independence other sitcoms depict.
Comparing this with “Friends,” Rachel and Monica have their own apartment in New York City, and although the show has received criticism for the unrealistic apartments, the space itself highlights the financial independence of the protagonists. The same can be said for “New Girl.” Jess moves into a Los Angeles loft with three roommates. Even though the cast share the space, they are adults who have established lives separate from their families.
In “Adults,” the shared home does not feel like a reflection of adulthood. Rather, it highlights the characters’ financial struggles. They are sharing rooms, not paying rent and begin the series by hiding from Samir’s family’s Ring camera so they do not discover them. “Adults” has been praised for being a modern take on the traditional sitcom. It has refreshed the genre by including common problems faced by Generation Z.
Billie, for example, is faced with unemployment, but it is not due to a lack of qualifications or an identity struggle. Rather, she is applying to jobs and not getting anywhere. Her struggle is not treated as a problem that is resolved within an episode; rather, it represents the difficult struggle of trying to establish a career in the current competitive job market. Even the protagonists with a job, such as Anton, are shown being unable to get promoted or move up in the modern career hierarchy. In “Friends,” the cast does experience career struggles. Rachel has to work her way up the career ladder before getting her job in fashion. Yet, the characters have enough financial stability to make their jobs a minor detail in the show.
For Gen Z, as represented in “Adults,” getting a degree does not immediately mean getting a job in that industry. Entry level job postings have significantly dropped, with most now requiring three or more years of prior experience. College degrees have also started to lose their hiring advantage, with many recent graduates facing the same rate of unemployment as non-graduates. The U.S. unemployment rate for Gen Z workers is more than double the national average.
“Adults” showcases the struggle many Gen Z members are experiencing. They are not working to buy a house or living with roommates for the fun experience. Living alone is too expensive in today’s economy. Underneath the comedy of the show, the characters’ problems reflect an anxiety many people in their 20s face. Why can we not move forward in life even when doing everything correctly?
Even the physical settings of these television shows reinforce that anxiety. Past sitcom casts could meet their friends at coffee shops, bars or restaurants because the writers assumed that young adults had disposable incomes. In “Adults,” most of the plot occurs inside their house because they cannot afford the same luxuries past protagonists could. Recent data has shown that Gen Z is going out much less than previous generations due to the high costs of living.
Shows like “Friends” or “New Girl” were not intended to be financially realistic. However, the comparison shows that the fantasy of young adulthood has changed with the current times. In the past, the sitcom version of being in your 20s meant moving to a new city, getting your own place, finding a good career and building a social life. For Gen Z, adulthood is attempting to gain independence while affordability keeps moving out of reach.
“Adults” reflects the younger generation’s thirst for the independence that comes with adulthood while being unable to afford it. This is why the show is so beloved. It is estimated that one in three young adults currently live with their parents due to the rising housing costs in the U.S. The reality is that young adults are unable to follow the same steps laid out for past generations. Having a sitcom with young adults who are experiencing many of the problems Gen Z is facing makes young viewers feel seen and accurately represented. This is the reason that “Adults” has gained such a large viewership, calling for future networks to follow this methodology of making realistic sitcoms.