FX’s Adults Nails the Quarter-Life Crisis Vibe
There’s something oddly comforting about watching characters fall apart with flair, and FX’s latest comedy Adultsembraces that energy with gusto.
Set in a shared Queens home, the show follows five twentysomethings—Billie, Samir, Anton, Issa, and Paul Baker—who are messy, misguided, and maybe just a little too close for comfort. But despite their chaos, it’s the sheer chemistry between them that makes Adults a show worth watching.
At its core, Adults is a hangout comedy in the vein of Girls or Happy Endings, but it’s far less polished.
Instead, it feels grungy, impulsive, and raw—in all the best ways.
It’s a portrait of a generation that grew up online, lives loudly, and communicates through jokes, trauma dumps, and overanalyzed brunch conversations. And while that might sound exhausting, FX’s Adults also knows when to pull back and hit emotional beats with surprising sweetness.
The Cast of Adults Shines with Chemistry
From the pilot onward, the strength of this show is in its cast.
Lucy Freyer’s Billie is the emotional anchor, navigating life post-gold-star student with no real plan.
Malik Elassal brings edge and unpredictability as Samir, though the writing sometimes leaves his character flailing.
Owen Thiele’s Anton is the show’s standout—a larger-than-life soul-bonder who just wants to connect with everyone, even the guy terrorizing their block with a knife. Amita Rao as Issa and Jack Innanen as Paul Baker round out the friend group with charm and awkward energy.
They argue, they overshare, and they treat every room like a therapist’s office, but there’s real love between them.
That camaraderie is what keeps The Show grounded, even when the jokes land somewhere between bizarre and baffling. Whether they’re delivering absurd pep talks or unpacking existential dread over cereal, the ensemble’s rhythm is magnetic.
Adults Delivers More Awkward Than Ha-Ha—But That’s Kind of the Point
Let’s be honest: not every joke lands in Adults. In fact, some barely crawl off the page.
A storyline about exploiting “the window” after a workplace scandal had promise but fizzled out, while another revolving around Billie trying to impress older dinner guests was more cringe than comedy gold. Still, the show doesn’t pretend to be slick or safe.
That awkwardness is the point—it’s not trying to make you laugh with the characters, but often at how desperately they want to be seen as adult.
That tension between maturity and identity is the show’s most compelling theme. Each character is stuck in their own kind of arrested development, flailing through modern life without a guidebook. And Adults doesn’t offer solutions—it just lets us watch them stumble, fumble, and occasionally say something profound between all the mess.
How Adults Balances Earnestness and Edge
When Adults leans into vulnerability, it works best. Billie’s breakdowns about peaking too early and losing her sense of direction hit harder than any punchline. There’s an entire generation reflected in her character—ambitious, overachieving young adults suddenly cut loose from structure and expected to “figure it out.”
Similarly, Anton’s exaggerated need for connection is both hilarious and sad. These characters are all trying to be “adults” in the way they think adulthood looks—successful, witty, in control—while constantly failing to realize that growing up isn’t about looking the part. It’s about learning from the mess, not avoiding it.
🎁 Goodie: Want to Know If Adults Is for You? Watch Episode 3 First
If you’re unsure about committing to the full season of Adults, skip ahead to episode 3. It’s where the ensemble finally hits their comedic rhythm, and Anton’s subplot about soul-bonding with a neighborhood stabber is bizarrely brilliant. If that episode hooks you, you’re in for the ride.
Adults isn’t a perfect show—but then again, it doesn’t try to be. It’s awkward, loud, messy, and a little emotionally unstable. Sound familiar? That’s because it mirrors what being in your twenties actually feels like. The show captures the essence of those in-between years with a voice that’s raw, flawed, but unmistakably honest.
With a cast full of chemistry and a tone that swings between cringey and heartfelt, Adults may just be the imperfect comedy we didn’t know we needed. And much like its characters, it’s likely to get better the more it grows into itself.
