Gen Z Is Hilarious Even If They Don't Know How to Style their Hair

Here’s the thing: I don’t like the whole Gen Z aesthetic of Adults. I don’t like Paul Baker’s mustache or that weird modified mullet so popular with that generation. I hate Samir’s sweaters. I don’t like how nattily Anton dresses. Their house is a little grungy. Julia Fox, who pops up in both seasons of Adults, kind of freaks me out. The show just doesn’t look right, because I am old, and they are not.

But also, my god, Adults is funny. And it says so much about how funny it is that I love these characters despite their terrible fashion sense (according to an old). I love that Paul Baker is the perfect person except for his shame friend group — all bro-y, obnoxious guys. It’s hilarious that Anton accidentally uses the C-word in his corporate workplace and, in a Seinfeldian twist, recruits Issa to normalize it among the older co-workers. I love how seriously Samir takes his matchmaking duties, and how Billie is 25 and somehow already misses being young. There’s a whole episode about the people who inherited fake IDs from Samir and Billie, and Issa becomes a “weird little guy” when she’s nervous. And Zack-Carlos really is the worst. The worst.

Adults is hysterical, and creators Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw deserve Emmy writing nominations, but probably won’t receive them because the same people who vote for Hacks every year aren’t going to appreciate Adults — Paul Baker has a dumb mustache and the humor is post-woke (like English Teacher, only without the problematic creator). But it’s about a terrific found family who are somehow misanthropic yet love each other, careening into the most unconventional situations in television comedy: Paul’s approachable demeanor and kind eyes make him a frequent subject of Manhattan man-on-the-street segments. There’s the farcical episode where they all drop acid and try to solve their raccoon problem before it kicks in. Carly briefly considers giving up dental school to pursue K-Pop stardom, even though she’s terrible at it, because people in their 20s are genuinely afraid of committing to their futures too soon.

It’s very of-the-moment, relatable, and even a little nostalgic for people well outside the target demographic. But it might actually be the best comedy on television because, unlike It’s Always Sunny in its 18th season (still mostly great), it’s not mining a 1986 movie called Back to School for inspiration. These writers draw from their own lives because they haven’t yet settled into comfortable careers, partners, and kids — they still remember what it’s like to live with roommates and have no privacy to take care of their business.

Anyway, it’s a funny show and you should watch it even if the fashion choices bother you or you think you’re too old to catch all the jokes. You probably are too old, but there are enough jokes you’ll understand that it’ll still be the funniest thing on television. And yes, I amend my previous statement that Overcompensating is better than Adults. I was wrong. Everyone else was right.