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The twentysomething hangout comedy is a TV staple, but increasingly rare is a show that survives a low-rated first season. Critically well-received and appreciated by those who actually watched it, Adults survived obscurity to score a second-season renewal that saw it take off (helped along by the streamer's decision to film a new "pilot" episode after the first season had already been completed).
Though it has all the makings of the next breakout streaming hit, Adults has yet to be renewed for season three, but ratings and buzz are there. While you're waiting (and hoping), you can enjoy these other essential hangout shows involving characters on the cusp of adulthood.
I Love LA (2025 – )
Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby, Bottoms) created, produces, writes, and stars in this take on twenty-something existence, part of a venerable TV comedic tradition shared with Adults. Sennott plays Maia, 27 and desperate for promotion in her job as an assistant talent manager. She's joined in town by Tallulah (Odessa A’zion), her one-time best friend and a New York City influencer fallen on messy times, as alternately fun and exhausting addition to a circle of friends that includes West Hollywood stylist Charlie (Jordan Firstman) and Maia's teacher boyfriend, Dylan (Josh Hutcherson). Like Gen Z's answer to Girls, it's smartly written and impressively acted, an essential when characters are charmingly, believably, insufferable. Stream I Love LA on HBO Max.
The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021 – 2025)
Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) is an endlessly naïve scholarship student; Bela (Amrit Kaur) is an aspiring comedy writer on the make for the hottest guys; Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is an overachieving athlete and senator’s daughter; and Leighton (Reneé Rapp) is a closeted sorority girl. They're all randomly assigned to room together as freshmen at the fictional Essex College in Vermont. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, this comedy-drama isn't nearly as salacious as its title suggests—there's sex for sure, but like Sex and the City before it, it's a funny, queer-friendly show that's a little less about one overarching romance than it is about growing up, and discovering the value of female friendship. Stream The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max.
Single Drunk Female (2022 – 2023)
Samantha Fink (Sofia Black-D’Elia) is a 28-year-old alcoholic who hits absolute rock bottom in the form of an embarrassing public meltdown. Committing to sobriety, she moves back to Boston with her strict and controlling mother (Ally Sheedy) and reconnects with her best friend Brit (Sasha Compère). Of course, for all of that sounding like a good idea, it also puts her right back in the environment that contributed to her drinking in the first place. Funny and humane, this is another show about messy, complicated young people trying to get a fresh start. Stream Single Drunk Female on Tubi.
Overcompensating (2025 – )
Comedian Benito Skinner plays himself, kinda, in this buzzy comedy that sees a former high school jock facing his freshman year in college while desperately trying to convince himself and everyone else that he's as straight as they come (relatable, except for the jock part). Much of the appeal is in its deft blending of tones: It's both a frequently raunchy college comedy and a sweet coming-of-age story about accepting yourself without worrying about what everyone else thinks. The cast includes Adam DiMarco (The White Lotus) and Rish Shah (Ms. Marvel), and there's a romantic component, even if the emphasis is more on what not to do when it comes to young love. Stream Overcompensating on Prime Video.
Margo's Got Money Troubles (2026 – )
Margo's Got Money Troubles stars Elle Fanning as the title's Margo, a 20-year-old aspiring writer who becomes pregnant following a brief affair with her married English professor. Her mom, Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), is supportive but negative about Margo's future prospects, while her estranged father, Jinx (Nick Offerman), is willing to pitch in and help out now that he's out of rehab. Still, she needs money if she's going to manage it all, and so takes to OnlyFans (and, at this point, who amongst us hasn't?). Though based on a standalone book, it has been renewed for a second season. Stream Margo's Got Money Troubles on Apple TV.
Welcome to Waikiki (2018 – 2019)
Let's take a moment to get situated, as the title might be a little confusing: Waikiki takes place in Seoul, the title referring to a Hawaiian-themed guest house run (rather poorly) by three twentysomething guys, all of whom dream of success in different aspects of the movie business. They're joined by a single mom with aspirations toward rap stardom, an aspiring journalist, and a model fallen on hard times. There are romantic complications between the six, a bit of drama, and then a lot of the weird, surreal, almost slapstick comedy of the sort that Adults manages to pull off so well. Stream Welcome to Waikiki on Tubi.
Derry Girls (2018 – 2022)
Going back to high school is taking us even further from the "independent twenty-something" of Adults, but the vibe is a pretty solid match, as is the absurdist sense of humor. It's a legitimate sitcom that just happens to be set in Northern Ireland during the violent Troubles of the 1990s, when clashes between nationalists and unionists were a common occurrence. The fascinating contrast has been brought to life by a writer and creator (Lisa McGee) who lived it. It’s also laugh-out-loud funny—though it doesn’t make any allowances for audiences unaccustomed to Irish accents, so don’t feel bad if you need subtitles until you get the hang of it. Erin, Orla, Clare, and Michelle are lifelong friends joined by James, the only male student at their Catholic girls' school, all of them dealing with growing independence in absurd times. Stream Derry Girls on Netflix.
Insecure (2016 – 2021)
If we can do older high schoolers, we can certainly go to the far end of the twenty-something range for a couple of women on the cusp of 30, as Issa Rae's Issa and Yvonne Orji's Molly are at the start of this comedy-drama that Rae also created and (often) writes. Issa is the only Black person at a non-profit supporting middle school students of color; her love life is a mess, and her best friend Molly is a successful lawyer who likewise can't make a relationship last for anything. The show is generally about two besties and their circle of friends discovering, as they approach true adulthood, that life isn't always going to deliver the things they'd planned or hoped for. Stream Insecure on HBO Max.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015 – 2019)
Inexplicably underrated, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a hybrid sitcom/drama that staged wildly ambitious, and consistently hilarious, musical numbers throughout its four-season run. The show stars Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Bunch, a Yale- and Harvard-educated lawyer who works for a major NYC firm, who throws it all away to chase a crush from her teenage years to a small town in California where she (awkwardly) builds a new life with a new circle of friends. Most impressively, the show dives into real-life issues around mental illness and treatment with unexpected humor, but also genuine compassion and frankness. Buy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from Prime Video.
Living Single (1993 – 1998)
Let's go old school for one of the best and most underrated sitcoms of the 1990s. Living Single stars Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Kim Fields, and Erika Alexander as four young friends navigating the single life in New York City in a '90s kinda world. It plays off some of the same dynamics that worked for a show like The Golden Girls before it (i.e., four women with distinct personalities) and certainly served as inspiration for shows that came after (including Friends). Living Single adds to the comedy (and silliness) with some still relevant social issues, and serialized relationship drama that never brings things down, even as it makes for a solid binge-watch. Stream Living Single on Hulu.
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