Elliot Hilden, co-executive editor

Warning: Spoilers for “Adults”

If you are looking for a new show to obsess over, look no further than “Adults,” an original comedy series following a group of friends in their mid-twenties as they navigate the world of early adulthood while living together in Samir’s childhood home. The main friend group in the show is made up of neurotic yet caring Samir, adorable girlfailure Billie, chaotic and loyal Issa, “friend slut” Anton, and Paul Baker. While the show primarily revolves around that group, there is also a star-studded cast of guest appearances throughout the show, such as the incomparable Julia Fox. 

While I love all the characters deeply, I would say my favorite is Jack Innanen’s character Paul Baker, the sexually fluid Canadian who meets the rest of the group in the special prequel episode “Marathon Day.” At the beginning of the show, he and Issa are dating, but over the course of the two seasons, he and Anton, played by Owen Thiele, have a slow-burn love story that is absolutely immaculate.

“Adults” very recently aired its second season on Aug. 27, and it has since blown up online due to its relatability among young adults today. It has been compared to shows like “Friends” and “New Girl,” and I wholeheartedly agree. I love how this show features realistic portrayals of what it is like to be a struggling twenty-something in the modern day, while also feeling instantly classic. It also does a wonderful job of exploring how social media affects life today. 

I believe that one of the best parts of “Adults” is the commitment to the bit. The show frequently features meta-commentary, such as Issa’s line in the opening sequence of season two, “it’s season two, Paul Baker, we’re doing a oner!” I love this style of comedy, where the characters aren’t aware that they are in a TV show, but use that wording as a nod to the audience. Another bit that I love is the way that characters almost exclusively refer to Paul Baker by his full name, and refer to “Paul” and “Baker” as separate identities of his. 

My favorite episode of season two is episode four, “Raccoon.” The episode follows “Acid Night,” an event hosted by Issa and Paul Baker where their group all takes acid together. Right after taking the acid, a raccoon walks through the living room, which leads to the group all scrambling to get rid of it before the acid hits in 30 minutes. Issa and Paul Baker later individually reveal to Billie and Samir that they actually want to use Acid Night to have a serious conversation about their relationship. This episode is genuinely so funny and chaotic; I could rewatch it a million times and still find it entertaining. Between the messiness of Billie and Samir trying not to intervene, the chaos of the raccoon, and Anton’s suspicions and eventual breakdown over his faults in the situation, it is an iconic piece of media that is worth watching the rest of the show just to get to see it. 

All episodes of “Adults” are available to stream on Hulu, and given that the entire show is only around eight hours total, you basically have no reason not to watch it.