Adults (TV series)

Adults (TV series)

Adults is an American television sitcom created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw about a group of friends in their twenties experiencing adulthood in Queens, New York City.

Adults premiered on FX on May 28, 2025. The series was renewed for a second season in October 2025, which premiered on August 27, 2026, on FX and FXX. A special prequel episode premiered on July 31, 2026. While initially met with generally favorable critical reviews, the series has received widespread critical acclaim, often drawing comparisons to previous hangout sitcoms like Friends and New Girl.

Premise

Adults (TV series)

Adults follows a group of young friends—Samir (Elassal), Billie (Freyer), Paul Baker (Innanen), Issa (Rao), and Anton (Thiele)—as they navigate the challenges of early adulthood while living together in Samir's childhood home. The series explores themes such as career struggles, healthcare, modern dating, and social dynamics, portraying both the comedic and difficult aspects of transitioning into adult life.

Cast

Main

• Malik Elassal as Samir Rahman, Billie's childhood friend from Bayside, Queens who is allowing his friends to stay in his parents' home rent-free. Samir is generally good-natured and a caring friend, especially towards Billie, but can be selfish and prone to neuroticism. He is in a long-term relationship with Carly for most of the show, but they split amicably at the end of the second season. • Lucy Freyer as Billie Schaeffer, Samir's childhood friend and former next-door neighbor. Billie is the most concerned of the group about being an adult and what that entails, but her attempts to be mature often end in failure. After losing her job as a temp worker for a news agency in the pilot, Billie spends most of the show unemployed and trying to look for a new job. Billie often struggles with relationships, such as one with her high-school teacher, due to her reluctance to grow up. • Jack Innanen as Paul Baker, Issa's sexually-fluid boyfriend and a recent émigré from Canada. Almost exclusively referred to by his full name, Paul Baker is kindhearted, sweet, and unfailingly polite to everyone he meets and quickly endears himself to the rest of the group. He works as a waiter for a local diner named Vladi's and occasionally bartends at night for extra money. Paul Baker and Issa are dating when the show begins and he moves into the house in the second episode, but he marries Anton after his visa expires. In the second season, he and Issa still try to date despite the marriage, but eventually break up. • Amita Rao as Issa Damani, Paul Baker's girlfriend and a college friend of Samir and Anton's. Issa is flighty, self-centered, and outgoing, but also a loyal friend. She is a part-time ballet teacher, and also mentions a desire to be a singer and has extensive vocal training. Her parents are wealthy South Asian immigrants originally from London. She dates Paul Baker for most of the show, but breaks up with him in the second season. • Owen Thiele as Anton Evans, a college friend of Samir and Issa's. Anton is an extroverted people-pleaser known for being extremely charming and able to quickly win people over; however, most of this is superficial and he eventually forgets most people he befriends. Anton works in digital ad sales and is the only member of the group with a well-paying, stable corporate job, which he secretly enjoys. He has an older sister named Talia and is the black sheep of his family, whom he is notably cold and irascible towards. He marries Paul Baker in the first season finale after Paul Baker's visa expires, and eventually has to admit that he has genuine feelings for him.

Recurring

• Rachel Marsh as Carly, a dental assistant and Samir's girlfriend • Charlie Cox as "Mr. Teacher" (season 1), Billie and Samir's former high school teacher and Billie's short-lived boyfriend. His name is later revealed to be Andrew. • Rico Tudico as Vladi (season 2), the owner of Vladi's Diner and Paul Baker's boss • Liam Cullagh as OJ, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2) • Joey Dardano as Schnee, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2) • Jordan Kronis as Brent, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2) • Will Sennett as Roach, one of Paul Baker’s straight bros (season 2)

Guest

• Julia Fox as herself • Julian Manjerico as Zack-Carlos bin Laden • Will Ropp as Kyle Haberman (season 1) • Ray Nicholson as Ethan (season 1) • Grace Kuhlenschmidt as Taryn (season 1) • Tala Ashe as Hilary (season 1) • D'Arcy Carden as Allison (season 1) • John Reynolds as Brian (season 1) • Susie Essman as Arlene Walters (season 2) • Gaten Matarazzo as Fake Samir (season 2) • Isaac Cole Powell as Eric (season 2) • Sophie Telegadis as Sophie-Rose (season 2) • Raven-Symoné as Talia (season 2) • Ben Marshall as Billie's Date (season 2) • Dylan Arnold as Greg (season 2) • David Paymer as Sandy Adler (season 2) • Zosia Mamet as Nina Adler (season 2) • Mia Fowler as Margaux (season 2)

Additionally, Yvette Nicole Brown voices Anton’s mother over a phone call.

Episodes

Season 1 (2025)

<table><thead><tr><th>No. overall</th><th>No. in season</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original release date</th><th>Prod. code</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th rowspan="1">1</th><td>1</td><td rowspan="1">"The Window"</td><td>Jonathan Krisel</td><td>Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01001</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Anton, Billie, and Issa are 20-somethings living with their friend Samir in his childhood Queens home while his parents are traveling. Issa tries to convince Samir to allow her new boyfriend Paul Baker to move in. They learn that an acquaintance, Kyle, has made national news for being sexually harassed at work. A social movement springs up in support around Kyle, which Anton and Issa join up with so they can get admiration. Billie, also jealous of the attention Kyle has, is encouraged by Anton and Issa to leverage the unease around Kyle's story to earn a promotion; she gives her superior a veiled threat, only for him to ask her to not return to work. Samir becomes concerned that he has crossed boundaries with his ex-girlfriend Carly when they talk about their past, but she later messages him that they are okay while he is having an awkward hookup with someone else. The group gets high and attempt to fix the broken water heater.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">2</th><td>2</td><td rowspan="1">"Spitroast"</td><td>Anu Valia</td><td>Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01002</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Billie lets the stress of her job situation overwhelm her to the point where she is rectally bleeding. At the hospital, Samir volunteers to be her proxy, to Issa's envy. The doctor recommends an endoscopy and colonoscopy within two weeks, but Anton reminds the group that Billie's health insurance could be gone by then. Egged on by Issa, Samir insists that the procedures be done that day. Issa feels sidelined and vents in the hospital's chapel. Anton and Paul Baker bond while horsing around, and Anton encourages Samir to let Paul Baker move in. When Billie awakens, she informs the group that she was a contractual worker and never had health insurance to begin with. She is further disappointed to learn that she was fired for her remark and that the hospital bill's total ended up being $15,000.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">3</th><td>3</td><td rowspan="1">"Have You Seen This Man?"</td><td>Anu Valia</td><td>Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01003</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Police alert the neighborhood to a stabber, a man Anton recently befriended on the train. Anton, grappling with his tendency to become overly sociable, goes to the police. In an attempt to help pay Billie's medical bills, Samir and Paul Baker try to sell a shotgun found in the house. Issa encourages Billie to be more sexually adventurous, which results in them unwittingly inviting the stabber, Ethan, into the house. Rather than decline an invitation to dinner, Anton tries to run Ethan over. The police arrive to arrest Ethan after bringing Samir and Paul Baker back to the house.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">4</th><td>4</td><td rowspan="1">"House Rules"</td><td>Anu Valia</td><td>Sarah Naftalis</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01004</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Issa drops an AirTag into the bag of a man she and Paul Baker encounter at a coffee shop, thinking him to be a perfect match for Anton. Unbeknownst to them, the AirTag is picked up by a rat when it falls out of the bag. Billie visits her old high school, where she mourns her unfulfilled potential. Though the students are unimpressed with her, her teacher Andrew encourages her not to give up. He also helps Billie dispute the medical debt, bringing it down to just $2200 which can be repaid in monthly installments. An elated Billie rewards him with a blowjob. Samir successfully interviews for a fintech company, but moons the hiring team and immediately loses the opportunity. He then signs up to be a delivery service worker. Rather than go to a nearby bar where the AirTag has ended up, Anton sneaks back into his bedroom.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">5</th><td>5</td><td rowspan="1">"Theracide"</td><td>Jason Woliner</td><td>Curtis Cook & Allie Levitan</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01005</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Anton and Issa's shared therapist George dies. While at the funeral, Anton overhears some gossip that makes it appear like George had committed suicide, which he and Issa believe was motivated by their dysfunction. Samir and Paul Baker agree to deliver a case of beer to a group of sophomore boys in exchange for playing video games with them. They continue to party with them, against the friend group's wishes, until the boys invite freshman girls over to party as well. Issa and Anton invite a medium for a seance to learn if they were responsible for George's death. Feeling even guiltier, the two end up making a scene at George's wake, only to find out he died from an accidental head injury. Now officially a couple with "Mr. Teacher", Billie attends an art show with him; she humiliates herself in front of his friends, but he reassures her that he doesn't care about what they think.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">6</th><td>6</td><td rowspan="1">"Roast Chicken"</td><td>Jason Woliner</td><td>Sanaz Toossi</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01006</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Billie organizes a dinner party for the group to meet Mr. Teacher, who confides in Samir that he is high on ketamine due to his difficult divorce and unsurety about his relationship with Billie. This prompts Samir to prod Billie into breaking up with him. Billie dismisses this, believing Samir to have resurfaced feelings from their childhood. Paul Baker has invited Julia Fox to the dinner, making Issa jealous. The roast chicken Billie has prepared turns out raw, prompting Mr. Teacher to have a breakdown and lock himself in the bathroom while insulting Samir and Billie. Billie calls his ex-wife and the guests leave.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">7</th><td>7</td><td rowspan="1">"Annabelle"</td><td>Stefani Robinson</td><td>Stefani Robinson & Shaun Menchel</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01007</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Anton and Paul Baker are tasked with watching Annabelle, a teenager that Issa has volunteered to house as she gets an abortion, but the two struggle with Annabelle's horrible attitude. Issa takes Billie to her dance students' rehearsal for their recital, but Issa's boss Troy demands that the self-written show Popcorn Forest be cancelled in favor of Swan Lake. Issa leads the children in a strike while Billie tries to negotiate with the bosses. Meanwhile, Samir goes upstate with his girlfriend Carly, and feels pressured not to screw it up. He freaks out when he clogs the toilet, but Carly admits she contributed to it too. As they wait for Annabelle outside her appointment, Anton and Paul Baker express attraction to one another. Later, Anton, Billie, Issa, and Paul Baker perform Popcorn Forest for Annabelle and Samir.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">8</th><td>8</td><td rowspan="1">"The Mail"</td><td>Nick Kroll</td><td>Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw</td><td>May 28, 2025 (2025-05-28)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW01008</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">The group finally decides to go through their backlog of mail, during which Paul Baker learns his visa is expiring and he needs to return to Canada. To give him a way to stay in the country, Issa proposes to Paul Baker and he accepts. Unbeknownst to him, Issa married an old classmate, Zack-Carlos, years ago as a joke and never finalized the divorce. A priest refuses to facilitate the marriage; meanwhile Samir and Anton are unsuccessful in getting Zack-Carlos to sign the divorce papers. The group goes to a bar where Issa refuses to tell Paul Baker about her husband, while Billie flirts with a couple seeking a third party. Paul Baker confides in Anton that he wants the traditional wedding. The next day, Anton and Samir convince Zack-Carlos to sign by telling him he would get along with Paul Baker. At the courthouse, Issa gets cold feet and Zack-Carlos tells Paul Baker of their divorce. The other housemates each volunteer to marry Paul Baker. Later that night, newlyweds Paul Baker and Anton share a kiss. The power goes out as the group sits down to watch a movie.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Special (2026)

Prequel episode showing the origin story of the friend group and Paul Baker. The episode was written as a new pilot to be placed as the first episode of the series on FX and streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu. The episode was made as a new way to introduce viewers to the series, as viewership was low for the first season.

<table><thead><tr><th>No. overall</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original release date</th><th>Prod. code</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th rowspan="1">9</th><td rowspan="1">"Marathon Day"</td><td>Jonathan Krisel</td><td>Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw</td><td>July 31, 2026 (2026-07-31)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW00001</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Anton reveals to the others that he told his coworkers he was training for the New York marathon in order to hide the fact that he has no other hobbies. The group rallies together to help Anton trick his coworkers into thinking he ran the marathon. While Samir and Issa make signs in a café, he gives her dating advice and tells her to stop settling for losers she wants to fix. An overheated runner, Paul Baker, enters the café and collapses, prompting Issa to jump to his aid. She later tells Samir that she only helped Paul Baker into an Uber, and didn't try to "fix" him. While the group celebrates at home, Anton's coworkers show up to congratulate him. Anton scrambles to pretend to be arriving home and encounters Paul Baker on the couch; Issa sent him to the house to recover after making out with him. Paul Baker admires the lengths Anton's friends have gone to lie for him. When his coworkers ask to see his nonexistent medal, Anton is about to come clean when Paul Baker loans him his own medal, earning Anton's respect.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Season 2 (2026)

<table><thead><tr><th>No. overall</th><th>No. in season</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original release date</th><th>Prod. code</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th rowspan="1">10</th><td>1</td><td rowspan="1">"The Scrub"</td><td>Jonathan Krisel</td><td>Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02001</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Paul Baker and Anton scrub through the others’ social medias to find anything that may prevent them from getting new jobs. Billie panics after discovering her former friend Danielle, who posted offensive pictures of her, has passed away, meaning they cannot be removed. She recruits Anton into helping her reconnect with Danielle's mom to have the picture taken down. Issa and Samir discover Paul Baker's second all-male friend group that he has kept hidden from them, who he acts completely different around. Issa decides to invite them over against Paul Baker's wishes, so Paul Baker forces his friends to act overly polite, annoying Issa. After Issa purposefully riles the boys up into a drunken frenzy, Paul Baker allows his two personalities to mix and forces them out of the house. Paul Baker's friend OJ, who works at Facebook, volunteers to remove Danielle's pictures internally for Billie in exchange for letting him draw a mustache on her face.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">11</th><td>2</td><td rowspan="1">"Fake ID"</td><td>Jonathan Krisel</td><td>Ananya Hegde</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02003</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Billie's former fake ID is used by a stranger, Sophie-Rose, at the bar Paul Baker is working at, causing Billie and Issa to decide to get in touch. Sophie-Rose and her friends make fun of Billie's age, causing her to worry that she is no longer young and fun. Samir begins worrying about the fate of Alex, who he gave his fake ID to, believing he may have caused him to have an alcohol addiction. Billie, Samir, and Anton go clubbing where Billie runs into Sophie-Rose. Despite embarrassing herself at the club, Billie ultimately comes to appreciate her newfound maturity after a mugging causes Sophie-Rose to have a breakdown. Samir reconnects with Alex and every other person who has had his ID, thankfully finding them to all be well-adjusted. Anton attempts to impress a guy with similar flirting techniques, but ultimately rejects him because of his burgeoning feelings for Paul Baker. Issa and Paul Baker attempt to have a romantic night at home, but quickly grow bored. They try to be exciting by inviting their delivery driver in to play games, but tensions rise when he knows more about Paul Baker than Issa does.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">12</th><td>3</td><td rowspan="1">"Talia"</td><td>Maggie Carey</td><td>Shaun Menchel</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02002</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Anton's sister Talia wants to meet, and Anton becomes convinced she wants him to be her wife's sperm donor. However, Talia laughs at the suggestion, telling Anton she would never want her child to inherit the terrible attitude he has towards his family members. Paul Baker decides to fix Anton's relationship with Talia by organizing a private dinner at the diner he works at, but Talia and her wife Brooke are charmed by Paul Baker and invite him to be their donor, infuriating Anton. The siblings realize that they don't know each other very well and begin to bond over their shared job in digital ad sales. Issa worries about her own fertility and begins the process of freezing her eggs, with Samir and Carly attempting to support her through her chaotic mood swings and intense fear of needles. Issa grows paranoid about the seriousness of their relationship in comparison to her and Paul Baker's. Billie excitedly attends jury duty, only to cause a mistrial by attempting to befriend everyone including the defendant and plaintiff.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">13</th><td>4</td><td rowspan="1">"Raccoon"</td><td>Oz Rodriguez</td><td>Sanaz Toossi</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02004</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Issa and Paul Baker decide to host "Acid Night" with Samir initially refusing to participate. Just after the group takes the acid, a raccoon walks through the living room. With only 30 minutes until their trip starts, the group scrambles to trap and release the raccoon. In the chaos, Issa and Paul Baker each reveal to Billie and Samir that they had ulterior motives for Acid Night, and are hoping the drugs will allow them to have a much-needed conversation about the state of their relationship. Billie and Samir promise not to get involved, but end up causing Issa and Paul Baker to each think the other wants to break up with them. Issa tries to seduce Paul Baker, but ends up letting in a possum in addition to the raccoon. Paul Baker accidentally causes Issa to think he wants to open their relationship. Issa initiates a threesome with Paul Baker and Anton, but they are interrupted by the possum, which Issa throws out the window. Paul Baker and Issa finally talk, and mutually decide to break up but remain friends. Just before the timer runs out, Paul Baker and Anton manage to trap the raccoon and let it go outside.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">14</th><td>5</td><td rowspan="1">"Room Swap"</td><td>Paul Briganti</td><td>Sarah Naftalis</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02005</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Now that Issa and Paul Baker have broken up, they decide to switch up room assignments in the house. Billie and Issa move in together, as do Samir and Paul Baker, with Anton getting Samir's parents' room to himself. Billie is excited to take newly single Issa out on the prowl, but gets irritated by Issa's awkward and obnoxious behavior around men. Samir and Paul Baker realize that their shared room makes it difficult for them to find time to masturbate privately. They attempt to donate to a sperm bank, but cause a scene and get kicked out. Anton refuses to break his 11-month dry spell, claiming that he is incapable of having casual sex. A frustrated Samir insists that Anton earn the single room by having sex, or else the room swap is off. The next day, Paul Baker volunteers to move out in order to solve the roommate problems while Anton unsuccessfully tries to sneak his hookup, Zack-Carlos, out the door. Zack-Carlos refuses to leave the house and gives Billie advice about Issa. Samir attempts to masturbate in the attic, but accidentally breaks a pipe and causes a carbon monoxide leak. After firefighters forcibly evacuate Zack-Carlos, Billie and Issa make up.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">15</th><td>6</td><td rowspan="1">"Pop Girlie"</td><td>Paul Briganti</td><td>Rob Rosell</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02006</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Carly impulsively decides to become a K-pop star instead of finishing dental school, much to Samir's surprise and chagrin. He becomes upset with Anton after Carly reveals that Anton's advice is what caused her career pivot. Anton realizes that the mindless advice and pithy sayings he is always giving out are causing people to make serious mistakes in their lives, and swears off advice for good. Issa is also mad at Anton because he encouraged Carly to become a performer, not her. Billie asks Paul Baker for help getting a job, and together they tailor her resumé to be more attractive to recruiters. However, she ends up turning all of her interviews into hook-ups, leading to her losing an actual job opportunity. Samir helps Carly organize an event launching her new career, but she gets cold feet about performing. Anton decides to start giving advice again and tells Samir to just be honest with Carly, and encourages Issa to perform I Dreamed a Dream in front of the crowd to stall. Samir tells Carly he thinks she is making a mistake but he will support her no matter what, but she agrees and decides not to perform.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">16</th><td>7</td><td rowspan="1">"C Alert"</td><td>Oz Rodriguez</td><td>Jake Bender & Zach Dunn</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02007</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Anton slips up by accidentally saying "cunt" in a work meeting, offending his coworkers. Afraid of losing his job, he recruits Issa to come in as a temp and normalize using the word in the workplace. However, Issa becomes comfortable and refuses to say it, replacing Anton as the office's favorite young person. Samir sets Billie up with his coworker Greg, but they have no chemistry and are only continuing to date to keep Samir happy. They try to tell him they want to break up, but he refuses to accept it, causing Greg to quit his job and lie to Samir about moving to Peoria so that he will leave them alone. This causes the pair to finally connect romantically and they sleep together. Issa realizes that Anton actually loves his job and is genuinely afraid of losing it, despite what he tells them at home. Anton takes accountability for offending everyone and apologizes, and his supervisor decides to not to escalate the matter further. Issa bursts in and calls Anton a faggot in front of everyone, believing she is sacrificing her own job to save his. Paul Baker must work in Manhattan for the week but gets constantly accosted by man-on-the-street interviewers.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">17</th><td>8</td><td rowspan="1">"Vote for Paul Baker"</td><td>Alex Buono</td><td>Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw & Sarah Naftalis & Raffi Donatich</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td rowspan="1">XNW02008</td></tr><tr><td colspan="7">Paul Baker is running for president of the Homeowner's Association, and the roommates are hard at work canvassing with the help of Carly and Julia Fox. Billie is threatened by Nina, the incumbent president's daughter, to call off the campaign and let her dad win, otherwise Nina will report the roommates for a zoning violation and have them kicked out of the house. Billie recruits Paul Baker's rowdy friends to help them tank the election and make sure that he loses. Issa and Anton try to discourage voters at the library, where Issa connects with Margaux, the librarian. Carly and Samir are practicing being long-distance, as Carly's dental placement will force her to move to Seattle for a year. After getting advice from Julia, Samir decides to move to Seattle as well, but Carly does not want Samir to move with her and breaks up with him. Issa overhears voters talking about all the nice things Anton has said about Paul Baker during the campaign, and realizes that Anton has genuine feelings for him. She encourages Anton to tell Paul Baker how he feels. Unbeknownst to them, their discussion is being broadcast live to the entire neighborhood, including Paul Baker. As Issa and Anton run home, Paul Baker loses the election. As everyone celebrates the loss, Anton and Paul Baker kiss. Later that night, Issa brings Margaux home and notices that someone is hooking up in Paul Baker and Samir's room. The door opens to reveal not Anton and Paul Baker, but Samir and Billie.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Release

Adults (TV series)

Production took place in Toronto, Canada. Adults premiered with its first two episodes on May 28, 2025, with new episodes scheduled to air in back-to-back pairs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FX. The full series was released for streaming on Hulu on May 29. Internationally, the series became available on Disney+. In-person promotional events for the series took place at laundromats in New York City and Los Angeles. The second season premiered on FXX on August 27 and features guest appearances by Susie Essman, Raven-Symoné, Gaten Matarazzo, Jake Shane, Isaac Powell, Ben Marshall, and Zosia Mamet. A special prequel episode, which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival on June 11, premiered on FXX and Hulu on July 31.

Reception

Critical response

Season	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	76% (34 reviews)	65 (21 reviews)
2	100% (20 reviews)	79 (10 reviews)

For the first season, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating based on 34 critic reviews with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Every generation deserves its own sitcom of likable screwups, and Adults more or less delivers one for Gen-Z with its ensemble of funny and maddening strivers." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 65 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 20 critic reviews with an average rating of 8.1/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 79 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Dave Nemetz of TVLine described Adults as a welcome return to television for stories about people in their twenties. He found that the show captures the chaotic energy of Gen Z life with humor and charm. Nemetz appreciated its blend of influences, noting echoes of Friends, Girls, and especially Broad City, and praised the surreal, irreverent tone. He also complimented the cast of newcomers, highlighting Owen Thiele's performance as a standout. Nemetz said the show delivers big laughs and proves that comedy is still alive and well, even within a more socially conscious landscape. Karl Quinn of The Age said that while Adults adopts the familiar framework of a share-house sitcom, it also functions as a reflection of its cultural moment. He found that the series combines elements of Friends and Girls with contemporary concerns such as identity politics and cancel culture. Quinn appreciated the show's ability to satirize its twenty-something characters' contradictions and posturing while still extending empathy toward them. He singled out the sixth episode as "hilarious" and "unhinged". While acknowledging that not every element of the series is successful, Quinn praised its originality and cultural resonance.

Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club wrote that Adults attempts to fill a void of fun, low-stakes hangout sitcoms focused on tight-knit friend groups. She found that while the series does not fully rise to the level of the next great hangout comedy, it shows plenty of potential with laugh-out-loud moments and strong guest stars. Gajjar appreciated how the show taps into the awkwardness and challenges faced by older Gen Zs today, weaving in socio-political commentary reminiscent of Broad City and Search Party. She praised the creators and writers for their comedic backgrounds and the goodwill behind the series, but noted that the humor can sometimes feel over-the-top. Michel Ghanem of TheWrap asserted that Adults marks a strong return to the messy twenty-something friend-group comedy, filling a gap left by shows like Girls and Search Party. He noted that while the pilot may feel a bit overwhelming with heavy themes, the series quickly finds its footing with relatable moments and effortless laughs. Ghanem praised the chemistry among the cast and the show's grounded approach to misadventures, avoiding sitcom clichés. He also highlighted the subtle character development around quarter-life crises and personal growth, suggesting that Adults has the potential to grow into a standout comedy over multiple seasons.

Ratings

The premiere episode on May 28, 2025, had 188,500 household viewers with a 0.15% rating. On June 11, the show recorded 91,000 viewers (P2+) with a 0.03% rating, representing a 3% decrease from the previous week. The adult 18–49 demographic had 27,000 viewers and a 0.02% rating on June 11, while the 25–54 demographic had 38,000 viewers with a 0.03% rating.