It’s a familiar story: A ragtag group of 20-somethings stumbles through their personal and professional lives in a big city. It’s what turned “How I Met Your Mother” and “Friends” into generational successes.
Except the characters in those sitcoms never had to deal with AI in the job market.
As Gen Z takes their first step into the workforce, recent sitcoms are capturing the struggles of a generation entering a notoriously tough job market, who are dealing with rising living costs , layoffs and the looming uncertainty of AI.
“They’re so terrified,” said Yalda T. Uhls, founder and CEO of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers, a nonprofit research group focused on youth representation in media. “Their real lives are pretty darn scary.”
These job insecurities make for great television. With shows like FX’s “Adults” and HBO’s “I Love LA” satirizing real-life hardships such as layoffs, fitting in at work and unchecked career ambition, here’s how TV has taken on modern workplace struggles.
Unemployment antics
See it in: ‘Adults’ on Hulu
The show follows five New York housemates confronting their newfound adulthood.
What goes down: The try-hard Billie (Lucy Freyer) was fired from her job at a TV news station. Losing her health insurance forces her to swallow the hefty out-of-pocket cost of medical procedures.
In the second season, which will air Aug. 27, she still needs a job. She applies for nearly 100 positions before realizing that a racist incriminating photo of herself from high school involving a sombrero can’t be scrubbed from the internet. Later, her housemate, Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), thinks her networking emails sound like AI. She uses a tongue-out emoji to show off her personality to employers.
“She has a rude awakening when it comes to trying to re-enter the job market,” showrunner Ben Kronengold said. “She’s casting a wide net, but she is not catching many fish.”
The jobless life: Billie’s experience isn’t far from reality: new graduates say they applied for hundreds of jobs before securing an interview.
The new rules of work
See it in: ‘Adults’ on Hulu
Anton (Owen Thiele), who works at a digital advertising firm, mutes himself during work calls to gab with his friends. Anton’s job eventually requires him to go back to the office in season two, a transition that will prove to be harder than he thought.
What goes down: He accidentally blurts out an inappropriate word that shocks his older co-workers, who don’t understand that the word is often used as a compliment among young people. “I can’t convince an entire generation that their most offensive word is now a way to describe knee-high boots!” Anton says of his Gen X colleagues.
Showrunners Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw said the underlying inspiration for those moments came from seeing how their own friends experience work. “There’s certain parts of yourself that cannot make it to the workplace,” Shaw said. That’s “a lesson that is often hard-earned.”
In season one, Anton’s unemployed housemate, Samir (Malik Elassal), succeeds at a video interview for a fintech job. In true sitcom fashion, he misreads the virtual room and celebrates by mooning the entire team, costing himself the role.
Changing norms: Not everyone is flashing their potential employers, but the bigger picture is that workplace culture has changed. In real life, virtual recruitment is the hiring norm , people are dressing more casually , posting about their jobs on TikTok and prioritizing work-life balance .
Side hustles never stop
See it in: ‘Not Suitable for Work’ on Hulu
Mindy Kaling’s “Not Suitable for Work” chronicles five ambitious neighbors in Manhattan looking to jump-start their careers.
What goes down: Kel (Nicholas Duvernay), an aspiring actor who dropped out of medical school, accidentally books a gig for an AI company out of desperation to find acting work.
“I didn’t realize it was an evil AI company,” he says.
Gigs pay the bills: Twenty-six percent of people ages 18-29 do gig work, the Federal Reserve System reported. Entry-level job postings have fallen by almost 30%, so Gen Z talent is more likely to settle for opportunities that don’t align with their long-term ambitions, the World Economic Forum says.
“There’s a level of anxiety that Gen Z has that my generation did not,” said Charlie Grandy, the series showrunner. “When you’re just starting out, you’ll take any job you can get.”
Age-old beef
See it in: ‘I Love LA’ on HBO Max
HBO’s “I Love LA” satirizes the Los Angeles entertainment industry, with influencers, nepo-babies and the rich and famous.
What goes down: Rachel Sennott, the show’s creator, stars as Maia, an assistant talent manager. She requests a promotion on her 27th birthday, which her boss, Alyssa (Leighton Meester), denies because of Maia’s lack of experience.
“27, oof. That’s tough,” Alyssa says. “Better than 28 though.” They remain fierce competitors as Maia tries to prove her worth.
Experience matters: “Every generation gets hit with that at some point,” said Grandy, the “Not Suitable for Work” showrunner. The horrible-boss archetype has been a Hollywood trope for generations. Gen Z is particularly vulnerable because they haven’t had time to build their careers.
“You just can’t help being a total noob when you get to a workplace because you lack the only thing that truly matters, which is experience,” Grandy added.
Ambition gaps
See it in: ‘Adults’ on Hulu
Shaw wanted characters on “Adults” to represent “not just different success levels, but different amounts that [work] defines their identity.”
What goes down: Billie, the laid-off TV station employee, thrives off of professional success, while her housemate Paul Baker (always referred to by his full name) doesn’t define himself through his job. Issa (Amita Rao) prides herself on being a free spirit, but she’s surprised to find out how much she enjoys the corporate lifestyle. Anton’s “deep dark secret is that he loves going to a 9 to 5 every day and putting on a suit,” Shaw said.
The big picture: The show was an “insight into how young people find purpose in really unexpected ways,” Kronengold said.
