‘Adults’ and ‘Not Suitable for Work’ Have a Lot in Common, Including Their Exclusion of NYC Latinos

Adults and Not Suitable for Work already have a lot of people comparing and contrasting them thanks to a lot of their similarities. The shows, which both follow groups of Gen Zers in New York City, have felt like the perfect combination of the comedy of Friends and the chaos of Girls. But there was one thing that has been really bothering me for a while as I continued to watch both series as comfort watches.

I will be the first to admit to you that I am not a New Yorker. As a proud New Jersey princess, I often encourage all my NYC coworkers to come across the river and visit the great Garden State. However, as a person who has lived in the tri-state area my whole life just one tunnel or bridge away from the city, I know how vast and big the Latino population in NYC is.

In fact, the Hispanic population makes up 28.3% of the city’s demographics, according to the 2020 census. So, why is it that there are seemingly no Latino characters in either show? In the case of Not Suitable for Work, they did have Elena, played by Emilia Suárez.

However, she only had a recurring role where she only appeared in a few episodes and was eventually written out when her character broke up with Josh, one of the white male leads of the series. This means that the final three episodes of the season (and the series) had zero Latinos featured. Meanwhile, in its two seasons on FX, Adults have yet to introduce any openly Latino characters on the show.

Many have pointed out how both shows have almost the same racial breakdown in their main casts. While some fans believed Samir to be white, actor Malik Elassal’s family is from Lebanon and, like his character on the show, is Muslim. And, as he points out in the season 2 opener, “We’re diverse a fuckin’ brochure,” to which Issa ironically replies with, “Yeah.

We almost have one of every one.” Queens, where Adults takes place, actually has the biggest Latino population in the entire city. And while it does film in Toronto, it’s hard to believe that they haven’t encountered a single Latino individual even if it’s just going to a local bodega or nearby restaurant. Now more than ever, we are more in need of positive Latino representation in media.