SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains plot details from Season 2 of “Adults” now streaming on Hulu. It’s Season 2, Paul Baker; we’re doing a classic sitcom. In only eight episodes, the second season of FX’s “Adults” has managed to capture the spirit of a classic sitcom that has felt somewhat elusive since the slow death of the 22-episode season.
The raunchy friend group comedy, created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, follows Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amita Rao), Anton (Owen Thiele), Billie (Lucy Freyer) and Samir (Malik Elassal). While Samir’s parents are away, the friends are bunking together and navigating their twentysomething lives in his childhood home in Queens, New York. Following the premiere of the second season (but before the promise of a third), Innanen spoke with Variety about Paul Baker’s arc this season, the limits of delivering sitcom goodness within an eight-episode season and his hopes for a Season 3.
Other then a few network sitcoms, the 22-episode season has fallen out of fashion with the rise of streaming services. Now, fans are lucky to get 10 episodes in one season. We could do so many fun filler episodes.
But it’s just born too late.” But the show has the trappings of a classic sitcom, despite its shortened airtime. This season kicks off with the camera winding its way through the Queens house as Issa delivers the meta line, “It’s Season 2, Paul Baker; we’re doing a oner.” The first season set a high bar for guest stars, with Julia Fox playing herself, but the sequel season ups the ante with Raven-Symoné entering as Anton’s sister Talia, to the tune of her own personal laugh track. It’s very aware that it’s a sitcom, and I feel like that makes it even more fun and even more — hate to use the term, but Gen Z in the way of appreciating that everyone has deep media literacy.” Season 2 gives a look into previously undiscovered sides of the group, including Anton’s volatile relationship with his family.
Innanen recalls someone saying this season explored the characters’ “inner opposites.” “That Anton is so externally charming, that he’s a monster to these people, and he prides himself so much in work, but can’t admit that to himself or to others,” Innanen says. What are their inner opposites and how do they contest that, and how does that manifest in the relationships in the house? Which I think served the Paul Baker-Anton arc very well.” The Paul Baker-Anton arc, of course, was one of the most anticipated plotlines to resolve in Season 2.
The first season ended with Anton marrying Paul Baker to keep the Canadian in the country, concluding a season’s worth of intense eye contact with a heated just-married kiss. This season picked up with the introduction of Paul Baker’s alter ego: “Baker,” whose fratty tendencies are at odds with the sexually fluid soft-boy Paul Baker his friends (and audiences) know and love. Can he still be Paul Baker with this Baker side of him?” Which I think they thread very well in the show, but it was fun, therapeutic and nerve-wracking.” Paul Baker’s friends are thrown off by the existence of another friend group that knows Baker, which results in a series of identity crises.
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