How Owen Thiele and Jack Innanen revived the classic TV slow-burn romance in 'Adults'

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Of recent ensemble comedies, FX’s “Adults” is the most unabashedly old-school.Created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, the series follows five 20-something housemates in Queens as they navigate the pleasures and perils of early adulthood.

Since its 2025 debut, it has drawn comparisons to “Friends,” “Girls” and “New Girl” — a lineage that feels more apt compared to its contemporary counterparts, like “Overcompensating” and the recently canceled “Not Suitable for Work.”Season 2, now streaming on Hulu, embraces one of the sitcom’s most enduring tropes: the “will-they, won’t-they” romance.At the center are Anton (Owen Thiele) and Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), whose chemistry is complicated by the latter’s relationship with Issa (Amita Rao), Anton’s best friend and housemate.“It’s rare for a queer Black man to be a lead with an emotional arc and a love interest,” Thiele says.

“All the things a white girl gets to have.No shade; I love those movies and shows too.

But having that representation on ‘Adults’ feels really important.” Television Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold’s new FX comedy series is not “Sex and the City” — it is simply about five 20-somethings trying their hardest to just exist.Meet the cast here.Both actors are also lining up new projects: Thiele is developing the semi-autobiographical comedy “Off Color” for Prime Video and joining the “13 Going on 30” reboot.

Innanen is filming Season 2 of Netflix’s “Big Mistakes” and preparing for his film “Purgatory” to premiere in a couple of weeks at the Toronto International Film Festival.“I’d like to play a scary guy,” Innanen says.

“And be in a rom-com.My goal is to keep doing this until I’m dead.”Thiele and Innanen spoke about Anton and Paul Baker’s slow-bur...