Twentysomething
Main Cast: Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff
Creator: Darren Star
We are, unquestionably, a youth-obsessed culture. An adult who looks younger than their chronological age is considered lucky. What happens if you turn that luck into opportunity? If you throw in romance, silliness, and publishing, you get Younger.
Younger is the seven-season story of Liza Miller (played by Broadway actress Sutton Foster). Liza is a 40-year-old mom of a college-age daughter living in New Jersey. Her life is turned upside down by a divorce that leaves her needing a job.
But…
Liza left publishing when her daughter was born and now no one will hire her. She’s too old. She’s been gone too long. But Liza has genetics on her side and looks younger than her four decades. She looks like she’s in her 20s. With the encouragement of her Brooklyn roommate Maggie (Debi Mazar), she embraces and enhances those lucky genes. This younger Liza lands a job at Empirical Publishing as an assistant.
The series follows Liza’s new life as a Millennial in the city. Her lie grows ever more complicated as she meets new people, makes new friends, and finds herself deceiving people she cares about.
How can this go on for seven seasons? I wondered the same thing. It seems like a simple premise that could only stretch for a couple dozen episodes.
But I didn’t count on the weaving in of daily life in the publishing business. We don’t spend every moment focused on Liza’s age. The showrunners were smart to give the supporting cast a lot of depth, allowing them to carry their own stories and fill out the basic premise with interesting people doing interesting things.
Maggie was my favorite supporting character. She knows all of Liza’s secrets and is the fun, confident, cool friend we all deserve in our lives. I was also pleasantly surprised, for the most part, by the very good performance of Hilary Duff as Liza’s first work friend. She has grown beyond her child actor years with considerable grace.
Also watch for Miriam Shor as Liza’s boss, Diana Trout. She’s a scene stealer for sure.
Younger is a sitcom, it isn’t going to change your life. But I enjoyed it very much. I liked Liza and her friends and freely admit to savoring my daily dose of the show. The series was originally broadcast on TV Land, but don’t mistake it for a kids’ show. There are plenty of adult themes and shenanigans. Liza’s getting out into the world after a 20-year marriage, posing as a twenty-something. She’s at two adult stages in her life.
Darren Star created Younger and his history in the industry shows. From Beverly Hills 90210 to Sex and the City and Emily in Paris, the man knows how to put together a TV series. The sets are great (and of course ridiculously – and enjoyably – unrealistic), the music and wardrobe are fun, and the cast looks like they enjoyed their roles. I watched it on Paramount+ and imagine that it will bounce around to other streaming services eventually.
All in all, Younger is, for all its silliness, a fun and sometimes touching look at what it means to reclaim your youth.
Sue reads a lot, writes a lot, edits a lot, and loves a good craft. She was deemed “too picky” to proofread her children’s school papers and wears this as a badge of honor. She is also proud of her aggressively average knitting skills She is the Editorial Director at Silver Beacon Marketing and an aspiring Crazy Cat Lady.
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