Arts Vanity: Gen Z TV Shows to Add to Your Golden Age Favs

Growing up, I always heard about the TV shows that people rewatched over and over again. There was the quadruple storm — “Gilmore Girls,” “Gossip Girl,” “New Girl,” and “Girls.” After having completed these shows and many others of a similar era — shows that were picked up for a million-and-a-half seasons, shows where the characters in the ensemble casts became archetypes in the cultural consciousness — I became a Netflix fiend, curious to see which new shows were coming out on streaming. I watched so, so, so, so many terrible shows, but this has changed — Gen Z television has entered the conversation.

This year, I present: Gen Z shows and which Golden Age show they remind me of. Inspired by all of the times I’ve tried to convince my friends to watch these shows (and the few times I’ve succeeded), this list offers an easy introduction to the “Vs of our G” (voices of our generation, for those of you who have not watched “Adults”).

‘I Love LA’ —‘Broad City’

Rachel Sennott’s first solo project brings a similar spirit to Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer’s comedy series about two best friends trying — and often failing — to make their way in the big city. While LA’s sprawl, sunshine, and smoothies replace the Big Apple, both shows put powerful but turbulent female friendships at the center of their stories, delivering both quote-worthy one-liners and sincere heart-to-hearts that narrate the experience of people figuring out how to build a life in their 20s.

‘Adults’ — ‘Friends’

Trading Manhattan for Queens, FX’s “Adults” features a group of friends who have all come together through a series of complicated connections. Complete with love triangles, career struggles, and a chosen family, “Adults” is a new comfort show with far more diversity and a plethora of chronically online references.

‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ — ‘Gilmore Girls’

“The Sex Lives of College Girls” (TSLOCG) is probably my most-rewatched TV show ever — I came for the academia-meets-raunchy coming-of-age show that the title suggests and stayed for the lovable suite of characters. The dark wood, granite buildings, and trade-offs between ambition, social life, and romantic relationships make this series reminiscent of Rory Gilmore’s time at Yale. Leighton Murray’s (Reneé Rapp) initial mean girl antics are like Paris Geller on steroids, and although there is certainly no match for Lorelai, the disastrous parents weekend saga in TSLOCG offers its own dose of dysfunctional parental dynamics.

‘Overcompensating’ — ‘Felicity’

Campy, queer, and Charli XCX-obsessed, “Overcompensating” brings a college-based ensemble comedy to Prime Video. Although the show’s comparison to “Felicity” is certainly weaker than some of the others in this article, both shows represent college as a place for reinvention through a struggle for authenticity and a fear of ending up on the wrong path. “Overcompensating” recounts its creator Benito Skinner’s coming out narrative as he tries to overcompensate for his sexuality by trying to get in a relationship with a girl and joining an offensively heteronormative secret society. The show’s absurdist humor is more reminiscent of the queer comedy film “Bottoms,” but the heartbreakingly sincere moments of the trials and tribulations of university life are perfect for fans of the J. J. Abrams and Matt Reeves drama from the turn of the 21st century.

It is too early to know if this lineup will stand the test of time like its iconic counterparts, but the Gen Z forces behind these TV shows are bringing new representation, humor, and characters to streaming. Instead of a winter break rewatch of your favorite TV shows, consider one of these instead.

—If you have recommendations for her spring semester in Paris, outgoing Campus Executive and Comp Director Hannah M. Wilkoff can be reached at [email protected].