Archive · 2 Sep 2026
New Hangout Sitcoms Turn Friendship FOMO Into Streaming Appeal
New sitcoms are focusing on groups of friends instead of mainly romantic couples.
Many of their characters live together because rent is too expensive.
They deal with jobs, debt, repairs, and the stress of becoming adults.
The shows use fast jokes and internet-style humor.
They try to show young people as messy, anxious, and self-aware.
The World Health Organization says loneliness affects about one in six people worldwide.
Watching close friends on screen can make lonely viewers feel comforted.
It can also remind them of the friendships and communities they wish they had.
The article asks whether streaming services are turning that longing into a product.
A new wave of internet-native sitcoms centers on friendship rather than romance.
FX’s Adults follows five twentysomethings sharing a Queens home because they cannot afford New York rent alone.
Shows including Overcompensating, Not Suitable For Work, and I Love LA portray young adults navigating anxiety, burnout, and economic pressure.
The comedies reflect a loneliness crisis that the World Health Organization says affects roughly one in six people worldwide.
The article argues these shows offer comforting images of friendship while potentially monetizing viewers’ fear of missing out.
- Who
- Gen Z and young adults, along with sitcom characters and their friend groups.
- What
- A new wave of hangout sitcoms is portraying friendship, shared living, and young-adult struggles while potentially selling viewers an idealized sense of community.
- When
- The trend is discussed in the context of current streaming releases, including season two of Adults.
- Where
- Streaming platforms, with examples set in suburban Queens, college campuses, workplaces, and Los Angeles.
- Why
- The shows respond to loneliness, high rent, economic pressure, and viewers’ desire for close friendship and community.
Friendship Representation
Commercialized FOMO
What the shows provide
Friendship Representation
They offer comfort and depict platonic love, community, and the messy realities of young adulthood.
Commercialized FOMO
They may let streaming platforms sell viewers a screen-based substitute for the social connection they lack.
Shared living
Friendship Representation
Roommates and group homes can show friendship as a practical support system during financial hardship.
Commercialized FOMO
The familiar fantasy of having friends nearby may obscure how economic pressure has made shared housing a necessity rather than a lifestyle choice.
- Featured series
- Adults, Overcompensating, Not Suitable For Work, and I Love LA
- Central theme
- Friendship and group survival rather than romance
- Economic setting
- Young adults face high rent, unemployment, student debt, and entry-level work
- Adults premise
- Five twentysomethings share an unemployed friend’s childhood home in suburban Queens
- Loneliness estimate
- The World Health Organization says roughly one in six people worldwide experience loneliness
- Most affected groups
- The article identifies adolescents aged 13–17 and young adults aged 18–29 as having the highest rates
- Cultural shift
- The shows replace traditional cozy multi-camera comfort with fast-paced, internet-fluent cringe comedy