For many people born roughly between 1980 and 2000, life is often navigated by changing relationships, self-growth, and the pursuit of achieving something great. This age group — millennials — is vast but persistent in challenging the status quo set precedent by previous generations. This can get confusing and also exciting at times, and as a result, audiences flock to the small screen to watch characters' situations that echo their own.
Like the generation itself, there are many ways to portray the millennial experience and is presented in several unique and relatable ways, from the Ramy’s experience as a first-generation American to the nostalgia of the 2000s present in Pen15. As a result, modern television has no shortage of millennial-centric storylines that fans can’t help but connect with.
'Insecure'
Issa Dee (Issa Rae) is insecure at the beginning of the series. Though she may not know it yet, her job is no longer satisfying and her boyfriend no longer satisfies her. As the series goes on, Insecure becomes not just a story of Issa’s own pursuits, but of a larger tale of the “complexities of the Blackness.”
As she and her best friend Molly Carter (Yvonne Orji) come to recognize time and time again, “glowing up” and making a name for oneself does look different based on color, opportunity, and experience. But above all else, Insecure is about learning to coexist with oneself and identity. As Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny told Collider in a 2021 interview, “I think the place we always wanted to grow her was that your insecurities never leave. You just learn that they're always a part of you and for better or for worse.”
'New Girl'
Nothing says millennial culture more than living with roommates well into your 30s. In fact, that is the very basis for the 2011 series New Girl, as Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) moves in with three young guys who soon become family.
Like this generation’s Friends, the friends of New Girl lean on one another for emotional support, find themselves in romantic entanglements, and face uncertainty in their careers knowing that they are not going through it alone. And it’s all centered around the show’s most integral character: The Loft.
'Ramy'
It may be fiction, but series creator Ramy Youssef built the titular character of Ramy around his own experiences growing up as a first-generation Muslim American in the 2000s. Caught between the cultures of New Jersey and Cairo, the 20-something-year-old explores his relationship with religion, politics, and sex through both comedy and drama.
Youssef earned an Emmy nomination in 2020 for his role as lead actor and received a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s clear that the sentiments presented in Ramy have touched fans, in particular those growing up in a post-9/11 world.
'Search Party'
All around her, people are excelling in their careers, having children, and settling down. But then why is Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat) struggling to find purpose despite a great boyfriend Drew Gardner (John Paul Reynolds) and longtime friends Elliott Goss (Paul Early) and Portia Davenport (Meredith Hagner). As the series title would suggest, Search Party starts off with Dory and her friends searching for a missing former classmate
But Dory’s search grows meta, as she soon forgets who she is through the relentless pursuit of power, fame, and making something of herself. It may take murder, brainwashing, and the questioning of romantic partners along the way, but in her trials and tribulations, she uncovers the greatest mystery faced by many millennials: who they want to be.
'Broad City'
From roommate horror stories to dating app failures, Broad City showcases the reality of living in New York City in your 20s. Ilana (Ilana Glazer) may not be fazed by getting fired from one of her many jobs, but she is afraid to settle down. Meanwhile, Abbi’s (Abbi Jacobson) timidness dissipates over the seasons as she discovers her passions.
In depicting the normalcy with such relatability, Abbi and Ilana’s many moments together highlight just two perspectives of modern women living in the city. In the end, the two best friends must part ways and say goodbye to a time in their lives that will soon become fond memories of young adulthood.
'Love Life'
In more ways than one, HBO’s Love Life showcases the many passing moments in life that might lead to something greater. The show’s first season stars Anna Kendrick as Darby, an aspiring NYC art curator whose hopes of finding love steer her off track at times. In the second installation of the anthology series, an acquaintance of Darby’s, Marcus Watkins (William Jackson Harper) takes the lead.
Darby and Marcus may exist in the same city at the same time, but their experiences are wholly different. Over the two seasons, Love Life explores how one’s identity, race, past seemingly influence their future. Like anything in your 20s and 30s, things can change quickly (and often without reason).
'Pen15'
Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle may have been in their 30s when starring in and creating Pen15, but that did not stop them from creating a series based on their tween-age upbringings. The “cringe comedy” series transports them (and fans) right back to the days of gel pens, awkward school dances, and crushing hard.
The show takes on heavy topics like sexual exploration, divorce, race, and more. With a cast composed of actual pre-teens (aside from Erskine and Konkle) and a reminder of what it was like to grow up in the Y2K era, Pen15 is therapeutic to watch and trauma-inducing all the same — as it’s meant to be.