"I Love LA" is Gen-Z’s Version of "Girls" and "Sex and the City"!

HBO has used women-led series as cultural time capsules, capturing what it feels like to come of age for different generations. "Sex and the City" follows four early Gen-X women as they navigate love, sex, and ambition in late-1990s New York. "Girls" shifts the focus to post-college Brooklyn, chronicling Millennial insecurity, creative ambition, and complex relationships. "I Love LA", meanwhile, brings the formula into the Gen-Z era, centering young creatives in Los Angeles as they navigate friendship and identity in a culture defined by visibility and social media. These shows are each emblematic of HBO’s long-standing willingness to center flawed, self-aware female protagonists and shape our culture. 

L.A. as The New Cultural Playground

Instead of New York’s brownstones, "I Love LA", as the title suggests, is set in Los Angeles. It’s a city that makes sense for a generation raised on YouTube houses, TikTok careers, and Instagram landmarks (yes, including the pink Melrose wall). The L.A. setting mirrors Gen-Z’s obsession with image, access, and self-branding.

Complex (and Often Messy) Friendships
At its core, all three shows are about the complexities of female friendship. Like its predecessors, "I Love LA" traces the ups and downs of adult friendships, adding an inclusive cast. With characters like Charlie, a gay man, and Alani, a young Black woman, the show reflects the racial and sexual diversity that Gen-Z celebrates.

Generational Anxieties

What makes each of these shows generational is how they capture what stresses us out. "Sex and the City" tackled womanhood in an increasingly global world. "Girls" leaned into Millennial insecurity in the early days of the internet (before concepts such as "digital footprints" were known, as illustrated by Marnie’s YouTube video). "I Love LA" confronts the pressure of constant comparison born from Gen-Z’s endless access to everyone else’s curated social media. Maya and Tallulah’s dynamic captures the fear and anxiety of falling behind in a culture of constant visibility and surveillance. 

Self-Aware Yet Delusional Main Characters 

Carrie Bradshaw became iconic because she was unlikeable at a time when women on television were rarely allowed to be anything less than perfect. But 3 decades later, this trait is no longer a feat, leading modern viewers to create endless Carrie Bradshaw cringe compilations. "Girls" is decidedly more introspective. Hannah’s famously self-aware declaration, "I am the voice of a generation", acknowledges the absurdity of that ambition. Sadly, the show falters by ignoring broader cultural realities through its overwhelmingly white cast despite being set in a city as diverse as New York. "I Love LA" feels like it finally hit the mark, embracing its characters’ unlikability, cringiness, and warped self-perception. As The Guardian aptly describes its lead, Maya embodies a "Sennottian blend of contradictions, at once hyper-self-aware and delusional, histrionic yet dead-eyed," a paradox that feels unique to Gen-Z’s ability to mock themselves while still maintaining their confidence. 

You can stream all 3 shows on HBO Max!