Movies and TV series are among society’s favorite forms of entertainment, and for that reason they have become extremely relevant over the years, with huge fan bases all over the world. Due to their strong social and cultural influence, these productions haveshaped entire generationswith their stories and kept them company fromtheir earliest daysto their adulthood. One of the generations that has been most affected by television and film productions areMillennials, the vast population born between 1981 and 1996.
One of the main traits of Millennials is their receptiveness to cultural diversity and their willingness to challenge fundamentals that previous generations had already cemented. Moreover, considering everything they have experienced in terms of technological and social developments, they tend to be more open-minded and progressive thinkers, at least in comparison to previous generations, and this is also due to the movies and TV showsMillenials grew up watching. Just as people are influenced by TV productions, these also pick up things from society and reflect them in their stories, and over the years several shows have portrayed the life of millennials and how they navigate through their 20s with their many different characters. Check out some of them here.
10How I Met Your Mother
Craig Thomas and Carter Bays drew inspiration from their friendship through their 20s to createHow I Met Your Mother, a CBS series that ran for nine seasons. Premiering in 2005 and starring Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, and Alyson Hannigan, the show follows Ted Mosby, a love-struck young man from New York City on a mission to find thelove of his life, as well as his group of friends, who take it upon themselves to make the best of those years.
The story is recounted by a grown-up Ted, as he shares with his children the intricate story of how he came to cross paths with their mother. Throughout the show’s seasons, the characters deal with the ups and downs of adulthood, crushes, breakups, job offers and everything that comes along with moving out of the teenage years towards a brighter future.
Related:Why 2023 Is the Year for Millennial-Born Cinephiles and TV Geeks
9Workaholics
Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm, Kyle Newacheck, Connor Pritchard, and Dominic Russo co-created the sitcomWorkaholics, which hilariously navigates the transition from college life to adulthood. Anderson, DeVine, and Holm star in this 2011 show as three friends who met in college and now live and work together at a telemarketing company. However, none of the three are willing to put their immature partying behaviors behind them, so the transition to the grown-up world and their first steps into the workplace are not unfolding as they had imagined.
Workaholicsaired for seven seasons, wrapping in March 2017, and in addition to the lead actors, the cast featured performances by Newacjeck, Jillian Bell, Maribeth Monroe, and Erik Griffin.
8High Fidelity
The 2020 TV seriesHigh Fidelityis based on Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name and its film adaptation from 2000, although, this time, it is from the perspective of a woman protagonist. Zoë Kravitz heads the cast of this production that follows Rob, a music lover and record store owner from New York City who, aided by her friends, attempts to forget a past lover and looks back on her failed relationships to right her wrongs and move on with her life.
Jake Lacy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes and Kingsley Ben-Adir join Kravitz in this production, which was on the air for only one season in spite of its rave reviews. A lesser known fact aboutHigh Fidelityis that Lisa Bonet, Kravitz’s mother, was featured on Stephen Frears' film adaptation.
7The Bold Type
Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee, and Meghann Fahy star inThe Bold Typeas Jane, Kat and Sutton, three New York City Millennial women who work for the fashion magazine Scarlet, and, over the course of the show’s seasons, attempt to figure out their identity while dealing with love, family, friendships and work on both the good days, and the not-so-good ones.
This Sara Watson series inspired by the story of Cosmopolitan magazine editor Joanna Coles premiered in 2017 and aired until 2021, closing with its fifth and final season. Besides the lead actresses, the cast features Sam Page, Melora Hardin, Matt Ward, Stephen Conrad Moore and Nikohl Boosheri.
One’s 20s can be a challenging and hectic time for most people, especially since one generally doesn’t have a very clear idea of where to go next. This is precisely what happens to Hannah Horvath, a young aspiring writer whose life is turned upside down once her parents stop supporting her financially. In this eventful and challenging period of her life, she relies on the support of her best friends, three other Millennials who are going through similar experiences as they attempt, just like Hannah, to get their lives on track, find love and make it in their careers.
Lena Dunham was inspired by her journey to become an established writer to create and star inGirls. This series, in which Judd Apatow served as executive producer, aired for six seasons and featured Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and Adam Driver.
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson created and starred in the sitcomBroad City, playing two friends in their 20s who live their day-to-day lives in New York City while struggling to put their lives together on a shoestring but with lots of attitude, resulting in the craziest and most bizarre situations that later become great memories.
This show was inspired by theYouTubeweb series of the same name, and aired from 2014 to 2019, when it wrapped its fifth season to critical acclaim. Besides Glazer and Jacobson,Broad Citystars Hannibal Buress, Paul W. Downs, John Gemberling and Arturo Castro, as well as Amy Poehler as executive producer.
Related:Best Movies From Millennial Filmmakers to Watch
Michael Lannan’sLookingis an HBO production that follows the lives of Patrick, Agustin, and Dom, three gay men in San Francisco with a close friendship who navigate the hardships of life and the many challenges of love. It stars Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, and Murray Bartlett alongside Lauren Weedman, Russell Tovey, and Raul Castillo.
Lookingwas a hugely acclaimed production due to its perspective, the cast’s performances and the directorial, production and writing work. Still, this2014 show failedto reach the viewership figures the network was hoping for, so it got canceled after its second season, and the story was wrapped up inLooking: The Movie, which premiered in 2016.
Insecureis a 2016 TV series created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore loosely based on Rae’s web seriesAwkward Black Girl. Throughout the show’s five seasons, it follows Issa and Molly, two African-American friends who face their youth tripping through life and attempting to make it through several unfortunate and odd experiences that only further forge their personalities.
Rae stars in this production alongside Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Lisa Joyce, Natasha Rothwell and Amanda Seales, among other actors. This production, which was on the air until late 2021, was highly acclaimed by critics and earned a plethora of awards and nominations, most notably for the star and creator.
Ramy Youssef, Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch co-createdRamy, a Hulu series that consecrated Youssef as an outstanding actor and earned him a Golden Globe Award and many other accolades. In it, Ramy stars as a first-generation American Muslim living in New Jersey and going through his twenties as he tries to discover his identity and where he stands between two very different cultures in an attempt to not let his family or friends down.
Joining Youssef in the cast of this acclaimed production are Mohammed Amer, Hiam Abbass, Dave Merheje, Amr Waked, May Calamawy and Laith Nakli. The show, which was inspired by the lead actor’s own personal experiences, has been on the air for three seasons and is currently awaiting news of a fourth and possibly final season.
Rounding out this list isNew Girl, a show that not only portrays what it’s like to live your 20s as a Millennial, but also friendships between men and women and just how different each person’s journey can be. This 2011 series created by Elizabeth Meriwether stars Zooey Deschanel along with Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone and Damon Wayans Jr.
New Girlfollows Jess, a fun and high-spirited teacher whose life is turned upside down after she catches her boyfriend cheating on her in her own home. Heartbroken, but willing to move on, Jess moves into a Los Angeles loft with three men she doesn’t even know, not knowing that they are to become her greatest friends and advisors as she navigates life and relationships. This production aired for seven seasons wrapping in May 2018, and was highly awarded throughout its run. Among other accolades, Deschanel earned a Golden Globe and Satellite Award nomination.
