Netflix just got this infectiously funny comedy from the creator of Emily in Paris — and you can stream all seven seasons now

When “Younger” premiered on cable network TV Land in 2015, the main point of comparison was “Sex and the City,” another Darren Star-created comedy set among energetic, high-fashion New Yorkers and featuring plenty of soapy romantic intrigue and an emphasis on female friendship .

Since “Younger” ended its seven seasons in 2021, another star-created show has become the pop culture sensation that “Sex and the City” once was: “Emily in Paris.”

“Younger” is perfect for fans of “Emily in Paris,” and now all seven seasons of “Younger,” along with its sister comedy, are available on Netflix. Like Emily, “Younger” protagonist Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) finds herself overwhelmed when she accepts a dream job without fully considering the consequences.

The difference is that Liza has spun an increasingly elaborate web of lies to secure her position in the New York publishing industry, and part of what makes “Younger” so entertaining is how Liza tries to maintain her ruse at the same time a complex love of mastering life and career.

40-year-old Liza feels lost after divorcing her disgraced, gambling-addicted husband and sending her daughter on sabbatical a year before college. She leaves New Jersey to make a fresh start in Brooklyn with her old friend Maggie (Debi Mazar) and decides to return to the workforce. Because of her age and her long break from work, Liza can no longer get a publishing job and spontaneously decides to lie on her resume and pretend to be 26. She is immediately hired as an assistant at the renowned Empirical Press and dedicates her entire life to this lie.

Younger is a stylish, entertaining workplace comedy

Official Trailer | Younger (Season 2) | TV Land – YouTube

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While Liza’s ongoing betrayal is a pervasive problem, “Younger” offers plenty of other exciting drama at Empirical and in the larger publishing industry. The New York City of “Younger” is just as glossy and unrealistic as it is in “Sex and the City,” in a way that plays to the glamorous wish-fulfillment of anyone who dreams of making it in the big city. This includes Liza and her 26-year-old colleague Kelsey Peters (Hilary Duff), who quickly becomes her best friend and strongest ally.

Liza’s boss and eventual reluctant friend is the strict, judgmental Diana Trout (Miriam Shor), an established marketing executive who resents the perceived demands of young millennials like Liza and Kelsey. Diana’s daring, classic fashion sense contrasts with the trendier looks of her younger counterparts, and one way “Younger” connects to “Sex and the City” is the influence of legendary costume designer Patricia Field, who is on worked on both shows.

Liza and Kelsey’s friendship forms the emotional core of “Younger,” but Liza’s romantic life also blossoms at work, thanks to her inappropriate but undeniable attraction to her married boss Charles Brooks (Peter Hermann). Charles may be closer to Liza’s actual age, but given his position of power and his existing family, he’s clearly not someone she should pursue – which of course means it won’t be long before he and Liza get together.

“Younger” presents an irresistible, ongoing love triangle

Another problem with Liza’s attraction to Charles is that her entire plan to pretend to be 20 stems from her chance encounter with tattoo artist Josh (Nico Tortorella), who mistakes her for someone his age, when they meet in a bar. Liza and Josh have instant chemistry, and what she initially sees as a fun affair develops into something deeper.

Star and his fellow writers get a lot of mileage out of Liza’s slow revelation of her secret to the various people in her life, but it’s clear that Josh is the person she can most trust with the truth.

Still, for all his baggage, Charles appears to be a more grounded and long-term prospect. I’ve always been Team Josh (perhaps for obvious reasons), and Foster and Tortorella have excellent chemistry from the moment their characters meet in the first episode. The chemistry between Foster and Hermann develops rather slowly, but that’s also the key to what sets Liza’s two love interests apart.

Throughout its seven seasons, “Younger” never veers too far in one direction, nor does it ever seem like the romantic twists and turns are just leading Liza in circles.

The supporting cast is full of appealingly unusual characters

It’s easy for a show like Younger to get caught up in the love lives of its main characters, especially since both Kelsey and Diana have their share of romantic drama alongside Liza. But the creators keep things light thanks to a supporting cast of strange New York characters, including eccentric artist Maggie and Kelsey’s even more eccentric publicist friend Lauren Heller (Molly Bernard). Other recurring characters add to the prestige and absurdity of working in publishing, including spirited authors played by Richard Masur, Laura Benanti and Camryn Manheim.

“It’s a completely ridiculous idea, and you can do it,” says Manheim’s renowned psychiatrist Dr. Jane Wray as Liza comes clean as part of a complicated plan to get Wray’s book, and that assessment could easily apply to “Younger” entirely. It’s utterly ridiculous yet utterly charming, an exuberant celebration of youth, no matter how old you are.

Watch “Younger” now Netflix.

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Netflix just got this infectiously funny comedy from the creator of Emily in Paris — and you can stream all seven seasons now

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