"Youth is wasted on the young." So said playwright George Bernard Shaw (or Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde, depending on your source). And Darren Star examines just that sentiment with his 2015 foray into what happens when a recently divorced 40-year-old woman (and mom) is mistaken for being nearly half that age and gets a do-over of her life: the job, the guy — all of it, in Younger.
Star, known best for Sex and the City and the original Beverly Hills, 90210 , created the classic romantic comedy set-up for the TV Land series based on Pamela Redmond Satran’s 2005 novel of the same name. The show lasted seven seasons, earning it the title of TV Land’s longest-running original series.Much like Star’s other shows set in fashion hot spots New York City, Los Angeles and Paris, Younger drops us into hipster Brooklyn where we get to split our time with fashionable Manhattan. The drive of the city the perfect backdrop for the lifestyle and specific goals of the characters. NYC could be considered a cultural epicenter, making it an ideal setting for Younger’s themes; namely ageism, sexuality, and later, the #MeToo movement.
On a lighter note is the importance of the show’s wardrobe, headed by costume designer Jacqueline Demeterio (Sex and the City 2). Our heroine Liza Miller’s (Sutton Foster) transformation from 40 to 26 is achieved through makeup and wardrobe; the physical accessories both reflective of Liza’s intentions while simultaneously helping her achieve them by altering how she moves and carries herself. Kind of like the chicken or the egg; do you wear the short skirt to feel younger or does looking younger mean wearing a shorter skirt? (I say short skirt because there is no shortage of them in Younger.)
Much like Sex and the City, the show incorporates real fashion icons (or rather their products) like the Judith Leiber couture purse that attracts attention — and a little lesson in how not to judge people not in your age bracket — for Liza’s boss Diana Trout (Miriam Shor). Diana also accessories like the boss she is, reflective of the façade she puts forward emotionally. Later in the series, when Liza’s big lie comes out, we see a very stripped-down Diana and this characterization trick really hits home.
That very big lie that drives the whole series begins as a case of "mistaken identity" when Josh (Nico Tortorella) hits on Liza in a bar, thinking she’s approximately his age — 26 — giving her best friend Maggie (Debi Mazar) the idea that Liza should pitch herself as 20-something on job interviews in order to make some headway (read: actually hired) in the publishing industry.
Sutton Foster, the actress that brought Liza to life, was at a bit of mid-life crossroads herself when the Younger script landed on her desk. The New Yorker and Broadway alum had just moved to L.A. for what would become a canceled show (with Amy Sherman-Palladino of Gilmore Girls) and at 40, she could relate to Liza feeling a little lost.
We’re with Liza, we can see her choice is probably a very big mistake but also oh-so-tempting considering the rejection "women of a certain age" can face in the workforce. Not to mention the instant, palpable attraction with Josh.
Here the little parts of the story come together to create a rock-solid concept: Liza’s chosen field of publishing as an industry (like most) can be ageist, despite perceivably being somewhat over the hill itself in our digital age. Both it and Liza face having to reinvent themselves. Josh is a tattoo artist; his business is skin, which makes Liza very worried he’s going to find her out. Her boss regularly tells Liza what’s wrong with her generation, completely in the dark that they are of the same generation and it’s the 20-something Kelsey Peters (Hilary Duff) that plays Liza’s foil: She’s legit just starting out her life and we see how these two generations of women play off each other. Which makes for great comedy as much as it does an opportunity for introspection.
Younger tries to, anyway. Liza and Diana act like what we presume our mothers would act like on more than one occasion, as do Kelsey, Lauren (Molly Bernard), and Josh act like what’s become stereotypical millennial portrayals. But where Younger succeeds is examining that generational divide as much with humor and wit as it does with moments of depth. The mistakes we make when we’re young are much easier to see coming through a 40-something lens. Sometimes, we make just as many mistakes when we’re older — hello, Liza! And all of us have shared fears, dreams, needs and desires that can bridge the gap to a place of empathy and even better, understanding.
While the other characters all revolved around their sun, Liza — such as Liza’s lesbian best friend, cheerleader and roommate Maggie — they did make steps forward in the show for "normalizing" other representations onscreen, primarily with Lauren. First introduced as Kelsey’s friend, Lauren was promoted to series regular in season two and with her arc we were also introduced to one of television’s first pansexual characters.
Inevitably, Liza’s lie is exposed, and the final season explores that aftermath. As much as the show is about ageism, its snappy dialogue, candy-coated aesthetic, and rom-com optimism provide a watchable escape. The show reminds us, even right down to the very last minutes of the series finale, that it’s never too late to follow our dreams, to forgive, to start over.
Younger may be starting over as well, as a Korean adaptation by Kim Seong-yoon. And since its original author released a sequel in 2020, aptly titled Older, it’s probably not a far stretch to imagine a TV reunion at some point. For now, you can stream all seven seasons on Amazon Prime.