The comedic talent exploring the side-splitting show depicting the grotty glamour of Gen Z life

The star appears on the video call and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s just what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will already know that Sennott possesses much to say, whether on roles, intimacy, or the merits of creating a youth combat group. Furthermore, by the end her new multi-episode show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more insights on the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she is a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, citing the show together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally and fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the largest influence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from her own, initially difficult, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her learn some big truths, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Early Beginnings

Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott started writing and performing comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who questioned regarding her previously will certainly be regretting it today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). It would be simple to produce a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of affluent young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the shine.

Empathetic Approach

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she observes. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant

Susan Cook
Susan Cook

A technology journalist with over a decade of experience covering startups and digital trends, passionate about making tech accessible.