HBO Max’s new series Genera+ion is a shockingly candid take on Gen Z, one that feels real yet also sometimes dramatized/heightened to make a point. Yes, this show ends up being pretty ridiculous, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily far off from the truth. That being said, I’m not quite sold on it just yet.
Genera+ion kicks off with an unnamed characters yelling to her friend in a mall bathroom. It’s revealed that she’s pregnant (and didn’t even know) and now she’s giving birth in the mall bathroom. The unnamed character and her friend scramble to figure out what to do, referring to WikiHow and running into random stores for supplies. The friend turns out to be Naomi (Chloe East, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World), one of the twins we officially meet later and she’s talking to/helping her pregnant friend, the outspoken Delilah (Lukita Maxwell, Speechless), who we don’t see much of in the first few episodes. This whole exchange is played off as humorous, and we see a few glimpses of it throughout the next few episodes, but most of the show takes place three months prior to the incident.
The show follows a handful of main characters, opening with Chester (Justice Smith, Detective Pikachu), an outgoing gay teen who doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He breaks gender stereotypes, dresses however he wants, plays water polo, and regularly visits the guidance counselor, who was replaced by a newcomer, Sam (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Four Weddings and a Funeral – the series), who Chester ends up liking a lot. Chester is an enjoyable character, but honestly, it feels like the writers use his lines as a chance to be more and more outrageous instead of trying to add dimension to his character.
Other characters we meet in the first three episodes include: the soft-spoken Greta (Haley Sanchez, Redress) who’s juggling issues related to her family and her sexuality and paranoid Nathan (Uly Schlesinger, Divorce), who’s bisexual and has a bubbly twin we also learn about, Naomi. Greta’s story is one of the most interesting ones as we discover that her mother is back in Guadalajara and that she’s crushing on Nathan’s edgy BFF, Riley (Chase Sui Wonders, On the Rocks). Hopefully, we get more insight into her character as the series continues. Nathan certainly has his fair share to work through, considering he was hooking up with his twin sisters’ boyfriend. After, of course, he spends some time with Arianna (Nathanya Alexander, Ocean’s Eight), because I’m sure that relationship will also run its course for a bit. I think that we’ll see a romance develop between Nathan and Chester as the series progress.
The events of the show feel very realistic, and that’s probably what reaches the target audience the most. In episode two, “Dickscovery,” there’s a lockdown drill in school. Though many shows would probably portray this as a fearful, nail-biting experience, the characters here just look bored as they wait for the drill to be over. Though it’s been a few years for me since I was in one of these drills, the experience depicted in Genera+ion is exactly the same — time passed slowly and everyone grew exasperated, talking in hushed whispers, hoping it would end.
Other instances in which Genera+ion feels like an accurate depiction real life is any time the characters use their phones — which is a lot. There is a lot of social media involved in Genera+ion, which is definitely accurate to students today. Although it might seem like “too much” or at least a far cry from what life in high school used to be like, the internet has taken over a lot of teens’ lives in today’s world, and the show does a pretty good job at showing that. The series is also able to portray this realistic look into the lives of teens nowadays by discussing and showing the sex lives of these characters in pretty keen detail — which can be uncomfortable even though this is normal for many teens in real life.
One thing I want to touch on is the diversity in the series. There are queer lead characters, with queer friends, LGBTQ+ parents, etc. There are compelling characters of color. The teens are not reduced to their identities as they sometimes are in shows which is far more than in many other teen shows today, so that was really enjoyable. They are also, for the most part, seemingly accepted by everyone around them, as seen when Chester struts across the courtyard in a crop top. It’s nice to see that acceptance portrayed on screen because it’s true that Gen Z is more open-minded and accepting, as more people should be. This isn’t what all LGBTQ+ teens experience and the show tries to get across through the parents’ reluctance.
Yet, there are some issues with the show. The relationships seem a little forced at times. That’s not to say the characters don’t make up a fun group of friends; there are certainly moments where they shine, like when three of them get high in the aquarium and crash the wedding reception the twins are at. But the relationships accelerate too quickly. In the first episode, they’re all at a party, most of them strangers to one another, and by the third episode they’re texting like best friends. It’s also hard to tell, at the very beginning, how much these people know each other and what “circles” they might run in. Many of them are supposed to seem like the “cool kids,” but I wish there was a bit more of Greta’s awkwardness as they stumble through their teen years because that seems to fit what a lot of high schoolers are like in reality, and this might resonate to the audience more.
The show also struggles a bit to find a full, clear message. It seems like they expect us to know which jokes are offensive and at the same time laugh along to them. Some of these jokes in poor taste, unless you laugh along with the marginalized groups the jokes make fun of. But if you’re not part of those groups, you shouldn’t even be laughing. For example, I question how a straight person can ever understand what being gay feels like and if they can laugh at a joke about it. And if they do laugh, then isn’t that bad? The show should recognize that not all of these jokes are necessary. The character Arianna is a good example; she makes incessant homophobic comments but thinks it’s okay because she has two gay dads. At the same time, they seem to write her as a character the audience should think is funny and ultimately somewhat likable. I’m not so sure this really lands.
As a whole, Genera+ion is actually a good attempt at showing what Gen Z looks like. Not everyone is a white, heterosexual, rich person many teen dramas seem adamant about showing. It seems much more accurate than the likes of Riverdale, with a voice that can connect to young people today. You can see where it echoes shows like HBO’s own Euphoria. However, I think there’s still a bit of work that needs to be done before this show really reaches a point where it’s not trying too hard.
Genera+ion is Currently Streaming on HBO MAX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaW_mdEqwpg
