I am sick and tired of young-adult comedies being set in New York.
In the ‘90s, it was charming. Think of “F.R.I.E.N.D.S”, and “Sex and the City” — two shows that follow dysfunctional friend groups and their struggles living in New York City.
But as time passes, and the quality of sit-coms steadily drops, NYC has lost its role as a leading lady.
The newly released second season of “Adults” takes place in “the shit-taint of Queens,” but you’d never know by watching. It could be the “shit-taint” of any city in the USA, a fact made worse considering the show was shot in Toronto.
“Not Suitable For Work” is another newly released young adult comedy, featuring a messy, romantically involved friend group in the Big Apple. The show was just cancelled by Hulu, and is shopping around for a new owner.
While “NSFW” takes place in Manhattan, the setting still lacks any distinction. Rather than utilize the city, the show relies on shitty apartments and shots of a generic skyscraper-filled skyline, resulting in a story that could just as well be taking place in Chicago.
It feels like sub-par comedies try to make up for their pitfalls by situating the characters in a cosmopolitan city that has seemingly never failed the genre before. As if a group of friends in New York is automatically a great concept, sure to bring in viewers. But in their haste to utilize NYC, writers fail to realize why it’s worked in the past.
In “Sex and the City”, New York is its own character, the fifth member of the friend group. The girls are running around the city, meeting distinctly New York men, and falling into New York specific scenarios. These moments encapsulate NYC in their absurdity. Think of Miranda being cat-called by and eventually sleeping with a restaurant advertiser dressed in a hot dog costume, or Carrie falling into the water of the boathouse in Central Park.
The show works because the writing is specific to the city.
In newer shows, the audience is hardly ever able to truly get a sense of the city. “Adults” at least had the right idea by placing their characters in a house in Queens, rather than in a downtown apartment. This helps set them apart from other shows, and is markedly distinctive. “Adults”, however, misses the opportunity to highlight Queens, and the boroughs of NYC that exist outside of the typical city limits.
Seeing as “Adults” sets most of its scenes indoors, most of which take place in the protagonists’ apartment, we’re forced to ask: what was the point of setting it in New York in the first place?
The trope has been overused and the message watered down to the point that NYC could pretty much be replaced with anywhere else in the world. Brampton, Ontario. Olinda, Brazil. Sparwood, British Columbia. It doesn’t even matter anymore.
The portrayal of New York City in TV shows and movies has completely shaped the way we view it today. A place of worry and hardship and financial burden; but also one where when you make it, you’ve really made it.
Nowadays, it seems like anyone can pack up and move to New York to live a boring, uninspiring, indoor life.
Carrie Bradshaw would be so disappointed.