Over on Rotten Tomatoes, “Adults” earned an overall rating of 73% from critics, and the consensus reads, “Every generation deserves its own sitcom of likable screwups, and ‘Adults’ more or less delivers one for Gen-Z with its ensemble of funny and maddening strivers.” As for individual critics, they were — as that score might indicate — somewhat mixed.

“It’s a quick binge, and frequently hilarious, if you can get past the existential haze and the gnawing feeling that everyone should take a shower and clean their g*ddamn house,” Dustin Rowles opined for Pajiba. Over at Paste Magazine, Rendy Jones compared it to “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” writing, “A refined ‘Sunny’ clone tailored for the Zillennial generation, perfectly capturing the emotions and experiences of twenty-somethings just starting out in the world.” Dave Nemetz seemed to agree in his review for TVLine: “Even though it’s rooted in Gen Z, ‘Adults’ still fits into fairly conventional sitcom rhythms and payoffs. And it’s comforting in a way to see this show use those tried-and-true techniques to find big laughs within a whole new generation.”

Writing for The New York Times, Esther Zuckerman said, “While it seems unlikely to become a generation-defining sensation, once ‘Adults’ finds its groove, it is perfectly diverting TV.” The Hollywood Reporter‘s reviewer Angie Han expressed a similar sentiment, writing, “It can be a little exhausting, in a way that occasionally made me want to pull it aside and suggest it take a breath. But it’s also bright enough (and, unexpectedly, sweet enough) to inspire faith it’ll find its footing eventually.” Over at Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall took a straightforward view of the series: “There are occasional references to the characters’ age bracket and how older generations feel about them, but not so much that it feels like the intended point of ‘Adults.’ All it wants to be about is five funny people being funny together.”

Still, some critics simply weren’t charmed by “Adults.” Ben Travers found the characters too irksome to ignore; in his IndieWire review, he wrote, “As is, every one of the main characters is too brainless and basic to invest in, even when the series treats their shared ineptitude like a bonding agent.” Variety‘s Alison Herman was a little gentler, saying, “As ‘Adults’ actually exists, though, it feels as uncertain as its subjects — and many of its TV contemporaries. In this sense, at least, it’s a show of its time.” Still, there’s plenty of positive buzz out there surrounding “Adults,” which makes sense — it’s a fresh new show full of relative unknowns with a major comedian as a producer, and its first season builds to an impressively intriguing point.