When I think of Los Angeles, I think of Rachel Sennott.
While the comedian got her start in New York, she became inextricably linked to L.A. in my mind thanks to her 2019 video parody of trailers for movies set in L.A. The combination of Sennott’s manic spinning, her one-liners about drugs and eating disorders, and the thumping beats of Azealia Banks’ “212” make for a hyper-specific pop cultural send-up (see: the trailer for The Bling Ring), one I’m at risk of quoting every time someone mentions L.A. The video also granted viewers a taste of Sennott’s creative voice, which she has since fine-tuned in larger scale projects like Bodies Bodies Bodies and Bottoms. It seems fated, then, that Sennott would return to L.A. in her first outing as a series creator, for HBO’s I Love LA.
At first glance, I Love LA appears to channel the same energy as the movies Sennott parodied in 2019. The trailer promises glamorous house parties, celebrity cameos, and even a woman smoking cocaine. (Yes, a thumping techno soundtrack is also involved.) But it’s been six years since Sennott first declared, “What? It’s L.A.!” and now she has more to say, along with more space in which to say it. Because of that, I Love LA proves a hilarious dive into the obsessions and insecurities that come from trying to have it all, all told through the eyes of a delightfully messy new TV friend group.
What’s I Love LA about?
Rachel Sennott, Jordan Firstman, and True Whitaker in “I Love LA.”
Credit: Kenny Laubbacher / HBO
The center of that friend group is Maia (Sennott), an assistant at a PR firm who hopes to move up in the ranks after years of career stagnancy. Her two besties in the city are Charlie (Jordan Firstman), a blunt, unfiltered celebrity stylist, and Alani (True Whitaker), the daughter of a celebrated director who toggles between totally oblivious and deeply emotionally intelligent.
A wild card disrupts the group in the form of Tallulah (Odessa A’zion), Maia’s closest friend from college. The pair were initially meant to move from New York to L.A. together, but Tallulah chose to stay behind. Now, she’s an influencer It Girl on the verge of taking her fame to the next level, while Maia just feels stuck.
Tallulah’s surprise arrival in L.A. reminds Maia of her own shortcomings, and her early interactions with Tallulah reflect that. The two sling subtly disguised barbs at one another and cook up lies designed to make themselves see cooler than they are. It’s all wrapped up in the candy-coated guise of friendship, but the cracks do shine through, and Sennott and A’zion will have you wincing at every backhanded compliment.
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Despite the tension from years apart, Maia and Tallulah realize they’ve been putting up walls and projecting their own insecurities onto their friendship. They decide that the only way they can truly make it is together: Tallulah as talent and Maia as her manager. So begins a wild ride into the ups and downs of influencer stardom.
I Love LA is a sharp look into what it takes to be an influencer.
Rachel Sennott and Odessa A’zion in “I Love LA.”
Credit: Kenny Laubbacher / HBO
Given that content creators are now a key part of the entertainment landscape, I Love LA offers a glimpse at the less-than-glamorous machinations behind the aspirational images influencers may curate for your feeds. Brand deals, talent teams, crisis management… these are just the tip of the iceberg of what I Love LA has to offer, with Sennott heightening each element of the creator economy for laughs. A scene of Tallulah filming a TikTok with real-life creator Quenlin Blackwell proves especially uproarious and biting, as the show’s version of Blackwell demands a Kubrick-ian levels of takes for peak authenticity.
Still, I Love LA‘s take on internet culture rarely feels pandering. Beyond a photoshoot or two, we never actually see the kind of content Tallulah makes. The choice means that I Love LA doesn’t have to follow trends that could already feel outdated between production and the show’s release. Instead, it relies on A’zion’s performance to sell the idea of “Tallulah as influencer,” and it works. A’zion bursts with the kind of unfiltered charisma and self-assuredness that marks the online It Girls of today, with Sennott’s often frazzled, tightly wound work as Maia serving as the perfect counterpoint.
I Love LA features a great TV friend group and ensemble.
Jordan Firstman, True Whitaker, Odessa A’zion, and Rachel Sennott in “I Love LA.”
Credit: Kenny Laubbacher / HBO
In addition to Sennott and A’zion, Firstman and Whitaker do excellent work as Charlie and Alani. The central quartet as a whole has impeccable chemistry, meshing nicely without sacrificing each character’s individuality. I can see people claiming a character in the friend group now, in the way that they do for other HBO heavy-hitters like Sex and the City and Girls.
Early buzz around the show has led to Girls comparisons, and that certainly rings true throughout. There’s a similar frank messiness to the friend group, and the characters are often just as self-centered, to the point that I can already imagine people bemoaning I Love LA‘s “unlikeable” characters. (Are they actually unlikeable, though? Or are they just uncomfortably relatable in a way that forces you to examine something about yourself?)
The fun doesn’t stop with I Love LA‘s core friend group. Leighton Meester is deliciously obnoxious as Maia’s boss Alyssa, while Josh Hutcherson provides a grounding balance as Maia’s boyfriend Dylan. The two also come to represent the two poles of Maia’s life: Alyssa echoes her ambition and the overall glamor of the L.A. hustle, while Dylan offers a break from the relentless chaos of Maia’s career. I Love LA never demonizes Maia for wanting a rewarding job, but it certainly questions how this job (and the madness of L.A. as a whole) are impacting her connections with others.
Introspective without being preachy, and satirical without being exclusionary of non-L.A. aficionados, I Love LA‘s first season is another strong entry in 2025’s crop of zillennial sitcoms, which also includes the likes of Overcompensating and Adults. For Sennott fans and newcomers alike, I Love LA has the makings of your next comedy obsession.
I Love LA premieres Nov. 2 at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
