‘I Love L.A.’ – Review
Brace yourselves for a hot-mess alert, babes, because celebrated actress and comedian Rachel Sennott serves up razor-sharp, satirical bliss with I Love L.A., HBO’s all-new comedy series that’s just dropped, and trust me, it delivers. Acid-tongued and unapologetically chaotic, this series slices into the modern influencer scene, its movers and shakers, the messy hijinks they create, and all the wild, unfiltered drama that comes with chasing clout in the City of Angels. And yes, there’s heart here too, plenty of it. This is absolutely the show you need in your life right now.
A codependent, ambitious friend group navigates life and love in Los Angeles, confronting the existential complexities of their late 20s. It’s a chaotic meditation on chasing your dreams – no matter the cost.
Set against the madness of present-day Los Angeles, where what really matters is who’s trending on TikTok and who’s spilling the tea on Instagram, Sennott takes her real-life experiences and channels them into a searing satire of Gen-Z influencer culture. And it’s brilliant. Snappy, in-your-face, and totally unpredictable, I Love L.A. has its finger pressed firmly against the cultural pulse. Sennott’s almost anthropological takedown of this one-of-a-kind subculture is so pointed and so real that you might just catch a glimpse of yourself in it. Where Sex and the City defined Gen X glam, and Girls was peak Millennial angst, I Love L.A. gives us the definitive Gen Z snapshot: equal parts brutal and affectionate toward a generation trying to build a name, find a purpose, and survive this messy, shimmering world we call life. And I genuinely love every second of it.
Sennott, pulling triple duty as writer, producer, and lead protagonist Mia Simsbury, a wildly ambitious talent agent trying to make her mark, wields her comedic sensibilities like a weapon. The result is a series so unpredictable, so chaotic, and so vibrantly fresh that you truly never know what’s coming next. In this world of It Girls, influencers, stylists, trendsetters, and nepo-babies, I Love L.A. is the ultimate “hot mess express.” But beneath the content chaos and scandalous antics, there’s a genuine tenderness grounding the show; especially within its effortlessly watchable ensemble.
Joining Sennott is Odessa A’zion as Talulah Stiel, a rising influencer and New York fashion girlie making a name for herself. True Whitaker brings wonderfully deranged energy as Alani Marcus, a brazen, spacey, rich girl with zero filter. Jordan Firstman absolutely devours the screen as Charlie Cohen, a diva celebrity stylist with enough attitude to light up the Sunset Strip. And then there’s Josh Hutcherson as Dylan, Mia’s long-suffering sweetheart of a boyfriend who somehow keeps up with the madness. Together, the cast’s chemistry crackles, they bounce off one another with the kind of chaotic authenticity that makes their friendships feel real, lived-in, and dangerously relatable.
If you’ve ever dipped even a perfectly pedicured toe into influencer culture, you’ll instantly recognise every exaggerated, elevated, and terrifyingly accurate archetype on display. While I Love L.A. could be mistaken for parody, Sennott’s point is much sharper: in 2026, these characters aren’t exaggerations; they exist. This is the world we live in now. And that’s exactly what makes it delicious.
But if we’re talking scene-stealers, then no one, and I mean no one, does it like Leighton Meester. As Alyssa, Mia’s aloof, razor-sharp, ultra-bitchy boss, Meester channels the energy of a grown-up Blair Waldorf who has traded the steps of the Met for a glass-box office in West Hollywood. With her passive-aggressive side-eye and “I invented this industry” energy, she absolutely owns every frame she’s in. It’s iconic behaviour, and I am obsessed.
There’s absolutely no filter in I Love L.A., expect raunchy comedy, explicit from-the-heart sexual honesty, and laugh-out-loud chaos. But the series also digs deeper, especially in its exploration of codependency, most notably within the relationship between Mia and Talulah. They might drive each other up the wall, but beneath the toxicity is real loyalty, and it’s here the series finds its emotional center.
Fresh, funny, unhinged, and unexpectedly heartfelt, I Love L.A. brings the drama, the laughs, the cringe, and the truth. If you’re after something with real edge, big personality, and a beating heart underneath the contour and filters, this is your new obsession. Clear your schedule, the binge is worth it.
Watch I Love L.A. NOW on Neon.
Image: SKY TV
