For other similarly-titled TV programs, see Generation (disambiguation).
Generation (TV series)
GenreDramedy
CreatorZelda Barnz & Daniel Barnz
Starring
ComposerZachary Dawes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons1
Num episodes16
Executive producer
Producer
  • Marissa Díaz
  • Michael P. Cohen
  • Paul F. Marks
Editor
  • Debra F. Simone
  • Nena Erb
  • Adam Burr
  • Todd Downing
Cinematography
  • Sean Porter
  • Xavier Grobet
  • Laura M. Gonçalves
  • Yaron Orbach
Runtime27–39 minutes
Company
  • We're Not Brothers Productions
  • Good Thing Going
  • Lake Theo
  • I Am Jenni Konner Productions
NetworkHBO Max
First airedMarch 11, 2021
Last airedJuly 8, 2021

Generation (stylized as Genera+ion) is an American dramedy television series that premiered on HBO Max on March 11, 2021.[1][2] In September 2021, the series was canceled after one season.[3]

Premise

Featuring an ensemble cast, the story follows a unique friend group of high school sophomores and juniors all from different walks of life in Orange County, California as they explore modern sexuality, challenge deeply ingrained beliefs about life, love, and test the bonds of their families in their conservative community.

Cast

Main

  • Nathanya Alexander as Arianna,[4] the rich, foul-mouthed best friend of Naomi who hides her insecurities with bigoted jokes
  • Chloe East as Naomi,[4] Nathan's careless twin sister
  • Nava Mau as Ana,[4] Greta's aunt, who is taking care of her and her brother
  • Lukita Maxwell as Delilah,[4] Arianna and Naomi's activist friend
  • Haley Sanchez as Greta,[4] a shy lesbian with a crush on Riley
  • Uly Schlesinger as Nathan,[4] Naomi's neurotic twin brother who begins to explore his bisexuality
  • Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Sam,[5] the school's new guidance counsellor who forms a bond with Chester
  • Chase Sui Wonders as Riley,[4] a popular student and budding photographer who is best friends with Nathan.
  • Justice Smith as Chester,[4] a confident, openly gay student
  • Martha Plimpton as Megan,[6] Naomi and Nathan's highly-strung, conservative mother

Recurring

Guest

Production

Development

Generation was first announced in September 2019 with a pilot order. The pilot is written by Daniel Barnz and his daughter Zelda Barnz. Daniel Barnz also directed the pilot.[9] In December 2019, the series was officially ordered to series. The series is created by Daniel Barnz and Zelda Barnz. Executive producers include Daniel, Zelda, Ben Barnz (who is Daniel's husband and Zelda's other father), Jenni Konner and Lena Dunham. Production companies involved with the series were Good Thing Going Productions, We're Not Brothers Productions and, I Am Jenni Konner Productions.[10] On September 14, 2021, HBO Max canceled the series after one season.[3]

Casting

In September 2019, Martha Plimpton, Justice Smith, Chloe East, Michael Johnston as Ollie, Nava Mau, Haley Sanchez, Uly Schlesinger, Nathanya Alexander as Arianna, Lukita Maxwell and Chase Sui Wonders were cast to star while Sam Trammell joined the cast in a recurring role that same month.[6][4] In August 2020, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett was added to the main cast.[5] In October 2020, Anthony Keyvan, Diego Josef, J. August Richards, John Ross Bowie, Mary Birdsong, Patricia De Leon, and Sydney Mae Diaz were cast in recurring roles.[7] In December 2020, Alicia Coppola, Marwan Salama, and Marisela Zumbado joined the cast in recurring roles.[8]

Filming

Filming for the pilot began at South Pasadena High School in September 2019. The series continued filming at the location during the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

Release

The series premiered on March 11, 2021, with the first 3 episodes available immediately.[1] The season was divided into two 8-episode parts, with the first part ending on April 1, and the second one premiering on June 17 the same year.[12]

On August 17, 2022, it was announced that HBO Max would be removing several series, including Generation.[13]

The series was added to Tubi on February 1, 2023.[14]

Reception

Reviewing the series for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave a rating of 3/5 and said, "Generation arrives at a moment when TV has no shortage of shows about, as Megan sarcastically describes it, 'this secret life of teenagers' hoo-hah.' It's lighter than some of its peers, but still self-conscious... Still, there's promise here."[15] Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club gave the series a B− and wrote, "once these teens start interacting with one another in a much more grounded manner, Genera+ion's strengths emerge, as it dives meaningfully into serious issues meaningfully without getting too dark."[16]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 75% based on 28 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Genera+ion's salacious flourishes can feel more try-hard than authentic, but this inclusive portrayal of Gen Z shines when it identifies the universal pains of being a teenager."[17] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]

References

  1. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (February 10, 2021). "'Generation': Creators And Stars Talk 'Euphoria' Comparisons & Ripping Open Stereotypes With "Incredible Specificity" – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived February 10, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Brody, Catlin (January 27, 2021). "Generation on HBO Max: Here's Everything We Know About the Laura-Dunham Produced Series". Archived January 27, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 14, 2021). "'Generation' Canceled By HBO Max After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived September 15, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (September 25, 2019). "'Generation': Justice Smith, Chloe East and 8 More Join Lena Dunham-Produced HBO Max Dramedy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived February 9, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Petski, Denise (August 25, 2020). "'Generation': Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Joins Lena Dunham-Produced HBO Max Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived January 16, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (September 3, 2019). "Martha Plimpton Joins Lena Dunham-Produced HBO Max Pilot 'Generation'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived January 22, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Petski, Denise (October 16, 2020). "'Generation': Lena Dunham Series Adds Seven Recurring To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived November 2, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Petski, Denise (December 8, 2020). "'Generation': Alicia Coppola, Marwan Salama, Marisela Zumbado To Recur In Lena Dunham's HBO Max Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived January 16, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Otterson, Joe (September 25, 2019). "Justice Smith Among 10 Cast in HBO Max High School Pilot 'Generation'". Variety. Archived December 1, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  10. ^ Petski, Denise (December 5, 2019). "HBO Max Orders Lena Dunham-Produced 'Generation' To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived February 22, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Hohman, Katie (November 19, 2020). "Filming of HBO show "Generation" continues on campus amidst pandemic". South Pasadena Tigers Newspaper. Archived January 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "HBO Max Dramedy GENERA+ION Returns June 17". Warner Media. May 26, 2021. Archived June 24, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  13. ^ White, Peter (2022-08-17). "'Ellen's Next Great Designer', 'The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo' & 'My Mom, Your Dad' Among Unscripted & Animated Titles Pulled From HBO Max". Deadline. Archived November 25, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  14. ^ "HBO Max Series Moves to Tubi After Being Pulled by Warner Bros. Discovery". January 7, 2023. Archived January 8, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (March 11, 2021). "'Generation' Tries to Capture the Chaos of Teen Angst". Rolling Stone. Archived March 16, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  16. ^ Gajjar, Saloni (March 8, 2021). "HBO Max's Genera+ion tells interesting but gimmicky coming-of-age stories". The A.V. Club. Archived March 11, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "Genera+ion: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "Generation: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 12, 2021.