Adults and Not Suitable for Work already have a lot of people comparing and contrasting them thanks to a lot of their similarities. The shows, which both follow groups of Gen Zers in New York City, have felt like the perfect combination of the comedy of Friends and the chaos of Girls. But there was one thing that has been really bothering me for a while as I continued to watch both series as comfort watches.
I will be the first to admit to you that I am not a New Yorker. As a proud New Jersey princess, I often encourage all my NYC coworkers to come across the river and visit the great Garden State. However, as a person who has lived in the tri-state area my whole life just one tunnel or bridge away from the city, I know how vast and big the Latino population in NYC is. In fact, the Hispanic population makes up 28.3% of the city’s demographics, according to the 2020 census. So, why is it that there are seemingly no Latino characters in either show?
In the case of Not Suitable for Work, they did have Elena, played by Emilia Suárez. However, she only had a recurring role where she only appeared in a few episodes and was eventually written out when her character broke up with Josh, one of the white male leads of the series. This means that the final three episodes of the season (and the series) had zero Latinos featured. Meanwhile, in its two seasons on FX, Adults have yet to introduce any openly Latino characters on the show.
Many have pointed out how both shows have almost the same racial breakdown in their main casts. While some fans believed Samir to be white, actor Malik Elassal’s family is from Lebanon and, like his character on the show, is Muslim. And, as he points out in the season 2 opener, “We’re diverse a fuckin’ brochure,” to which Issa ironically replies with, “Yeah. We almost have one of every one.”
Queens, where Adults takes place, actually has the biggest Latino population in the entire city. And while it does film in Toronto, it’s hard to believe that they haven’t encountered a single Latino individual even if it’s just going to a local bodega or nearby restaurant.
Now more than ever, we are more in need of positive Latino representation in media. In a time where Latinos are particularly being targeted by ICE, representation on TV can help us feel like we belong despite what the current administration wants us to believe.
In 2025, Latinos only made up 5.2% of leads on scripted TV, despite making up 19.5% of the total U.S. population. Right now, being cut out of these stories makes us feel as if we don’t deserve to be part of these funny ensembles that are also positive stories about friendship, growing up, queerness, and belonging in the city.
It’s a very jarring thing, especially when Adults didn’t seem to forget including Billie’s very hilarious but also very questionable Cinco de Homo photo. While the show is obviously teaching us a very good lesson about questionable photos that still exist on the internet, hopefully it soon learns its lesson about including everyone, especially for a show that is set in one of the most diverse cities in the world.