Rachel Sennott on the uproarious series depicting that chaotic allure of today's youth existence

The star enters the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming really regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, this is just what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who know her boldly openly gay and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott possesses plenty to share, be it about identity, sex, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. Plus, after watching her recent seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional insights regarding the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she is a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging different age groups).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which follows the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling talent manager Maia. Notably, the largest presence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that show focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—partly—from personal, initially fractious, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a time that saw her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and very) weird comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who questioned about her previously will likely be regretting it currently. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she has created an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a video named about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could easy to make a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant

Ryan Ashley
Ryan Ashley

A UK-based tech journalist and AI researcher with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and emerging technologies.