‘I Love LA’: Rachel Sennott on Why Josh Hutcherson Was Perfectly Cast as Love Interest

I Love LA is HBO‘s latest addition to the genre of a group of twentysomething friends navigating life and love in a big city. Rachel Sennott‘s comedy, premiering on Sunday, November 2, will remind you of its HBO predecessors, Girls, Sex and the City, and Insecure by nature of the genre, but it shares more DNA with the latter, and not just because Issa Rae‘s series also takes place in Los Angeles and starts on the main character’s birthday. Both Insecure and I Love LA are set in the final years of the heroine’s 20s, when she’s making decisions that could impact the rest of her life, including taking stock of her serious romantic relationship. Josh Hutcherson plays Sennott’s love interest in this eight-episode first season.

Sennott not only created the show but also serves as writer, executive producer, and star. The Season 1 finale is her directorial debut. The Bottoms star plays Maia, who works as an assistant manager at a talent agency that represents social media influencers. Maia is laser-focused on making a big life for herself, but as she makes her way to 30 post-COVID, she feels like she’s running out of time to succeed, which only feeds her ambition.