'Younger' Delivers High Laughs and High Fashion

By Nora Dominick ’17/ Emertainment Monthly Assistant Stage Editor

TV Land, a network that flies under the radar and is mostly known for its hit show Hot in Cleveland, is about to usher in a fresh and hilarious new comedy. Younger is an up-and-coming 22-minute comedy that features some incredibly talented actors and the greatest city in the world—New York City.
Younger follows Liza (Sutton Foster), a 40-year-old, recently divorced mother who is looking to get a job. After taking a sabbatical for fifteen years to raise her daughter, Caitlin (Tessa Albertson), she is now looking to get back into the field of publishing, a feat she is finding very difficult for a woman of her age. When Liza and her friend Maggie (Debi Mazar) go to a bar in Brooklyn, Liza is soon complimented and asked out by a much younger (very attractive) man, Josh (Nico Tortorella). This leads to Maggie giving her a makeover in order to look younger. Ultimately, she lands a job as an assistant to Diana (Miriam Shor), a hot-tempered boss at a publishing firm. With Liza navigating a new world of being in her twenties she finds a friend in her co-worker Kelsey (Hilary Duff). What ensues is a hilarious comedy about navigating the working world in a new, digital age.

Younger is based on a book series of the same name by Pamela Redmond Satran and has been developed for television by Darren Star. Star is best known for creating hit television shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210, and Melrose Place. His most notable work is being the creator and a writer on the hit HBO series Sex and the City. Star has done it once again with Younger. From the first scene, Star does what he’s best known for: establishing the setting almost as if it’s another character. Similar to Sex and the City, Younger uses the immense landscape of NYC to tell a story. Although there are numerous other television shows set in this city, Younger has a different feeling. The fact that the actors are filming amongst real people in real places allows the show to reach a high level of realism. Star doesn’t try to hide NYC; he exposes it and uses it to his advantage, which is spectacular.
Another element of Younger that calls back to Star’s work on Sex and the City is the fashion. Costume consultant Patricia Field worked with Star on Sex and the City and brings her talent and eye for fashion to this new show. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) was the cardinal fashionista on Sex and the City and helped create some of the biggest fashion trends of the early 2000s. Now it looks like Liza could follow in her footsteps. Foster and Duff’s costumes in just this pilot episode are simply stunning. They call upon old fashion trends while staying hip and fresh. Like the setting, fashion almost seems like another character.

In a comedy with this premise, it’s essential the perfect cast is selected—especially the main character of Liza. Two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster is the perfect choice for this role. Foster is mainly known for her work on Broadway in musicals such as Throughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, Shrek the Musical, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, and, most-recently, her stripped-away and brilliant performance in Violet. This isn’t her first time on television, though. In 2012 she took on the role of Michelle Simms in the hit, but sadly short- lived, ABC Family series, Bunheads. The show, created by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman- Palladino, called back to some of the important elements Gilmore Girls was known for. It had fast-paced dialogue, hilarious comedy, and most importantly: heart. This experience on TV helped hone Foster’s comedic skills and allows her to shine in the role of Liza on Younger. Her comedic timing is spot on and she showcases some of her signature facial expressions and quick wit. She isn’t afraid to put everything into a scene and anyone who is familiar with her work knows she is flawless at doing so. It’s hard to believe Foster herself is closing in on 40 years old, because she indeed could pass as a 26-year-old.  The writing on this show is fresh and exciting and part of the reason is thanks to Foster. She connects with every cast member flawlessly. She has another entertaining character and cast on her hands.
Of course, the ensemble of Younger also does a remarkable job. Hilary Duff makes her triumphant return to television as Liza’s best friend, a role that seems to be made for her. Duff is most notable from her work as a young actor on the Disney Channel hit series Lizzie McGuire, a television show that helped Duff show off her already-budding talent and hone her comedic skills. Although she has been seen in various smaller roles on television shows like Gossip Girl and Two and a Half Men, this is her first series-regular job since Lizzie McGuire. Duff does a good job and her character is sure to grow in upcoming episodes. Another actress highlighted in the pilot episode is Debi Mazar. Mazar is no stranger to television and film. Her work in Entourage and Goodfellas is stunning and she brings the same charisma to the role of Maggie. Her form of blunt, sarcastic humor perfectly compliments Foster’s physical comedy.
TV Land has ordered 12 episodes for this inaugural season, but based on this pilot episode, Younger could replace Hot in Cleveland, which ends its sixth season run later this year, as TV Lands next great comedy. Younger is a fresh take on a continuing trend of women trying to make it in New York City. The fashion and pure comic attitude of the show is beautifully blended together in the modern landscape.

Younger airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on TV Land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SucwNpgCD4M