I Love LA review – Rachel Sennott's HBO comedy finds itself but takes its time

Rachel Sennott's New Comedy Series, I Love LA, Finds Its Footing but Takes Time to Get There.

The HBO comedy series, created by Sennott, was previously known as Untitled Rachel Sennott Project and has been shrouded in mystery. But Sennott, one of the few internet-born comedians with real movie credentials, is an internet sensation, embodying the modern indistinction between actor and celebrity. The show, which flows downhill from its inception, combines Sennott's unique online persona with a prestige brand bet on her popularity.

The series centers around Maia, played by Sennott, a 27-year-old talent manager living in Los Feliz. She is a blend of contradictions - hyper-self-aware and delusional, histrionic yet dead-eyed, overtly sexual but girlish. The show's early episodes have a mechanical quality, with Sennott teetering between clownish self-deprecation and cool-girl deadass-ness, but it takes several episodes for Maia to downshift from sketch trope to character.

Sennott's co-stars include Jordan Firstman as celebrity stylist Charlie and True Whitaker as Alani, the nepo baby. The show also boasts Odessa A'Zion, a standout in her role as Tallulah, Maia's New York Instagram baddie and ex-best friend. Tallulah brings an undeniable star quality to the series, much like A'Zion is gaining buzz for her upcoming starring turn opposite Timothée Chalamet.

The business of internet celebrity and the world of Hollywood can be a tricky combination for a show. I Love LA struggles at first but finds its footing midway through the season. The hooks are there, as well as the visuals, which receive an artful and emotionally intuitive treatment from director Lorene Scafaria.

While the show may seem to prioritize bluster over substance in its early episodes, it rewards patience with sharp ironies and a textured portrait of this particular rung on the fame ladder. The endless embarrassments and boundless opportunities of celebrity can seem similar to those of being alive, particularly in one's 20s. As the series progresses, viewers will find themselves charmed by Charlie's unexpected connections, pained by Tallulah's flops, frustrated by Maia's staggering absorption, but ultimately rooting for her.

I Love LA starts on HBO in the US on November 2nd, on HBO Max in Australia on November 3rd, and on Sky Comedy in the UK on November 5th.
 
[🤣](https://i.giphy.com/GpYzg1wX8mT0M.gif) ahh LOL what's up with this Maia girl tho? 🤷‍♀️ [🎬](https://i.giphy.com/3x7fQ4cW9Nn5aP.gif) guess it takes time to get to the good stuff 🕰️ but I got my popcorn ready 👀
 
omg i'm so confused about this show lol its like rachel senott is already a star but now she's playing a talent manager who's kinda like her? that's wild 🤯 anyway i think the show needs to find its footing, literally, because right now it feels like its meandering all over the place. maia needs to grow some teeth or something and stop being so self-aware 😂 but when tallulah shows up, things get interesting. odessa a'zion is giving me life 🤩 and the art direction is actually really cool 👀 i'm down to watch this show if it can nail its tone and become more than just a funny girl trying to be relatable 💁‍♀️
 
IDK why I even bother watchin' this show... I mean, it's like Rachel Sennott is tryin' to be two people at once - it's all over the place 🤯 And don't get me wrong, Odessa A'Zion is fire as Tallulah, but the rest of the cast can't seem to find their footing yet. It feels like they're just wingin' it, you know? But for some reason, I'm still curious to see how this thing unfolds 🤔 Maybe it's 'cause Sennott's internet persona is kinda infectious or something... Anyway, if you're a die-hard fan of all things celebrity drama, I guess I Love LA might be the show for you 💁‍♀️. Just don't expect me to binge it anytime soon 😴
 
I feel like I've seen this movie before 😊. The struggle is real when trying to find your footing in life. It sounds like I Love LA is still figuring out its identity, but that's a common phase for many creatives. I mean, who hasn't felt like they're just winging it and hoping for the best? 🤣 But what's beautiful about this show (and most of us) is that we can relate to those struggles and emotions.

It's also a reminder that even with flaws, our imperfections are what make us human. Maia's character might seem like a hot mess at first, but she's actually kind of lovable because of it. And I think that's what the show is all about: embracing our own quirks and vulnerabilities to find connection with others.

It's also worth noting how quickly fame can turn your life upside down. It's easy to get caught up in the hype and lose ourselves in the process. But it sounds like I Love LA will give you a more nuanced look at what that world is really like, with all its highs and lows. 🤩
 
omg i cant w8 to see I love LA 🤩!! rachel senott is literally my spirit animal lolol she's so extra and self-aware at the same time but i feel like that's what makes her so endearing? 😂 anyhoo, i loved how u broke down the show's progression - yeah it takes some time to get used to but once you do, its actually really deep! 🤯 charlie and tallulah are literally my fave already 💁‍♀️👯 and the art direction on HBO is always top notch tbh 👍
 
omg i feel like i know rachel senott from tiktok lol she's so iconic 🤣 i think it's cool that her show I Love LA is trying to navigate this whole internet-to-hollywood thing - it's not easy, right? 😂 but seriously, the more i watch ep 3, the more i'm getting invested in maia's character and her relationships with charlie and tallulah... i ship it 💘 and i love how the show is tackling these relatable themes of fame and identity 🤔
 
lol I love how they're trying to blend internet personality with traditional TV comedy, it's like a recipe for disaster or genius 🤔. But honestly, it takes some time to get used to Rachel Sennott's character Maia - she's all over the place and that can be both charming and annoying at the same time 😂. I mean, who is this girl, right? And then there's Tallulah, who's basically a mini-me of Odessa A'Zion 🤗. I'm not gonna lie, it took me a few episodes to get into the show, but once it finds its footing, it's actually pretty great 👍. The cast is solid and the directing is on point too 🎬. I just hope they don't overdo it with all the ironies and sharp comments - sometimes less is more, you know? 😊
 
omg i love rachel sennott's energy on this show lol she's like the perfect representation of a millennial trying to adult but clearly failing idk what's more cringey maia's online persona or charlie's celebrity client drama either way though, sennott's got some serious range and her chemistry with odessa azion is on point 🤩 tallulah is basically the queen of nyc's instagram world
 
man, i was so hyped to see rachel senott's new comedy series finally drop 🤣 but honestly, it feels like they're still figuring out their thing...like, remember when we used to watch these crazy viral videos of rachel on tiktok and we were all just dying laughing? lol those were the days 📹 anyway, i love how maia is this super contradictory character - she's got so much personality but it takes a few episodes to really land. i also gotta say, odessa a'zion as tallulah is giving me major stan vibes 🤩 can't wait to see her in that movie with timothée chalamet btw
 
omg u guys i'm so here for rachel sennott's new show I Love LA but i gotta say it's like her to come out swinging lol i mean initially it's all over the place but once u get past the first few ep's it's actually really cute i love how she's just being herself and also kinda not. the supporting cast is on point tho jordan firstman as charlie tho 🤣 and true whitaker as alani tho 😂 Odessa a'zion is giving me major tallulah vibes lol. anyway gotta admit it took me a few ep's to get invested but now i'm hooked
 
omg i love how rachel seennott is kinda like the modern-day icon we all know from the internet 🤩 but seriously, her new show I Love LA has me both confused & charmed at the same time lol i mean, maia's character is literally so extra and relatable at the same time - can we talk about how tallulah's instagram presence as a character is giving me LIFE? 📸👀 but what i love most about the show is that it takes its sweet time to get to the point, like, don't even get me started on how long it took for maia to actually become her own character instead of just being this sketch-y version lol what do u guys think of I Love LA? 👀
 
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