Your cheat sheet to HBO’s Youth, the latest comedy, covers cast, plot and release date
The must-knows on Youth are simple: who’s in it, what it’s about, and when you can watch it.
Sharon Horgan’s next TV swing is a messy modern love story set squarely in midlife. In Youth, she plays Alex, a 50-year-old divorcée trying to date again while her real life refuses to pause — elderly parents who need more help, a son who still needs raising, and responsibilities that don’t care about anyone’s “fresh start.” The show comes from HBO with Horgan’s longtime collaborators at Merman producing, and the first trailer is already out.
Two-episode premiere September 20, 2026 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO, streaming on Max; eight episodes total through November 1.
Who’s in it
- Sharon Horgan — Alex
- Scarlett Rayner — Bridget
- Rupert Friend — Patrick
- Harrison Dadswell — Teddy
- Sharlene Whyte — Sam
- Aran Murphy — Ruari
- Robbie Gee — Frank
Horgan brings her sharp, lived-in comedy- drama vibe from Catastrophe, Divorce, Motherland and Apple TV+ ’s Bad Sisters — work that’s earned her four Emmy nominations. Opposite her, Rupert Friend (Anatomy of a Scandal) adds some romantic-wild-card energy, with Scarlett Rayner (Trying) and Sharlene Whyte (Lockwood & Co., We Hunt Together) rounding out Alex’s orbit. The series is produced by Merman, the company behind Bad Sisters.
What it’s about
At its core, Youth is about how starting over at 50 collides with everything and everyone who came before. Alex is open to love again, but date nights compete with doctor visits for her parents, parenting her son, and the thousand tiny emergencies that make up a week. The result is a dramedy that leans into complications rather than smoothing them out.
The first two episodes land September 20 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and stream on Max the same night. The remaining six installments roll out Sundays, with the season finale set for November 1, 2026.