FX's comedy series Adults has bucked the industry-wide trend of streaming shows losing viewers in their second season, with internal Disney data showing viewership up more than 40% over the same period compared with Season 1. The growth is notable given that many streaming series struggle to retain audiences beyond their debut run, and suggests FX's strategy of releasing a standalone prequel episode ahead of the new season helped sustain interest in the show, which follows five friends navigating their twenties while living together.

According to FX, citing Disney's internal streaming figures, viewership across Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally rose over 40% in the first 12 days of Season 2's release, with international audiences doubling. The prequel episode "Marathon Day," released a month before Season 2, is credited with boosting Season 1 viewership by 50% since its late-July debut, while critical reception also improved, with the show's Rotten Tomatoes score climbing from 77% to 100%. The gains come as Hulu cancelled a similar young-adult comedy, Not Suitable For Work, after a single season, with sources noting Adults has performed better at a lower cost. The show was created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw and stars Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao and Owen Thiele.