I Love LA is an American comedy television series created, written by, and starring Rachel Sennott for HBO. The series follows Maia (Rachel Sennott), a clientless talent agent until she reconnects with her ex-best friend and influencer Tallulah (Odessa A'zion). Its supporting cast includes True Whitaker, Jordan Firstman, and Josh Hutcherson. It premiered on November 2, 2025, and was renewed for a second season later that month.
Contents
Premise
This series follows Maia Simsbury, a talent agent two years into a failing career at talent agency Alyssa180. Maia struggles to be seen as worthy for a promotion, until her ex-best friend and New York influencer Tallulah Stiel visits. With her dream job now clouding her brain, she and her codependent friend group navigate their time, their ambitions, and how their new relationships have changed them.
Cast and characters
Main
Rachel Sennott as Maia Simsbury, an ambitious young woman who aspires to be a talent manager
Odessa A'zion as Tallulah Stiel, a successful influencer and Maia's college friend
True Whitaker as Alani Marcus, Maia's friend and the daughter of a famous director
Jordan Firstman as Charlie Cohen, a celebrity stylist in West Hollywood and Maia's friend
Josh Hutcherson as Dylan, a schoolteacher and Maia's boyfriend
Recurring
Leighton Meester as Alyssa, a talent manager and Maia's boss
Lauren Holt as Courtney, Maia's co-worker
Moses Ingram as Tessa, a chef and love interest of Tallulah
Guest
Annalisa Cochrane as Paulena, an influencer from New York City and Tallulah's frenemy
Ayo Edebiri as Mimi Rush, one of Charlie's clients
Augusto Aguilera as Andrew, Charlie's ex-boyfriend
Josh Brener as Victor, a crisis PR manager
Quenlin Blackwell as herself
Caitlin Reilly as Naomi, a friend of Quenlin
Froy Gutierrez as Lukas Landry, a Christian singer famous on TikTok
Elijah Wood as himself
Ben Feldman as Jeremy, Alyssa's partner
Colin Woodell as Ben, Maia's former boss in New York City
Callie Hernandez as Clare, a teacher at Dylan's school
Lily Sullivan as Megan, a Ritz Crackers executive
Tim Baltz as Antoine, the organizer of a noted fashion industry dinner
Keith David as Leon, Alani's father
Production
On March 18, 2024, Deadline Hollywood reported that HBO had ordered a television pilot from Rachel Sennott. Odessa A'zion, Jordan Firstman, True Whitaker and Miles Robbins were announced as main cast members in June. Leighton Meester and Quenlin Blackwell joined the cast in guest roles in July 2024. The show was greenlit in September 2024.
Josh Hutcherson replaced Robbins in May 2025 after character and plot changes. Sennott cast Hutcherson and reasoned: "I've been a fan of his since Bridge to Terabithia. I feel like when I met with him on Zoom, I was like, he's so disarming and charming, and he immediately feels at home. He is warm and makes you feel comfortable. I think he has amazing comedic instincts. He's really funny. I've seen him in dramatic stuff, but I was blown away by how funny he is." In June 2025, Moses Ingram, Lauren Holt, Elijah Wood, and Josh Brener joined the cast in recurring and guest capacities.
On August 26, various trade publications reported that the series was titled I Love LA and its premiere date was set for November.
On November 20, HBO renewed the series for a second season. Filming for the season began on July 28, 2026.
Release
The pilot aired simultaneously on HBO and HBO Max on November 2, 2025. Subsequent episodes were released weekly in the Sunday 10:30 p.m. slot following The Chair Company and It: Welcome to Derry. The season finale aired on December 21, 2025.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 86%, based on 44 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "An irreverent and self-referential comedy speaking to Gen Z existentialism, I Love LA is equal parts funny and cringe thanks to creator Rachel Sennott's absurdist sensibility." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
