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Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Viewers who know the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with close companion the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott possesses a lot to say, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a high-school fight club. And, by the end her new multi-episode program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights about the struggles of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling different age groups).

Influences and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott is an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and ally and new agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant spot on concept belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for the series emerged—partly—from personal, originally rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a time that included her understand major life lessons, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically obsessed with having babies; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Anyone who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she posted content named on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents managing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could simple to produce a program about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at its subjects. The series avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent millennial existence that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant