Sharon Horgan: 'Youth' Renewed for Second Season After Personal Storytelling
The HBO Max comedy follows a 50-year-old divorcee navigating dating and caregiving, a premise Horgan says feels more intimate than her previous work.
By Rosa Wojcik ·
HBO has renewed the comedy 'Youth' for a second season. The series, created by and starring Sharon Horgan, centers on a 50-year-old divorcee named Alex who balances caring for her ailing parents and managing her adult son while searching for a new romantic partner. All eight episodes of the first season are currently available on HBO Max.
Horgan has stated that she conceived the characters for 'Youth' years before the show entered production. She noted that she began developing the concept before filming her 2022 Apple TV+ series 'Bad Sisters.' During that period, Horgan was approaching her 50th birthday and exiting a marriage. She observed that her children were growing older and that this new life stage offered strong narrative potential.
The creator described her initial motivation as a desire to explore the experience of a woman at that age re-entering the dating scene. Horgan recalled waking up with the fear that she would die alone. She found the thought humorous and decided to write about the specific difficulties of dating after 50, noting that bodies, confidence, and the available romantic pool all change at that stage.
While Horgan admits to using auto-fiction in most of her projects, she considers 'Youth' her most personal work to date. She explained that the show feels "extra" compared to her other efforts. Although her character Alex has one son and Horgan has two daughters, the creator felt a deep connection to the role. She attributed this to using her own personal experiences and heartache to shape the character.
Horgan described the process of releasing such personal material as daunting. She said putting real moments on screen felt like asking the audience if she was funny or likable. She noted that during the years of creation, the only person she needed to please was herself, excluding the streaming platform. Once the show airs, it belongs to the public, which she described as a scary prospect.
The series aims to make the protagonist's journey feel accessible to viewers. Horgan hopes audiences will relate to specific scenarios, such as a college student returning home or the physical changes of entering one's 50s. She believes television offers a level of intimacy that feels less aspirational than film, allowing viewers to see their own lives reflected on a small screen in their own homes.
