REVIEW: Forget the return of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, these are the free-spirited women you should spend late 2021 hanging out with.

Combined spirits that brought us The Mindy project and Brooklyn nine-nine – Justin Noble and Mindy Kaling – comes this hilarious 10-part comedy about a disparate early years quartet at Essex College in Vermont.

While we’re not quite talking Young people-level of anarchy and madness, this is an American campus comedy that’s not afraid to push the boundaries and present its characters as imperfect, but three-dimensional.

And yes, there will inevitably be comparisons between that and Lena Dunham’s. Girls, but it plays lighter and more Middle American than New York chic and cynicism.

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When we first meet our quartet, they all suffer from that dreaded day their parents drop them off. Coming from Gilbert, Arizona – “America’s whitest town” – Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet, sister of the ubiquitous Timothée) is eager to make new friends and is delighted that her new roommates include Whitney (Alya Chanelle Scott ), a Seattle football star and daughter of a senator, and New Jersey-born HIV-positive aspiring actress Bela (Amrit Kaur).

Prone to excessive sharing, the latter happily reveals that “four months ago I was an Indian loser with cystic acne, sweaty armpits and glasses. But, with a Lasik procedure, prescription of Accutane and injection of botox, I am normal ”.

In contrast, most of Whitney’s concerns revolve around her bossy political mother Evette (Sherri Shepherd), who advises all girls not to embarrass her “or you’re dead to me.” “Don’t follow me on social media. No single-use plastic. Don’t Tweet for the Next Four Years, “are just a few of his other vaguely threatening suggestions.

Leighton (Renee Rapp) sits fourth in their dorm, although the original New Yorker is initially convinced there was a mistake. To her horror, her plans to share accommodation with her two best friends from high school were shattered by their insistence on authorities that they wish to be kept away from her. Having denounced his potential new roommates before, Leighton believes the only way to regain their favor is to buy them all the new iPads.

While there is some thematic and stylistic similarity to Kaling’s Netflix high school drama I have never (and there is perhaps a slight exaggeration on Bela’s attempts to break into the almost all-male closed store of campus improv groups, but hey, you write what you know), it looks more like to a spiritual sequel to Olivia Wilde’s magnificent 2019 film Booksmart.

Kimberly and Leighton, in particular, feel like they are part of the universe of Crockett High School, the former being a particular delight, as she unsightly tries to impress her new boss and fellow Sips Cafe (” the only attitude I have is being able to do it “and” I’m sure we’ll have some latte fun “among her opening games) and a lustful weekend with her longtime boyfriend is ruined by the fact that he sees it as a catalyst for him to “initiate their mutual independence” and his roommates opposing their choice of music for making love. “You made me hate Ed Sheeran,” Leighton complains bitterly.

The first episode goes off with a bang, setting up a number of potentially ongoing dramatic storylines, as well as some hilarious sets.

The four protagonists try to shine, but Chalamet and Kaur are the pair who truly own their characters. And while this is apparently a teenage comedy, it is certainly aimed at more advanced students, although their parents will likely enjoy it just as much, if not more.

And just like that, here’s a show that is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the summer.

The sex life of students starts streaming on Neon and SkyGo starting Wednesday, December 15.