Anyone who’s lived in a houseshare has suffered the incessant ringing of their asleep flatmate’s alarm. In an old house of mine, my friends had to poke my naked, sleeping housemate with a broom when he wouldn’t wake up to the sound of Reflection (Default). Now, this universally shared experience provides the plot for the very relatable teaser for HBO’s forthcoming comedy series, The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Created by Mindy Kaling, the show follows four young women who become college roommates in their first year at Essex College in New England. According to the series’ synopsis, the girls – who are “a bundle of contradictions and hormones” – will bond as they navigate the newfound freedom of life on campus, and the sex that comes with it.
The lead cast consists of Pauline Chalamet (yes, that’s Timothée’s sister), Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, and Alyah Chanelle Scott, while Midori Francis, Gavin Leatherwood, Chris Meyer, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Lauren Spencer, and Renika Williams join as series regulars.
“I guess I’m more interested in young women and their horny exploits than I thought,” Kaling said at a press panel for the show this week, via Variety. “One thing that a lot of my shows and projects have in common are young women who have big personalities and big ambitions. On a regular show you may watch, there may be one character like that (but) I wanted to show four young women who come in with a really strong point of view.”
The series is written by Kaling and Justin Noble, with the latter also serving as showrunner. The writing team consists of majority women, who are all from “different walks of life”, according to Noble, in order to get diversity of perspectives into their characters.
The Sex Lives of College Girls will premiere on HBO Max between November 18 and December 9. Watch the teaser below.