PEN15

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play teenage versions of themselves in this awkward, often hilarious look at middle school life around the year 2000. The two adults sit in classrooms with actual 13-year-olds, acting out petty rivalries, secret crushes, awkward family moments, and the weird rites of passage that feel enormous at the time. Episodes lean into cringe humor but also slow, honest observations about friendship, insecurity, and identity. Nothing mystical happens, just the small humiliations and tiny triumphs that can make a single day feel like the end of the world or the best thing ever.

The series premiered on Hulu in 2019, created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman. It’s drawn heavily from the creators' own middle school memories and uses a deliberately authentic production approach to recreate the era.

PEN15 attracted steady critical attention and industry recognition, with the leads and the writing often singled out for praise. That attention translated into award consideration and nominations across television critics and industry groups for performance and writing categories.

Culturally, the show connected with viewers who grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s, helping fuel Y2K nostalgia and renewed interest in media about adolescence. Its frank, awkward scenes entered conversations about how puberty and female friendships are portrayed, and many viewers referenced specific episodes when describing their own embarrassing school memories.

Critics generally gave the show high marks, reflected in its strong vote average, citing the unusual choice to cast adults as kids as a source of both comedy and clarity. Major themes include the fragility of young friendship, the construction of social identity, shame and desire for acceptance, and how small moments can feel disproportionately huge during adolescence. The tone shifts from painfully funny to unexpectedly tender, often in the same scene.