The now-hilarious nightmares of mid-school years are coming back to Hulu with Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s PEN15. These two adult women are both writing and starring in this teen comedy series.
The very funny, Lonely Island produced, and Emmy-nominated PEN15 will be back very soon, and Hulu today dropped the trailer for season two. The premiere date is set for September 18.
The upcoming 14-episode season gives a stronger vibe than season one. Season one was one of the most realistic portrayals of the horrors of puberty-hit teens available in the entertainment industry.
Season two is promising all that and more, with Maya and Anna going to a really cool pool party, practising make-out sessions, crushing on boys, dealing with family drama, and, maybe getting high as well!
The two are still best friends forever and are dealing with more problems while being fairly woke and extremely hormonal.
The series is based around the actresses Konkle and Erskine’s own school-age experiences. During a recent virtual press tour, Konkle says she was a bit of an outsider but tried to become a chameleon.
“You’re holding a lot of secrets of how reject-y you feel…I feel like I had multiple personalities.”
Anna Konkle
“You can have a certain perception of yourself,”
Maya Erksine
…says Erksine, who remembers herself as an outcast with no friends – this, in spite of looking at her yearbooks and seeing comments that show her to have been positive and happy.
“Inside you’re hiding all the freaky parts of yourself. There is some adult stuff on as well this season. We struggled a little bit with how dark to go,”
Anna Konkle
Konkle said with regards to her character’s parents’ divorce. Konkle’s own parents actually did split for two years.
“It was really confusing,” she said.
Anna Konkle
She wanted to share the low feelings that come with divorce and the mental health aspects that crop up during middle-school years.
Season one received high praise from all quarters. IndieWire’s Ben Travers gave Season 1 a “B+” review upon release.
“It’s sweet, sincere, yet unafraid to go big… but perhaps the greater accomplishment is showing just how many more strange, funny, and honest teenage stories are worth telling,”
Ben Travers, IndieWire
The show went on to harbour a dedicated cult following with just one season. Konkle says they needed to convey their passion and that she believes audiences like that there are no easy answers presented.
“We’re trying to hold a mirror…to human experiences,” “We found our weirdos.”
Anna Konkle
But for Emmy, the one episode that did it was “Posh” where the series suddenly expands in possibilities and touches on larger lurking issues like teenage racism where Maya finds herself looking up online, “Am I racist?”.
Watch the trailer for Season 2 below and let us know what you think if this quirky coming of age dramedy:
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