FX’s Adults is growing in its second season. According to FX and Disney, as reported by TV Insider and What’s On Disney Plus, viewing across Hulu in the United States and Disney+ internationally rose 40% in the first 12 days after Season 2 premiered on August 27, 2026, compared with the same period for Season 1.
Disney hasn’t released exact viewing totals, so the 40% shows which way the audience is moving, not how big it is.
Where The Growth Came From
International viewers drove much of the increase. Viewership outside the United States reportedly doubled compared with Season 1, and TV Insider says global audiences made up a large part of the jump.
Traditional TV was a smaller part of the story. What’s On Disney Plus reports that viewing on the FXX channel was modest, while streaming did the heavy lifting. That fits a show aimed at younger viewers who mostly watch on demand.
The “Marathon Day” Boost
Season 1 also got a lift. Its streaming viewership reportedly rose 50% after FX released “Marathon Day,” a standalone prequel episode, on July 31, about a month before Season 2 arrived, according to Tribune.
The timing probably helped. Someone who watched the prequel could go on to Season 1 and then Season 2. The figures don’t show how many viewers did that, though, so it’s a plausible explanation, not a proven one.
About The Show
Created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, Adults follows five twenty-somethings, Samir, Billie, Paul Baker, Issa and Anton, who share Samir’s childhood home in Queens, New York. The cast includes Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao and Owen Thiele.
Season 2 has eight episodes. All of them were available at once on Hulu and FXX on-demand, with two episodes airing each week on FXX, and the season streams on Disney+ outside the United States. Disney’s release announcement also named guest stars including Susie Essman, Raven-Symoné, Gaten Matarazzo, Jake Shane and Zosia Mamet.
Critics Like Season 2 More
The reviews have improved along with the numbers. Tribune reports that Season 2 holds a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, up from 77% for Season 1, and TV Insider also lists it at 100%. Those scores change as more reviews come in, so treat them as a snapshot.
The A.V. Club’s TV critic, Saloni Gajjar, praised the season in her review. She said the short eight-episode run lets the show sharpen its tone and deliver running gags and surprisingly moving friendship storylines.
What The 40% Does And Doesn’t Tell Us
The 40% figure compares the first 12 days of Season 2 with the same stretch for Season 1. It doesn’t say how many people watched, how many finished the season, or whether Adults is one of the biggest shows on streaming. It also isn’t a renewal. At the time of the A.V. Club’s report, FX hadn’t announced a third season.
Still, the direction is good news. The audience grew, international viewing doubled, and the first season picked up new viewers too. For a comedy that struggled to find a wide audience at first, that’s a better position to be in.
Sources
- TV Insider — When Will “Adults” Be Renewed for Season 3? What the Latest Ratings Reveal
- What’s On Disney Plus — FX’s “Adults” Season Two Increases Viewership By 40%
- What’s On Disney Plus — FX’s “Adults” Season 2 Hulu & Disney+ Release Details Announced
- The A.V. Club — Audience is growing with FX’s Adults
- Tribune — Adults season 2 scores major 40% viewership boost over first season
Sujal Singh is the Founder and Editor of CineMazze. He covers film news and updates, including casting, production and release announcements, and manages the website. Follow him on Instagram: @itssujalsingh.
