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Such is the case with “Adults,” the FX series that kicks off its sophomore season this week. I frankly did not enjoy the show’s first batch of episodes, which strained mightily to generate zeitgeisty relevance and repeatable bits before its ensemble had fully cohered. But in Season 2, the co-creation of “Tonight Show” alumni — and real-life couple — Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw no longer has the fake-it-til-you-make-it feel of trying to make fetch happen, to use a millennial reference the Gen Z protagonists would be unlikely to understand. “Adults” finally has its own momentum, largely generated by a cast whose rapport obviates the need for any sweeping statements about their generation.

Case in point: a subplot in the premiere revolves around Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), the breakout character his codependent housemates are horrified to discover has a secret group of “shame friends” — hard-partying bros from his early days in New York, before he found his people. It’s the kind of storyline that rests on the audience knowing Paul Baker (always known by his first and last name) well enough to grasp how off-brand this reveal is for a bisexual softboy his girlfriend Issa (Amita Rao) recalls borrowing her crop top for a Muna concert. And the screen time is a smart investment in Innanen, who’s distinguished himself enough for Paul Baker to get a standalone origin story episode released earlier this month.

Issa is another character who benefits from continued exposure. Yes, Rao’s performance is still deeply indebted to Ilana Glazer’s in “Broad City,” but the actor’s commitment is such that she makes the archetype of a sexually liberated, social justice-fluent, proudly obnoxious 20something her own through sheer force of will. When Issa impulsively decides to freeze her eggs, she asks roommate Samir (Malik Elassal) to help her administer shots in a succession of slapstick chase scenes that see Rao sprinting across the set. Another episode dives into Issa’s nervous tic of becoming a “weird little guy” with a succession of cringe-inducing accents Rao powers through until they cross into funny. 

Shot in Toronto, “Adults” can’t offer much in the way of urban realism. The crew rarely leaves the soundstage that play-acts as Samir’s absentee parents’ house in deep Queens, and the show’s established presence manifests not in shiny new locations but in more guest stars like Gaten Matarazzo of “Stranger Things” or Zosia Mamet of “Girls” stopping by for a few scenes. (The latter is a nice full circle moment after Season 1 referenced the famous “voice of a generation” line.) The characters’ living situation may nod to downward mobility and economic malaise, yet “Adults” embraces borderline fantasy when it wants to, like when the gang turns the living room into a full-on election war room — maps, rolling whiteboards and all — as Paul Baker campaigns for president of the local HOA.

“Adults” still nods at topicality with arcs about deleting old social media posts, man-on-the-street TikToks and the evolving implications of the C-word. (The point is that young people use the term freely, yet I still feel uncomfortable writing it out in a professional review. Guess I know which side of the age gap I’m on!) But the show’s metier is increasingly “Seinfeld”-style observation that could come from any time or place, including a masturbation plot that reads like a direct nod to “The Contest.” When the chronically unemployed Billie (Lucy Freyer) tracks down her old fake ID and realizes “we’re not the youngest people on Earth anymore,” “Adults” taps into a broadly shared experience without feeling forced.

Compared to Season 1, the stakes of “Adults” have settled to a level just shy of nonexistent. The group’s collective underemployment is more of a baseline condition than a cause for alarm, to the point that one of Anton’s (Owen Thiele) defining traits is that, unlike any of his friends, he actually has a 9 to 5. Billie’s gone from getting fired and freaking out over insurance to being jobless as a bit; that her pairing with Paul Baker as he gives her résumé tips stands out for being an unusual combo again speaks to a baseline being more firmly in place. The few big picture developments tend to involve the clique’s romantic alignments, but they never generate as much tension or interest as the collective meltdown of the week.

Were “Adults” a more classical network sitcom, it might also take a dozen or so episodes to find its groove — but that span would be contained within a single, extended (in contemporary terms) season. It’s a frustrating side effect of how modern TV works that so many debut comedies feel stunted in their growth, or cut off before they hit their stride. At least “Adults” didn’t take a two-year break to further stall its trajectory. And in a way, it only makes sense for a show about late bloomers trapped in extended adolescence to take time in coming together. What matters is that “Adults” got the increasingly rare chance to work out the kinks. 

All eight episodes of “Adults” Season 2 will be available to stream on Hulu on Aug. 27 at 9 p.m. ET.