--- title: "Youth: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/youth/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/youth" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Youth (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 8 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. All eight reviews are positive, and the praise gathers around Sharon Horgan. Critics find the series sharply funny and unusually frank about menopause, sex in one’s fifties, divorce and the years spent caring for both a teenager and ageing parents. Several read it as a coming-of-age story for a woman of 50, and most credit Horgan’s writing and screen presence for keeping the indignities sympathetic rather than cruel. The Times places it as the third part of a loose run that began with Pulling and Catastrophe. The spread is narrow, from the mid-70s to 90, and nobody dislikes it. Reservations are mild. IndieWire finds the premise familiar and says the specific insights and steady laughs are what carry it; Variety calls it light and breezy, which reads as a limit as much as a compliment. Radio Times, the lowest, still calls it agonisingly honest. The AV Club’s grade rests on the premiere alone, so its warmth comes with a caveat about how much has been seen. ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2026. The review finds Sharon Horgan’s dramedy utterly hilarious and acutely observed as it lays bare the perils of ageing and the horrors of post-divorce dating at 50. It singles out the show’s mordantly funny, vérité take on caregiving, family dynamics and sex in middle age for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/sep/19/youth-sharon-horgans-comedy-dating-at-50-hbo-max) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Angie Han Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2026. The critic calls it a fun, frisky, bracingly honest portrait of midlife, singling out Horgan's unsparing honesty and wit in depicting the physical and emotional challenges of aging alongside a woman's uncertain flailing. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/youth-review-sharon-horgan-hbo-1236704359/) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2026. The review calls Horgan’s comedy filthy, truthful and very funny as she tackles menopause, ageing parents, a truculent teenager and sex in her fifties. It positions the series as the next instalment in her loose trilogy after Pulling and Catastrophe. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/youth-review-sharon-horgan-7bhxbllfx) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2026. The review portrays Youth as a funny coming-of-age tale for 50-somethings, balancing humor and tenderness toward its flawed protagonist as she navigates menopause, family, work, and romance. It succeeds as an unflinching menopausal bildungsroman that sees youth as both desirable and burdensome. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/sharon-horgan-youth-hbo-review.html) ## The AV Club — Danette Chavez Rating B+. 20 September 2026. The critic finds the series premiere bawdy fun and witty, praising Horgan's skill in introducing relatable characters and exploring middle-age indignities with sympathy and insight. It singles out the honest, feminine perspective on sex and aging for praise. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/youth-premiere-recap-sharon-horgan-lockjaw-wagon-burner) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2026. The critic finds Sharon Horgan's return to HBO with this mid-life comedy familiar in premise yet refreshing due to its specific insights, strong performances, and steady laughs. It explores what one must sacrifice with age while affirming fun as a fundamental right. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/youth-review-hbo-sharon-horgan-series-fun-1235216916/) ## Variety — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2026. The critic describes it as a light, breezy take on middle age, praising Sharon Horgan's sharp comic writing and magnetic screen presence in showing one woman's romantic flailing and self-discovery at 50. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/youth-review-sharon-horgan-hbo-1236866119/) ## Radio Times — Jack Seale Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The critic praises the series as an agonisingly honest comedy drawing on real life, highlighting its frank look at sex in middle age and the sandwich years of caring for both children and parents. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-ehi9bu/youth/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/youth.md