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TV Land Gets YOUNGER with Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar in Darren Star's New Series

Maj Canton - March 31, 2015

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This is not your grandmother's TV Land!

 


YOUNGER, a fun new comedy series from SEX AND THE CITY creator Darren Star and based on the book by Pamela Redmond Satran, premieres Tuesday, March 31, 2015 from 10-11pm ET/PT on TV Land, with a simulcast on NickMom and Nick at Nite. Starring Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar, Miriam Shor and Nico Tortorella, the series follows 40-year-old Liza (Foster), a suddenly single mother from suburban New Jersey who tries to get back into the working world, only to learn it's nearly impossible to start at the bottom at her age. When a chance encounter with a 20-something guy at a bar convinces her she looks younger than she is, Liza tries to pass herself off as 26 -- with the help of a makeover, courtesy of her lesbian best friend Maggie (Mazar). Armed with new confidence, she lands a job as an assistant to Diana (Shor), the officious head of marketing at Empirical Publishing, and teams up with her new co-worker and fellow 20-something Kelsey (Duff) to make it in the career of her dreams.

 

 

Kelsey (Hilary Duff) gives Liza (Sutton Foster) a few tips about Empirical Press, the publishing firm where they work. 

Photo courtesy of TV Land.

 

Now you might find this unbelievable, but art really does imitate life. In 1998 32-year-old Riley Weston passed herself off as 19 and was hired by the WB to write for the teen drama FELICITY. She was hailed as a Hollywood wunderkind, even making the "Entertainment Weekly" list of Hollywood's most creative 100 people, but she was eventually found out and fired. It seems age is not kind, especially to women, who are seeking jobs in our youth-obsessed culture.

 

 

When asked about aging at the Television Critics Association 2015 Winter Press Tour, Duff, who is 27, said, "I hope as I age I continue to embrace it and enjoy what it brings me." Her co-star Mazar added, "Well, I'm living proof. I'm 50. I walked into the audition and I saw all these younger kids... so I came and I did my thing, and I'm living proof that you can keep on working." When Foster was asked if she'd like to be in her 20s again, she responded "I don't think I would ever want to go back unless I could keep everything that I've learned. I have no regrets. I'm so happy that I started off doing cattle calls, because I literally climbed the ladder. And I don't think I would be the performer, the person I am today if I hadn't have had that path, if it had been easy from the beginning. So it's interesting to play a character where I get to sort of experience my 20s again sort of vicariously, which is fun."

 

Maggie (Debi Mazar) gives Liza (Sutton Foster) a makeover to help her pass as a 26-year-old

in order to get a coveted job in publishing.  Photo courtesy of TV Land.

 

Shot on location in Brooklyn, the single camera comedy at times has the feel of Star's SATC. And that's a good thing. While there's no Carrie Bradshaw or Mr. Big, the cast of characters on YOUNGER are just as flawed and fabulous -- and their High Street chic and vintage clothes are just as trendy, because Starr tapped his friend and renowned stylist Patricia Field, who was behind the SATC looks, to be lead costume designer on his new series. Foster, Duff, Mazar and Shor are all terrific and Tortorella as Liza's hot young love interest, Josh, is sweet and sexy. (Is he the new Aidan?) While her new young office mates can't figure out why she has no social media presence -- yes, she has to Google to quickly learn how to set up a Twitter account -- and her old friends can't understand why she avoiding them, Liza struggles to live in two worlds hoping they don't collide and blow-up.

 

Liza (Sutton Foster) goes on a date with Josh (Nico Tortorella) in YOUNGER.

Photo courtesy of TV Land.


YOUNGER premieres with back-to-back new episodes tonight from 10-11pm ET/PT on TV Land, with a simulcast on NickMom and Nick at Nite. If you can't wait that long, you can watch the pilot episode online now at TVLand.com or Hulu, and then tune in tonight at 10:30pm for the show's second installment.