Every 10 or so years, it seems as though American television owes the public a show about friends in their 20s hanging out and trying to make that transition from college life to full-out adulthood. For younger people, they’re aspirational. For people in their 20s, they’re relatable if only in the sense of found family and not yet found equilibrium. And for people beyond that age, there’s a sense of nostalgia. Or, perhaps, a bit of “well we did it better” resentment. Adults feels like the newest member of this club.

No one should be getting ready to put it up on the shelf with the likes of Friends, How I Met Your Mother, or Girls quite yet, though. Adults is a show with promise, but, like its protagonists, it still has a way to go.

Speaking of the protagonists, they all live together in Queens in Samir’s (Malik Elassal) house. Well, Samir’s parents’ house while they are off on some extended travel adventure. He has the house but little else. His inability to hire someone to repair the water heater or find a job makes that clear. Billie (Lucy Freyer) is sort of the responsible one with a media job that treats her like she’s disposable. Sadly, she likely is in today’s market. She grew up with Samir, which makes them a natural for the “will they, won’t they” couple. The show makes some half-hearted stabs at it but doesn’t commit in the six episodes provided for critics. Here’s to hoping they don’t go there at all, but that seems unlikely.

Joining them are two friends from college. Issa (Amita Rao) craves the spotlight and recognition, especially by her friends. Anton (Owen Thiele), in contrast, seems to achieve those things with almost no effort but is too heartbroken by his previous boyfriend to grow that attention into real connections. In short order, Issa’s new boyfriend, Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), who is only ever referred to by his first name, becomes part of the crew. It is impossible to overstate what a different Innanen’s arrival makes. His character is up for anything, a great scene partner to everyone in the cast, and just the right amount of blissfully unaware of his own charisma.

FX was smart to provide the six episodes it did because the sixth is the highlight of the bunch. Billie is trying to whip her friend into shape for a dinner party with her new boyfriend/former high school English teacher, Andrew (Charlie Cox, funny at first, then wonderfully daffy). In a smart heightening, the party brings out the worst in each member of the group. Then, with things at their breaking point, it comes around to showing what makes them good friends. It has strong laughs from start to finish, although it does expose another blemish that Adults hasn’t quite worked out yet.

That issue is creators Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw seem to have an impulse towards the melancholy, an urge they keep veering away from at the last minute. There’s no reason Adults needs to be one of those bittersweet sitcoms exemplified by several episodes of Scrubs or fewer but still occasional episodes of How I Met Your Mother. It is perfectly ok for a sitcom to be jokes upon jokes, silliness abounding. But if that’s what the show wants to be, it needs to stop tipping its toes into the pool of sad undertones.

Or it wants that whiff of sadness, it needs to follow through. Either don’t fear or don’t try. The setups are good. For instance, in one case, two friends stand by the grave of their recently deceased therapist. In another, an “adult” sneaks back into the house rather than admit they’re still too scared to chase after a romantic prospect. But they’re also almost immediately abandoned. The half-measures do the show no favors.

Nonetheless, given the trend over the course of six episodes, there’s reason to be optimistic that Adults will sort its tone—and, more generally, itself—out with some time. You know, just like we all do in our twenties.

Adults tries to figure out what fin tech means starting May 28 on FX and May 29 on Hulu,

Adults Trailer: