Line #174 Characters/Younger


1	! Empirical Press
2	!! '''Staff'''
3	[[folder:Liza Miller]]
4	!! Liza Miller
5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/younger_liza_warner.jpg]]
6	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/SuttonFoster
7
8	Newly divorced and jobless, single mother Liza Miller gets mistaken for being much younger than she really is while at a bar, which gives her a crazy idea: make a whole new life herself in New York by pretending to be twenty-six years old.
9	----
10	* TenMinuteRetirement: When Liza thinks she's going to be exposed, she quits her job at Empirical and takes another job back in New Jersey: [[FateWorseThanDeath sales clerk at the Paramus Mall]].
11	* BeleagueredAssistant: Downplayed; she's shown to be very respectful and kind towards Diana, even if the latter's behavior doesn't always merit it.
12	* ClassicAntiHero: Liza is genuinely a sweet, caring and fundamentally good person, however her entire career, and her new identity is built upon and maintaining a massive lie against her bosses, co-workers, friends and people she cares for, something she absolutely detest about herself.
13	-->'''Liza''': ''(warning Caitlin about her life choices)'' If you lie... ''(inhaling deeply with regret)'' If you lie, you become a liar.
14	* {{Foil}}: To Diana. While Liza is a wide-eyed upstart beginning a successful new career, Diana is a cold and cynical professional who's been in the same field for a while, despite being roughly the same age.
15	* GoodParents: Everything she does, her entire lie and new life, is to support her daughter Caitlin.
16	* GlamorousSingleMother: Liza becomes this when she moves from a New Jersey suburb to Brooklyn.
17	* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Kelsey and Lauren, even if they don't realize it.
18	* MayDecemberRomance: Played with, towards Josh ''and'' Charles. Josh thinks he's younger than her at the start, while Charles believes he's older.
19	* TheMuse: To the show's [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed take]] on Creator/GeorgeRRMartin.
20	* NiceGirl: Liza is kind, loyal, caring, honest and sweet-natured.
21	* RomComJob: She works as an assistant at a publishing house in Manhattan.
22	* OlderThanTheyLook: The premise of the show hinges on Liza passing herself off as twenty-six years old, which everybody believes.
23	* ThePollyanna: How Diana sees her, not realizing they're much closer in age than she believes.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Kelsey Peters]]
27	!! Kelsey Peters
28	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/younger_kelsey.png]]
29	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Music/HilaryDuff
30
31	An editor at Empirical Press who takes new hire Liza under her wing, with whom she develops a close friendship. She later becomes the head of a young adult imprint called Millenial.
32	----
33	* ExtremeDoormat: To Thad, which Liza shares her concern about, having been that person in her own marriage.
34	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: As is standard for a character played by Hilary Duff. Kelsey is blonde and very sweet-natured.
35	* {{Hypocrite}}: Kelsey claims in the pilot that a woman should support another woman, but makes a contemptuous remark about Diana who "has hit the glass ceiling so many times she has dementia" in the same episode. While she can dislike Diana personally, this kind of remarks aren't soaked in female solidarity.
36	* ImprobableAge: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]]. For someone in her mid-twenties, Kelsey has a lot of clout in her career, which she attributes to working constantly since college.
37	* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Liza, even though she doesn't realize it. [[spoiler: Until the end of season three]].
38	* TheMistress: To Anton. It doesn't last very long.
39	* NiceGirl: Kelsey is generally a very likable and sweet-natured person who becomes friends with Liza and then Maggie almost instantly.
40	* OfficeRomance: She gets involved with not one, but ''two'' authors who have projects in development at Empirical.
41	* PrettyInMink: Kelsey makes enough at her job [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/younger_two_girls_and_a_fur.jpg to afford a fur coat]] or two.
42	* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler: Becomes this to Liza at the end of the third season]].
43	* TrueCompanions: Liza outright tells her [[spoiler: while reveling her secret, that after her daughter, and Maggie,]] Kelsey is the most precious person in her life.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Diana Trout]]
47	!! Diana Trout
48	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/younger_diana_trout.png]]
49	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MiriamShor
50
51	Also known as "Trout Pout" among her coworkers, Diana is the head of marketing at Empirical, and Liza's boss.
52	----
53	* BenevolentBoss: Despite her reputation in the office, Diana is shown to be generous and thoughtful, in her own way.
54	* DefrostingIceQueen: Over the course of the series (and because of Liza's influence), Diana softens up a bit and even warms to her.
55	* {{Foil}}: To Liza. While Diana is a cold and cynical professional who's been in the field for a while, Liza is a wide-eyed upstart beginning a successful new career, despite being roughly the same age.
56	* HopelessSuitor: Diana to Charles, who acts perfectly gentlemanly, but feels obviously a little uneasy because of her advances.
57	* IgnoredEnamoredUnderling: She's has a crush on her Charles, her boss.
58	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Diana is introduced as an intimidating figure, but shows {{hidden depths}} and has enough PetTheDog Moments to reveal herself as a {{benevolent boss}}, in her own way.
59	* PutOnABus: Isn't present during Season 7, choosing to take an extended honeymoon with Enzo in Italy, making only a brief appearance in a video conference with Charles and Liza. As she explains to Charles she has banked over 220 vacation days, which he gladly permits.
60	* ShyBladder: Diana is a shy bathroom user. This is explained in a deleted scene from Post Truth where Diana is reluctant to poop in her home due to Richard's presence nor on the top floor of the main office she is based in due to others knowing her, forcing her to go the lower levels where she is unknown to people and thus has her privacy. She also reluctantly pees in the street when out with Kelsey in ''Stiff Competition" and is able to go, albeit with Kelsey turned around.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Charles Brooks]]
64	!! Charles Brooks
65	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/PeterHermann
66	The head of Empirical, who takes a quick liking to Liza, as an employee, and maybe something more...
67	----
68	* BenevolentBoss: Despite his lofty position at the company, he's rarely ever seen to be unkind or cruel. However...
69	** OOCIsSeriousBusiness: If Charles snaps at one of his employees, you ''know'' they messed up. When [[spoiler: Kelsey loses L.L. Moore to a rival publisher]], he's ''enraged''.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	!! '''Writers'''
73	[[folder:Anton Bjornberg]]
74	!! Anton Bjornberg
75	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/ThorbjornHarr
76
77	----
78	* FunnyForeigner: Anton. Not from the beginning, but his comment about the "walrus vagina" really put him in this category.
79	* {{Jerkass}}: Anton seems nice at first but is incredibly selfish cuts himself as an attempt guilt Kelsey out of wanting to end their affair.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder: L.L. Moore]]
83	!! L.L. Moore
84	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/RichardMasur
85
86	----
87	* KavorkaMan: Despite his unattractiveness to Liza, that doesn't stop him from wooing women and [[spoiler: convincingly writing as a woman under his pseudonym]].
88	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He's an obvious take on Creator/GeorgeRRMartin.
89	* PenName: [[spoiler: Liza and Kelsey figure out he's Aubrey Alexis, the writer of a steamy romance novel that Empirical wants to publish]].
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder: Colin McNicol]]
93	!! Colin McNicol
94	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JayWilkinson
95
96	----
97	[[/folder]]
98	----
99	! Friends and Family
100	!! Miller Family
101	[[folder:Caitlin Miller]]
102	!! Caitlin Miller
103	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/TessaAlbertson
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:David Miller]]
107	!! Caitlin Miller
108	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/PaulFitzgerald
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	!! Brooklyn
112	[[folder:Maggie Amato]]
113	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DebiMazar
114
115	----
116	* CoolAunt / HonoraryAunt: To Caitlin and kids in general, as while she doesn't want kids herself "I love spoiling them."
117	* LipstickLesbian: Artsy, glam Maggie.
118	* ReallyGetsAround: She has no shortage of romantic interests over the course of the series.
119	* SecretKeeper: Maggie is Liza's only confidant in the first season.
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Josh]]
123	!! Josh
124	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/NicoTortorella
125
126	----
127	* LikesOlderWomen: Though he doesn't know it. [[spoiler:Until the end of the first season.]]
128	* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler: Becomes this to Liza at the end of the first season]].
129	* SexyMentor: To Liza. Or at least, he ''believes'' himself to be this.
130	* TallDarkAndSnarky: Josh, complete with messy hair, deadpan sarcasm, and plenty of tattoos.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Gabe]]
134	!! Gabe
135	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JonGabrus
136
137	----
138	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He's never seen after season one.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	!! Manhattan
142	[[folder:Lauren Heller]]
143	!! Lauren Heller
144	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MollyBernard
145
146	----
147	* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Lauren's parents are a {{Jewish mother}} and a {{dirty old man}}. While the former is nice and gets along with Lauren's friend, the latter tends to make everyone uncomfortable.
148	* BasementDweller: She still lives with her parents and Kelsey lives with them as well. Justified as Kelsey explains there is no simply way two young women on their salaries would be able to reasonably afford an apartment in Manhattan.
149	* BrutalHonesty: Lauren doesn't have much of a filter and tends to say whatever comes into her head, regardless of how questionable or inappropriate.
150	* CloudCuckooLander: Lauren tends to live in her own world much of the time.
151	* FieryRedhead: She has red hair and is very emotional and expressive.
152	* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Lauren parties hard.
153	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: In contrast to relatively well balance, mature and empathetic Kelsey, Lauren can be the epitome of the stereotypically crass, tactless and rather selfish millennial, but in the end she never acts out of true ill intention, and does care about her friends immensely and is always willing to help them out.
154	* LargeHam: She tends to be very theatrical and expressive and never does anything simply.
155	* LikesOlderWomen: Maggie is the only woman she's shown to be involved with.
156	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: The second episode of Season 2 shows that Lauren has no issue whatsoever walking around Liza's apartment completely naked after sex with Maggie. She also has no issue exposing her breasts in public to take a selfie.
157	* NoSocialSkills: Downplayed as it's not that she lacks social skills so much as she also doesn't see an issue with behavior most people find completely inappropriate such as bearing her breasts in public without the slightest sign of shame.
158	* SatelliteCharacter: At first. Lauren is best friends with Kelsey, but barely knows Liza... and lists her, Josh (whom she knows even less) and Maggie among her closest friends. [[spoiler:Although that move it's justified if she planned to hit on Maggie from the beginning.]] She eventually becomes better ingrained with the group as the series progresses, however.
159	* SheIsAllGrownUp: Lauren's "Hot Mitzvah" is about her being this trope, and not thirteen and pimply as she was at the time of her Bar Mitzvah.
160	* TwoferTokenMinority: She's Jewish and pansexual, same as Molly Bernard in real life.
161	[[/folder]]
162
163	[[folder:Thad Weber]]
164	!! Thad Weber
165	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DanAmboyer
166
167	----
168	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Thad is just standing there, in the middle of the city, in a conflict with Liza, when a load of steel falls on his head]].
169	* PolarOppositeTwins: [[spoiler:Thad is selfish and aloof, while Chad is sensitive and thoughtful]].
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	[[folder:Chad Weber]]
173	!! Chad Weber
174	-> '''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DanAmboyer
175
176	----
177	* PolarOppositeTwins: [[spoiler:Thad is selfish and aloof, while Chad is sensitive and thoughtful]].
178	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / Younger