“The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Mindy Kaling’s newest television series, is more than just a teen comedy. The HBO Max show, which premiered in November of this year, explores different avenues of young adult life through the lenses of its four main characters.

Set at the fictional Essex College, a prestigious university in Vermont, “The Sex Lives of College Girls” follows four suitemates from different backgrounds as they navigate relationships, sexuality and freedom for the first time. In a virtual roundtable with seven college journalists, the four lead cast members discussed how the show navigates coming of age in 2021 — tackling important issues like race and sexuality while still allowing its characters to be young and make mistakes. 

“I think that it’s really fun to talk about your time in college, because college is kind of like a purgatory, where you’re like an adult, but you’re not really an adult. And so I think that it’s a very interesting time in one’s life to explore, the beginning of being on your own, to then become who you are,” said Pauline Chalamet, who plays Kimberly.

Chalamet’s character is a low-income student from a sheltered background who is exposed to different types of people for the first time. Throughout her college journey, Kimberly handles difficult academics and a breakup with her hometown boyfriend, all while managing her work study job and financial aid difficulties. Kimberly, along with her three roommates, is still figuring out her identity in college.

“When you go away for the first time, you just exist as yourself. And so you can sort of rewrite your narrative, and decide what you are and who you are, and how you want to move through the world. It’s intimidating, but it’s also very exciting. And it gets really messy. And I think our show explores all of that really well,” said Alyah Chanelle Scott, who plays Whitney, a star soccer player who is trying to escape the shadow of her famous mother.

While a central theme of “The Sex Lives of College Girls” is the transition to adulthood, the show also tackles issues of representation. Both Whitney and her roommate Bela are well-rounded characters of color with different interests and goals. Bela (Amrit Kaur) is an aspiring South Asian comedy writer at a magazine dominated by white males, much like the show’s creator, Mindy Kaling. On top of her professional struggles, Bela also undergoes a sexual awakening, which Kaur said breaks many negative stereotypes of South Asians in media.

“Sometimes we look at one South Asian, and think it’s every South Asian’s experience. I think [our show] expanded and diminished the narrative that South Asians don’t have sex … we are people just like everybody else. Everyone is having sex. We are having sex as well,” Kaur said.

While all the roommates undergo sexual exploration, perhaps the most notable storyline is that of the fourth roommate, Leighton (Renee Rapp). Throughout the season, Leighton struggles with her sexuality, choosing to remain closeted during her first relationship with a woman. Leighton’s internalized homophobia prevents her from being authentically herself, which Rapp, who identifies as queer, said is an crucial story to tell within the LGBTQ+ community.

“I think it’s important that the conversation around sexuality and discovery or how you identify is ever evolving. Sometimes there’s a parental barrier, or a religious or a value barrier that they’re really struggling with, and that is 100% valid and happens more times than I would like it to. But with Leighton, it’s actually so internal, and so homophobic inside her own body, as opposed to outward figures,” Rapp said. “For me, seeing a different take of where the struggle was, being that it was more internal, was a little more sad.”

While all four characters have very different sexual experiences, the actresses spoke to the show’s portrayal of female sex positivity, which other media tends to demonize. 

“[The show] demystifies the idea of women having sex, young women having sex, not oversexualizing us just because we’re women having sex, but removing the shame around it,” Scott said.

“The Sex Lives of College Girls” was renewed for a second season at HBO Max in December, and the stars are excited to delve deeper into the important issues raised in season one. 

“I’d be interested to explore the dips and valleys of female friendship more. I think it would be interesting to see more of the dynamic of the four women and their friendship revealed: Are fights that happened between friends? What is the relationship with their sexualities being explored? What are their interrelated racial relationships?” Kaur said.

Season one of “The Sex Lives of College Girls” is now available to stream in its entirety on HBO Max.