Young & Hungry

Cast and characters

Emily Osment portrayed Gabi Diamond, a young chef from Florida living in San Francisco, inspired by food blogger Gabi Moskowitz. Osment described her character as fun, ditzy, and energetic, but also self-prioritizing. Jonathan Sadowski played Josh Kaminski, a nerdy tech entrepreneur and self-made millionaire. Aimee Carrero played Sofia Rodriguez, Gabi's strong-minded and career-driven best friend and roommate, a University of Florida graduate.

Kym Whitley played Yolanda, Josh's housekeeper. Rex Lee played Elliot Park, Josh's openly gay Korean-American publicist and right-hand man. Mallory Jansen appeared in season 1 as Caroline Penelope Huntington, Josh's girlfriend turned ex-fiancée. Jesse McCartney played Cooper Finley in seasons 1–2, a nerdy computer hacker Josh hired.

Bryan Safi played Alan in seasons 2–5, Elliot's lover and later husband. Chris Smith played Nick Walker in season 5, a cocky immigration lawyer who became Sofia's boyfriend. Ashley Tisdale played Logan Rawlings, who published a "30 under 30" list and later headed Click'd Media, hiring Sofia as her assistant. Kylie Minogue guest-starred in season 2 as Shauna, a tech reporter who had a fling with Josh.

Keegan Allen played Tyler, a homeless drummer Sofia pressured Gabi to date. Cheryl Hines played Kathy Kaminski, Josh's mother with a drinking problem. Jerry O'Connell played Nick Diamond, Gabi's father who became romantically involved with Kathy. Briana Lane played Dr. Jessica Rounds in season 3, Josh's therapist who fell for him.

Demi Mills played Keisha in season 4, Elliot and Alan's 13-year-old foster child. Heather Dubrow played Natasha Cook-Campbell, a celebrity chef and one of Gabi's idols.

Development and production

The show was inspired by San Francisco food blogger Gabi Moskowitz. ABC Family placed a pilot order on August 23, 2013, written by David Holden and directed by Andy Cadiff. Executive producers included Ashley Tisdale, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, and Jessica Rhoades. Filming for the pilot began on April 21, 2014.

On January 6, 2014, ABC Family ordered the series, with the premiere on June 25, 2014 alongside Mystery Girls. The network renewed the series for a second season on September 29, 2014. The first webisode, starring Gabi Moskowitz, was released on June 24, 2014. A book titled "Young & Hungry: Your Complete Guide to a Delicious Life" was published on April 11, 2017.

Casting began in September 2013, with Emily Osment first cast as Gabi Diamond, followed by Aimee Carrero as Sofia Rodriguez, Jonathan Sadowski as Josh Kaminski, Rex Lee as Elliot Park, and Kym Whitley as Yolanda. Kylie Minogue was announced as a guest star for the second season.

Series overview

Young & Hungry first aired in Australia on FOX8 in July 2015. Turkey saw the show on Dizimax Drama, while the Netherlands picked it up on Comedy Central in August 2016. The United Kingdom aired it on E4 starting November 2016, and India broadcast the first two seasons on Zee Café in 2016. Italy only showed the initial four seasons on Rai 3 from 2016 to 2018. The series was on Netflix until August 2022, then shifted to Disney+ in some countries.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season held a 43% rating based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. Metacritic assigned the first season a score of 48 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. Neal Justin of Star Tribune noted Osment's high energy and the show's lively, naughty jokes. Gail Pennington of St. Louis Post-Dispatch called the show grounded by Osment's charms and described it as uncomplicated and tasty like a good grilled cheese. Lea Palmieri of Decider wrote that the show works because it admits life is complicated and takes on substantial topics while keeping it light, calling it a TV cream puff. Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times stated the show was mixed but occasionally funny, feeling more Disney Channel than ABC Family, and praised Osment as an accomplished physical and verbal comedian.