“Represents their past”: I Love LA creator shares why including New York in the Season 1 finale was important

I Love LA creator Rachel Sennott made a deliberate pivot away from the sun-soaked chaos in Los Angeles to New York and that shift is no accident. The actress is opening up about why it was important to include New York in the final moments of the show, and how it represented their characters.

Speaking to Deadline, Sennott says,

“I think both [cities] are characters in the show, kind of, and I think that New York sort of represents their past. I feel like throughout the show, especially [with] Tallulah appearing from New York and Maia sort of having this iffy perspective on LA and the pull of the past still being there, I kind of wanted them to go back and face their demons and then leave being like, ‘We’re going back to LA.’ Like the last line is literally, ‘God, I miss LA.’ So I think that’s where that came from.”

I Love LA has been buzzing among fans ever since its premiere, especially because of its sharp humor and portrayal of a bunch of twenty-somethings trying to make it in life in one of the most romanticized cities in the world. Sennott also talked about what she's looking forward to in the show's future, considering its renewal for a sophomore season as she added,

“I think there are so many places we can go from here, and I have a lot of ideas, but I’m excited to get into the writers room too and talk them through with everyone and see, because I think we teed ourselves up for a lot of action, but we can go in different directions with it, which I think is really exciting."

What happened in the finale of I Love LA?

The first season of I Love LA ends by pulling its characters out of LA and dropping them back into New York. It's a pivotal point because this is where the relationships began, the ambitions took place and the cracks were easier to ignore.

In New York, Maia is spiraling as she arrives riding high momentum. Every unresolved part of her life demands answers. Her relationship is damaged, her career is hanging on by a thread, and then her former boss Ben appears to give her a reminder of how power has been used against her. It becomes a revelation of how little control Maia has over her life despite her confidence, and she rejects Ben's job offer.

Tallulah’s big night still looms, but even that success feels fragile. Their matching tattoos and chaotic sprints through the city underline how recklessly they have been living, chasing validation without pausing to consider the fallout. Alani’s separate storyline deepens the theme, showing how idealized narratives about love and loyalty often collapse under scrutiny.

Back in LA, Dylan spends the episode confronting his own exhaustion and by the final moments, he steps away from the chaos that has defined his relationship with Maia.

In the end, the show doesn't end on any resolutions, but gives all the characters space to grow as we look forward to their arcs in the next season. Ending on a realistic note, one that's imperfect and doesn't exactly leave our characters where they wanted to be left at, I Love LA makes sure we root for them all over again.

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I Love LA is streaming on HBO Max.

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