MTV's 'Underemployed' shows twentysomething life without a safety net

MTV's newest series about underachieving twentysomethings, "Underemployed," is the brainchild of "Dirty Sexy Money" creator Craig Wright -- not necessarily the person you'd go to if you wanted to tap into the voice of the Millenial generation. But Wright says the show is actually quite personal, having been inspired by his 23-year-old son and his friends trying to find their way in the adult world after graduating college.

"I don't think I'm the voice of the generation, but I do think I'm someone whose interested in listening to the voice of the generation," he explains to reporters at the 2012 Television Critics Association summer press tour. "This show is based on my son, who is 23 years old and entering his adult life right now with all of his friends, so it's a very personal show for me."

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He has no illusions of knowing what that generation is thinking, but he wants to give them a voice. "I don't pretend to be the one who can speak to this generation but I'm very very deeply interested in letting the show be a platform so that the voices of people this age can be heard."

The show taps into the aimlessness of the post-collegiate years, especially after the recession when plum jobs are harder and harder to come by. But just because kids aren't doing as well as they'd hoped career-wise doesn't mean life is all one big hustle.

There are upsides, says star Sarah Habel. "It's the friendships, it's the urban family that you create when you're thrust out into the world," she says of the show's focus. "You don't have that same safety net that you do when you're growing up. ['Underemployed' shows] the post-college time where you have to create your own structure with your friends."

"Underemployed" premieres in October on MTV.