Who does Liza end up with in Younger: Josh or Charles?
Liza Miller's love triangle with Josh, a younger tattoo artist, and Charles, her boss, has a non-traditional happy ending after keeping viewers on their toes for seven seasons. As for 'who does Liza end up with in Younger?', neither Team Josh nor Team Charles will be happy, but the real winner is Team Liza as she ends up taking the reins at Empirical.
Source: Instagram
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Younger wrapped up in 2021 after seven seasons on TV Land and Paramount+ before it dropped on Netflix in January 2025.
- Charles and Liza get together in the Younger series finale, but they quickly realise that rekindling their romance was not the best decision.
- Josh and Liza have a full circle moment as they run into each other in the Younger final episode, just like they did in the pilot episode.
Liza and Charles have an amicable breakup
Source: Instagram
Charles (Peter Hermann) gives Liza career stability as her boss at Empirical Press, and is more age-appropriate for her. After their breakup, Charles starts dating Quinn Tyler (Laura Benanti). In the series finale, his ex-wife, Pauline, finds out that he is planning to propose and tells Liza about the engagement ring.
Pauline steals Charles' passport to prevent him from going to Mustique with Quinn. Liza finds the passport and rushes to the airport to give it to Charles, who changes his mind about going with Quinn. He tells Liza he is with the wrong person, and they rekindle their romance.
Source: Instagram
Liza and Charles later find out they have too many secrets between them, and they cannot trust each other. Liza asks, 'We're not gonna make it, are we?' and Charles replies, 'I don't think so.'
The pair part ways amicably as Charles ends the series a single man. Liza plans on resigning from Empirical to make things easier, but Charles offers to leave her in charge of the company as he follows his dream of becoming a rich author.
Liza and Josh reconnect in the finale
Source: Instagram
Liza experiences a fun life with Josh (Nico Tortorella), who re-ignites her youth. They meet in the Younger pilot episode when then-26-year-old Josh, a tattoo artist, mistakes her for being in her 20s, though she is a 40-year-old divorcee. They go on to have an on-again-off-again relationship, and Liza has a pregnancy scare in Younger season 3.
Josh later welcomes a baby with Claire in Younger season 6. The ex-couple were briefly married in season 4. He then starts dating agent KT in season 7 but the relationship is shortlived when she breaks up with him after finding out he has a daughter who he failed to mention.
Source: Instagram
In the Younger series finale, Josh finds himself in the same bar that Liza and her friends are celebrating her promotion to editor in chief and Kelsey as she plans to move to Los Angeles. Their reconnection mirrors how they first met, giving Liza's story a full circle.
Liza then tells him, 'Sorry, I didn't see you there!' and Josh replies, 'Really? Because I've been right here by your side — all along.' The series ends as they continue talking, hinting that Josh and Liza might end up together or just have a one-time meeting.
The show creator explains Liza's ending in the Younger finale
Liza's romantic ending in the finale is ambiguous and not what viewers might have expected, but it is exactly what she needed, according to Younger producer and creator Darren Star. He told the LA Times in June 2021 that her main endgame was a great career.
The show was never about Liza finding a man; it was always about Liza reinventing herself. She'd already had a marriage; she was looking to have a career...And I didn't feel the pressure or obligation to have this big, romantic endgame for her because at its heart, that was never really what the show was about.
Source: Instagram
Liza is also focused on her relationship with her daughter and building friendships, especially with Kelsey, who is her confidant. Kalsey and Liza have some sort of breakup when Kalsey moves to LA for a big career break. In his April 2021 interview with Refinery29, Darren shared that Younger writers focused on what was best for Liza.
Charles and Liza could not have worked as a couple, according to Star, who wanted to leave her story open to all possibilities. The filmmaker told TV Line in June 2021 that Liza's relationship with Josh was more developed, and their story is not done.
Liza's relationship with Charles was based so much on them projecting who they are to one another. They hadn't been together authentically for very long, and when push came to shove at the very end, they realised that they weren't right for each other...(Josh and Liza) have always had each other in their lives, and the journey continues.
Source: Instagram
Sutton Foster would have been satisfied with either ending
Sutton Foster, who portrays Liza in the series, was happy with Younger's ending. In a June 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, she said that having Josh at the beginning and the end did not leave her frustrated.
What I love is that that's what the happy ending is, as opposed to she marries Charles. I loved how they resolved her storyline with Charles. I thought it was really elegant — I love their breakup scene because it's just done with maturity and respect.
When it comes to picking Team Charles or Team Josh, Sutton would have been satisfied with either side winning. She told Variety in 2021 that Liza was in love with both men, but the show could not have ended any other way.
For me, I ultimately just had to be in love with both of them. They're so different. It was interesting because it could have ended either way, and I think it ended the right way...Both options made sense, but I think for the truth of the show, I think Josh — that's what the show is ultimately all about.
Source: Instagram
Other major Younger characters' endings
The 'Younger' final season gives each character a befitting happy ending. Kelsey (Hilary Duff) breaks up with Rob for being manipulative but will be moving to Los Angeles after Inkubator gets picked up by Reese Witherspoon's company Hello Sunshine.
Diana (Miriam Shor) marries Enzo (Chris Tardio) and remains in Italy. Redmond (Michael Urie) is revealed to be dating Austin, while Lauren ends up with Max and Greg in a new relationship dynamic. Maggie starts a surprising relationship with Cass, who nearly ruined her career.
Source: Instagram
While there is hope that Liza eventually ends up with Josh in Younger, achieving career greatness was the goal she was chasing from the beginning. Her story in the series goes beyond a love triangle to a journey of self-discovery, building friendships, and forging her path.
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Source: Briefly News
