With a title like “Genera+ion,” HBO Max’s latest dramedy clearly wants to sum up the experience of being a teenager in the ‘20s. A cousin of HBO’s “Euphoria” that’s not as dark or emotionally bruising, these teen stories center daily teen life for Generation Z, including sexuality, drug use, the threat of school shootings, teen pregnancy, and all of the many horrors of social media—often cramming all of the above into single half-hour episodes. While it may not be fair to compare them directly, given this show goes for a lighter tough that’s often more comedic, Sam Levinson’s Emmy-winning program does a better job of grounding its characters. In contrast, this collaboration between director Daniel Barnz (“Cake”) and his teen daughter Zelda Barnz (who likely adds a degree of veracity to the teen dialogue that her father could only imitate) has a habit of biting off more than it can chew thematically, sometimes trying to cram as many subplots about teen life as possible into each episode. The very likable and talented young cast goes a long way to elevate some of the weak writing in these four episodes, even if they sometimes feel as let down as a teenager whose parents mean well but don’t exactly know how to help.