It’s hard to surprise TV audiences anymore. Between cynicism, saturation, and social media hot takes, most shows barely make a ripple. But Lena Dunham — the woman who once made us uncomfortable in the most unforgettable way — just did something bold. Again.
Her new Netflix series, Too Much, doesn’t scream for your attention. It earns it. Quietly, slowly, with that weird, aching honesty that once defined Girls — but this time, there’s a new edge. A clarity. Maybe even peace.
The Show Is Messy, Tender, and Weirdly Perfect for 2025
It opens with heartbreak.
Jess, played by Megan Stalter (who is, frankly, brilliant), moves from New York to London after getting her soul kicked in by a breakup. What follows isn’t a reboot of Girls. It’s not even close. It’s about starting over — when starting over doesn’t look romantic or fun.
There’s love, of course. Jess falls into something messy with a too-cool indie rocker named Felix. But the show doesn’t chase conventional arcs. Dunham’s writing resists it. She’s not trying to win you over with polish.
Instead, Too Much is intimate, chaotic, self-aware, and just sad enough to feel real.
There’s a Lot of Lena in Jess — and That’s the Point
Jess isn’t designed to be likable. That’s what makes her magnetic.
She’s anxious, dramatic, self-absorbed. Also funny as hell. And under all of it, she’s honest in a way women still aren’t usually allowed to be on TV. You get the sense Dunham knows how this will land — and doesn’t care.
If you’ve watched Girls, you’ll feel some déjà vu. There’s overlap in the dialogue rhythm, the social awkwardness, and the raw emotional beats.
Stalter even resembles Dunham in posture and tone. It’s intentional. This isn’t Lena rehashing old themes — it’s her building on them, with less fear and more bite.
The “Girls” Renaissance on TikTok Is No Coincidence
If it feels like you’ve seen Girls everywhere again lately, you have.
Clips flood TikTok. The “Girls Rewatch” podcast is blowing up. Gen Z is discovering the chaotic brilliance of Hannah, Marnie, Shosh, and Jessa like they’re new characters, not ghosts of cable past.
And Dunham? She’s leaned into it.
She recently joined the podcast while promoting Too Much. She even addressed her complicated public image, saying: “I was always partially tuned into what people were saying… but I also knew there were people that were angry.”
She doesn’t sound bitter. Just aware. It’s refreshing.
Her Career Was Once a Battleground for Culture Wars
Dunham was never just a TV creator. She became a cultural flashpoint.
Her body, her nudity, her politics — everything about her got dissected. She was praised and hated, sometimes in the same breath. But through it all, she stayed — well, herself.
While others conformed, she stayed visible. Loud. Vulnerable.
And as Hollywood tiptoed away from body positivity, she didn’t flinch. The Ozempic era, where weight loss is back in vogue and low-rise jeans have made a terrifying return, didn’t change her. She got louder. Not thinner.
Jess Isn’t Trying to Please You — She’s Just Living
The casting here matters. So does the writing.
Jess isn’t conventionally hot. She isn’t written to be aspirational. She’s obsessive and odd and a little much. That’s the joke. And the truth.
That choice — to center a woman like Jess in a major Netflix production — still feels like a big deal.
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She doesn’t follow beauty norms.
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Her neuroses aren’t softened for digestibility.
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She’s not punished or fixed by the plot.
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Her emotions aren’t mocked — they’re explored.
It’s not “body positivity.” It’s just honest writing.
And in an industry that’s sliding back into size-zero nostalgia, that honesty feels quietly subversive.
Lena Dunham Might Be the Last of Her Kind
We don’t get many TV voices like this anymore.
Streaming favors sameness. Shows are test-grouped into mush. Authenticity is expensive. Weird is risky. And “unlikable woman” is still a pitch that gets a lot of no’s.
But Dunham doesn’t need approval. She’s been through too much for that.
Too Much is her reminder: she’s not done. She doesn’t owe us likability. And she’s still writing characters — and shows — that make people feel seen in ways most TV refuses to try.
