An HBO comedy series from 13 years ago finally has a worthy follow-up on Netflix. In 2012, HBO released the massively popular dramedy series, Girls, which ran for six seasons until 2017. Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham created the series, and the gritty, girl-centered comedy proved to be as controversial as it was popular.
Thirteen years later, Dunham has released a comedy on Netflix starring Megan Stalter, known for playing Kayla in HBO’s Hacks, as Jessica. Dunham also has a role in the show, playing Jessica’s older sister, Nora. After season 1, many have said Too Much has the same female-driven je ne sais quoi as Girls.
Lena Dunham’s Too Much Proves To Be A Worthy Successor To HBO’s Girls
Too Much Follows Dunham’s Style Of Female-Driven Comedy
Too Much season 1 resonates with many as a worthy follow-up to Girls. Both series are semi-autobiographical, authored by Lena Dunham, leaning into the lore of her personal life. That said, critics have noted that Too Much is more light-hearted and polished than Girls, updating Stalter’s series with reflections of the writer’s evolution and emotional maturity.
The series shares plenty of Dunham-coded DNA.
Both series witness a group of young people navigating early adulthood. However, Girls follows Hannah Horvath and her friends in Brooklyn, New York, while Too Much focuses on Jessica as an expat in London. Where Girls has a tight-knit ensemble cast, the Netflix series hones in on Jessica. Still, the series shares plenty of Dunham-coded DNA.
All that said, Girls fans should watch Too Much, but with the expectation that it’s a bit softer than Girls. Too Much has been likened to a rom-com, offering humor where Girls delivered brutal introspection. Still, with Jessica and Hannah leading the series as flawed, self-reflecting protagonists, both quite neurotic and a bit self-absorbed, each series has Dunham’s clear imprint.
Too Much Is Gen Z’s New Replacement For Girls
But Gen Z Also Loves Dunham’s Original Series
Taking the same unfiltered approach, Too Much arrives a decade after Girls, withstanding updates to dating and culture that Dunham herself has encountered in the past 8 years or so since Girls ended. Both shows focus on romance, identity, and self-expression through unfiltered protagonists, making Too Much a spiritual successor to Girls, even though they tell different types of stories.
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Too Much Season 1 Review: Lena Dunham’s New Series Reminds Us There’s A Lot To Love About Rom-Coms & The Women Who Write Them
Megan Stalter & Will Sharpe lead Netflix’s new rom-com series, Too Much, which reminds us why we love rom-coms, and why it’s okay not to be cynical.
Too Much is poised to become the “it-show” for Gen Z that Girls was to millennials as its audience navigates early adulthood. However, Gen Z has been watching Dunham’s original show, causing its revival. Girls is still a beacon for the coming-of-age experience despite its flaws. It’s too soon to tell if Too Much will have the same impact.
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Too Much
9/10
- Release Date
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July 10, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Lena Dunham
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Megan Stalter
Jessica Salmon
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Girls
- Release Date
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2012 – 2017-00-00
- Network
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HBO Max
- Showrunner
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Lena Dunham
