This is not a drill: a Girls revival is happening. Five new episodes will be filmed for HBO next year. Lena Dunham, the creator and star of the series, announced it on social media with a group call, asking the cast about their summer plans and suggesting they return to shooting the series. Spoiler: they accepted.
Why Girls defined a generation
In 2012, when we discovered Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna on TV, we had no idea how revolutionary Girls would be. We had recently said goodbye to Gossip Girl and The O.C.. Girls captured that feeling of thinking you had it all figured out at twenty and discovering that college credits don't guarantee a salary. It nailed the questionable choices the characters made in love, the awkward and sometimes not even enjoyable sex they were having, and the anxiety of a future that was beginning to reveal itself as a broken promise.
In those formative years, where “formative” means “making mistakes in the hope of learning,” the protagonists of Girls were making the same mistakes as us. The series did not teach or romanticize; instead, it spoke about the real life of 20-somethings, and the fact that it was written and performed by a 25-year-old Dunham made this story authentic, creating great empathy with those watching at home.
What TV series should you watch (or rewatch) to prepare for this return?
So while we wait for the revival, here are other series to watch, featuring protagonists we can see ourselves in, which might even help us understand ourselves better—why not.
Fleabag
One of the most acclaimed series of recent years, born from a Phoebe Waller-Bridge stage show; she is also the writer and star of the streaming production. The 30-year-old Fleabag, constantly breaking the fourth wall, hides deep traumas behind sarcasm that she processes with us, in a story full of irony and raw reality, just like life itself. You can find it on Prime Video.
Broad City
More comedic than Girls but just as tied to post-adolescent realism, this series, which began as a web project and then made its way to streaming, centers on two 20-somethings in New York: Abbi, an aspiring illustrator, and Ilana, who wants to avoid becoming an adult. Both are trying to survive in the broad city, while, more or less willingly, they get themselves into bizarre situations that make up the plot of each episode. You can find it on Hulu.
The Bold Type
Jane, Kat, and Sutton are three 20-somethings who work for a women’s magazine in New York. Full of ambitions and fears, they try to find their way, exploring their identities and sexuality and pursuing their goals while standing by one another. A series about friendship and more, which also touches on sensitive issues, always through the eyes of its young protagonists. You can find it on Hulu, Disney+, or HBO Max.
Too Much
We have Dunham to thank for this Netflix Gem, too. She wrote it and acted in it with a supporting role. The protagonist is Jessica (Meghan Stalter) who, after a breakup, picks up her broken heart and moves from New York to London for work. Eccentric, chaotic, and full of unresolved issues, Jessica is lost in a new city but finds the chance to be reborn. How many people living away from home confirm that they are, or have been, Jessica? You can find it on Netflix.
Dollface
Described as a “magical realism comedy,” this series is about Jules (Kat Dennings), who, having just come out of an all-consuming relationship, tries to reconnect with her two best friends, Madison (Brenda Song) and Stella (Shay Mitchell). Keeping her company in her subconscious is a woman with a cat’s head who drives a school bus. You can rent the series wherever you typically rent movies.
High Fidelity
This series, available on Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max, benefits from a very original adaptation. Based on Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name, the book’s protagonist, Rob, is a woman in this version: Robyn (Zoe Kravitz). Robyn cannot accept her latest breakup; to explain yet another ending of this kind, she seeks out her five previous exes to ask them what kind of girlfriend she was and understand why she always gets dumped. It’s a short but intense season that will make you want to call your ex—watch with caution.
Love
This Netflix series follows impulsive Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) and introverted Gus (Paul Rust), two very different people who begin to develop an attraction that struggles to emerge in a straightforward way. Amid misunderstandings, clumsy attempts at confession, and reckless choices, the two try to build a relationship that can withstand their flaws. Mickey and Gus are all of us.