In an age of media saturation, it’s rare for a television show to elicit a laugh, let alone both laughter and tears in the same sitting. Yet, Lena Dunham’s new Netflix series, “Too Much,” accomplishes just that. This isn’t simply “Girls” for a new generation; it’s a series that feels acutely necessary for this specific cultural moment.
“Too Much” follows Jess, played by the brilliant Megan Stalter, who flees to London from New York after a devastating breakup. There, she finds a complicated love with a disarming indie rocker named Felix. Across its 10 episodes, Dunham infuses the series with sharp writing and emotional depth. The show masterfully balances dualities: it is at once funny and sad, charming and serious, surreal and grounded. While fans of “Girls” will notice familiar themes and faces, the most significant similarity is between Stalter’s character and Dunham herself.
Dunham’s original series, “Girls,” is currently enjoying a renaissance, fueled by a nostalgia for the early 2000s. Clips from the show are a mainstay on TikTok, and its rewatch podcast has gone viral. Dunham’s own stardom, however, has been complex since the show debuted in 2012. Its success coincided with the rise of social media and the instantaneous commentary that came with it. As Dunham noted on the “Girls Rewatch” podcast, it was impossible to ignore the public’s reactions, which ranged from adoring to angry.
Much of that anger was directed at Dunham’s body and her willingness to appear nude, making her a target of persistent and often unfair cultural criticism. In the years since, the body positivity movement has seen both a rise and a fall. For a time, it seemed society was making an earnest attempt at body inclusion, acknowledging that thinness is neither a moral imperative nor a synonym for health.
However, the landscape has shifted again with the meteoric rise of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and the return of fashion trends like low-rise denim. Thin is decidedly back in vogue.
Throughout these cultural tides, Lena Dunham has never altered her stance or herself. If anything, she has become bolder since her days on “Girls,” taking up more space and caring less about public opinion. Whether one appreciates her art or not, that resilience is admirable in an industry where she is an increasingly rare outlier.
The character of Jess, like Dunham, defies conventional beauty standards and, crucially, is not written to be easily liked. She is quirky, negative, histrionic, and obsessive. Centering such a complex figure in a major Netflix project feels not just refreshing but radical.
Dunham is fiercely protective of her new cast, issuing a warning to anyone who might subject Stalter to the same vitriol she endured: “If anybody has anything to say about any of my actors—I keep my mouth shut on most things these days, but try a b—-. I’m not playing around here.”
Ultimately, “Too Much” is unlikely to dethrone “Girls” as Dunham’s most culturally impactful work, but that isn’t its goal. Today’s women may not need “Girls,” but they do need “Too Much.” Leave it to Dunham to recognize that need and deliver.
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