“Girls” is returning to HBO for a limited-run revival.
Creator, star and, if not the voice of a generation, at least a voice of a generation, Lena Dunham will be back for the five-episode reboot of the dramedy series, alongside castmates Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet and Andrew Rannells. The “Girls” alums announced the news in an HBO promo video that featured the stars very much in character: Dunham “16ish minutes late, Williams mildly irritated, Kirke aloof and lighting up a cigarette, Mamet clutching a puppy and Rannells svelte and somewhat naked. Dunham pitched the idea of spending another summer together like they used to, when they were “making this show,” and asked if the crew was up for another go. “I’m in” was the unanimous response.
Not included in the “Girls” revival promo was Adam Driver, who played an actor named Adam and the on-again, off-again love interest of Dunham’s Hannah Horvath. In Dunham’s second memoir, “Famesick,” which hit bookshops in April, Dunham detailed behind-the-scenes turmoil with Driver, who she claimed frequently yelled on set, threw a chair against a wall and punched a hole into his trailer wall because he didn’t like his haircut.
Dunham, the series’ showrunner, didn’t know how to navigate her role as the boss of such a motley crew, specifically her relationship with Driver. “I reasoned that the intensity of his anger at me, anger that could make him spit and throw things, was proportionate to the intensity of our creative connection,” Dunham wrote in the book.
Although Driver initially dodged requests for comment following the publication of “Famesick,” he gave a cheeky retort to Guardian reporters at the Cannes Film Festival in May, “I have no comment on any of that. I’m saving it all for my book,” he said.
The HBO series, which ran for six seasons from 2012 to 2017, captured the millennial angst of trying to make it in the big city while navigating the early-20s foray into adulthood, with its volatile, heartbreaking and often hilarious trials and errors. The acclaimed series, oft discussed and at times divisive, delved into a variety of issues including toxic romance, mental health, sexual violence and consent, body image, class and privilege. It nabbed a Golden Globe and two Emmys and was nominated for more than a dozen more, and Dunham scored a Golden Globe for lead actress for her portrayal of Horvath.
In the promo video for the reboot, Dunham acknowledges that the cast may have aged out of the series title, “Girls,” joking, “We’re old as f—.” Amy Gravitt, executive vice president and head of HBO and Max comedy programming, said the network was thrilled to have Dunham “turn her gaze from the tumult of one’s twenties to the milestone of turning 40,” noting that the world has changed quite a bit since viewers last saw the girls in action.
“We always said we would only return to ‘Girls’ if there was a specific story we were burning to tell. I’ve missed these characters, but for a long time I couldn’t quite picture them in the present day,” Dunham said in a news release. “Then, right around my fortieth birthday, they started talking to me in the shower. And, as you may remember, once this fivesome starts talking it’s pretty hard to get them to stop.… It’s rare that you get the chance to return to something that changed your life with the gift of hindsight and a whole new level of gratitude and understanding.
“I love these girls (and boy), our friends at HBO, and all the people who have continued to discover the show and remind us afresh why we do this, which is the joy of being together … and the chance to wear yellow mesh.”
Production for the revival is slated for 2027, a decade after the sixth season wrapped.
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