A decade after ending one of the most talked-about shows of the 2010s, Girls returns to HBO.
Skydance Channel has picked up the series in a limited five-episode run, with creator and star Lena Dunham and castmates Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet and Andrew Rannells all set to return. Adam Driver, who played Hannah’s (Dunham) on-and-off boyfriend on the show, is not mentioned in the returning cast. (In his memoirs Evil of famepublished earlier this year, Dunham detailed incidents involving Driver’s temper on set, including throwing a chair at a wall near her.)
“We always said we would only come back Girls if there was a specific story we were burning to tell,” Dunham said in a statement. “I missed these characters, but for a long time I couldn’t imagine them in this day and age. Then, around my 40s, they started talking to me in the shower. And, as you may recall, once these five people start 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 hindsight and a whole new level of gratitude and understanding. I love these girls (and this boy), our friends at HBO, and all the people who have continued to discover the show and remind us again why we do this, which is the joy of being together…and the chance to wear yellow net.
Story details remain under wraps at this time. Dunham will executive produce the five-episode revival with Judd Apatow (also an EP on the original series) and Good Thing Going’s Ilene S. Landress and Michael P. Cohen also executive producing. Williams, Kirke, Mamet and Rannells serve as co-EPs.
Jenni Konner, who was co-showrunner with Dunham during Girls‘ 2012-17, is not involved in the revival. Dunham and Konner announced in 2018 that they were parting ways as producing partners.
“We’re thrilled that Lena is turning her gaze from the hustle and bustle of her 20s to the 40s milestone,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vice president and head of comedy programming for HBO and HBO Max. “To say the world has changed since we last saw Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna, Jessa and Elijah is an understatement, but we know fans – old and new – will be happy to see how much they’ve grown and relieved to see that they’re still the best. Girls we knew a long time ago.
Although it was never a big success for HBO, Girls arguably generated as much discourse as any television show of its era, as critics, viewers, and various pundits considered it a foundational text for decoding the millennial generation—even though, as aspiring writer Hannah says in the series premiere, she’s probably just “the voice of a generation.”
Girls won two Emmy Awards during its six seasons and was nominated for 17 others, including two for Best Comedy Series. The series and Dunham won Golden Globes for the first season, as well as Writers Guild and Directors Guild awards.
Production on Girls is expected to begin in 2027. HBO also released a video promoting the series’ return; watch it below.
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