Lena Dunham was just 23 when she sold her BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning series Girls to HBO – a show that offered a more nuanced and realistic portrayal of four 20-something women navigating life in New York City.
Since Girls concluded in 2017, Dunham has written and directed several comedy films, including Catherine Called Birdy, starring Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott. She also directed the pilot episode of the TV drama Industry.
Now 39, and nearly a decade after Girls aired its final episode, Dunham returns with Too Much – a 10-episode romantic comedy series starring White Lotus actor Will Sharpe and Hacks star Megan Stalter.
The American writer co-created the project with her husband, British musician Luis Felber, and the series is loosely inspired by their relationship.
“I think obviously the seeds of it came from our life, and then once you begin writing, you find out who the characters are and you take a journey that moves away from it,” said Dunham.
“I always like to write from a place that begins with the personal, because I think personal stories are universal – and then see what it has in store for me.”
Too Much follows Jessica, portrayed by Stalter, a New York workaholic in her mid-30s who relocates to London after a painful break-up. There, she meets Felix, played by Sharpe, with whom she shares an unexpected connection.
The series traces their evolving relationship and poses the fateful question: Do Americans and Brits really speak the same language?
Dunham, who moved to London from New York in 2021, describes Too Much as a love letter to the UK capital.
“I love everything about London,” she said. “I love the contrast of the city.”
Much like Girls offered a rawer take on New York, Too Much presents a grittier, less polished side of London. Rather than living in a picture-perfect Borough Market flat like Bridget Jones, Jessica resides in a council estate in Hoxton, East London.
“Growing up in New York, I was obsessed with Sex and the City,” Dunham mused.
“I thought, when I graduate from college, I’m going to live in this fantastic apartment and my stove is going to be full of Manolo Blahniks.
“Then I entered the world as a recession was starting, and so many of my friends were looking for work and living in, you know, literal rooms the size of this tiny table in Brooklyn – and I hadn’t seen that reflected on screen.
“When I moved to London, again I had been fed those same romantic comedies.
“To me, it’s not even about portraying glamour versus not-glamour. I find all of London glamorous, and I wanted to be able to show a diverse array of locations – because I’m very enamoured with the city.”
One particularly clever feature Dunham employs in Too Much is her use of social media to reflect modern storytelling.
In the series, Jessica struggles to get over her ex-boyfriend Zev, played by Michael Zegen, who left her for a knitwear influencer named Wendy Jones, played by Emily Ratajkowski.
Jessica obsessively stalks Wendy’s Instagram account and records private video diaries addressed to her as a way of processing her emotions.
“I was thinking about Bridget Jones’s Diary, which is one of my favourite films,” said Dunham.
“It’s one of my favourite books – before it became a film. Another book I love is Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging – they’re both diaristic stories.
“And I thought, it’s not very often now that an adult woman goes ‘Dear Diary,’ but what is the modern equivalent of it?
“During the pandemic, I was watching lots of TikToks, as we all were. It became my TV station, and I loved these ways that women were just talking to the camera about their emotions.
“There’d be these long series of women talking about their break-ups or how their day was going. And so that tone and that feeling started to imprint on me.”
Stalter, 34, described the experience of working with Dunham as a “dream come true”, praising her realistic portrayal of relationships.
“I think that Lena does such an amazing job writing stuff that feels real,” said the American actress and comedian.
“Even the dialogue – like when we first meet or we’re walking to the apartment– it just sounded so real, just two people kind of flirting or wondering if they were flirting. That’s all Lena.
“It just felt like a dream come true to work with Lena and Will and everybody – and to be in London. It felt really exciting to film here.”
Stalter, who lives in Los Angeles, said she related strongly to her character, as she, too, was an American experiencing London for the first time.
“It was really interesting because I would be homesick and feeling kind of alone in the beginning, and then I would be in a scene playing Jessica, who was trying to make friends at work,” she said.
Sharpe, 38, who recently starred in the Oscar-nominated film A Real Pain, said he appreciated how the show embraces emotional complexity.
“My favourite thing about the show was how it’s just not shy about the messiness of life and the messiness of relationships,” said the London-born actor.
“It lets you sit in the awkward moments and the difficult parts of it as well.”
Known for his range as an actor, Sharpe also spoke about his approach to playing a romantic lead for the first time.
“My approach to Felix was like, he doesn’t realise or he doesn’t know he’s in a romantic comedy,” he explained.
“Even though the show plays with these tropes, I feel like it still feels very particular to Lena Dunham – it still has her voice within it.
“It was more just like, scene by scene – how is he feeling? What’s stressing him out, or what’s exciting him? Why is he saying this, and how is he getting in or out of his own way?
“I really feel so lucky to have been a part of this show and to have worked with Lena and everyone else.”
Too Much will be available to stream from Thursday 10 July exclusively on Netflix.
Five butterflies you’ll be lucky to see during Big Butterfly Count
All the celebrities spotted at Glastonbury 2025
Netflix star killed in Hamptons hit-and-run was ‘homeless by choice’
The five key benefits of a health MOT – and what we could learn from Japan
The hidden health dangers of drinking alcohol in the sun
Experts reveal common BBQ food mistakes that could make you ill
