Series creator Lena Dunham is open to a Sex and the City-style revival for Girls. Executively produced by Judd Apatow, the HBO series ran for 6 seasons from 2012 to 2017, focusing on its titular four girls: Hannah (Dunham), Marnie (Allison Williams), Jessa (Jemima Kirke), and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), along with their various male love interests: Adam (Adam Driver), Ray (Alex Karpovsky), Elijah (Andrew Rannells), and Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The dramedy series also featured appearances from other prominent actors throughout its run, including Kathryn Hahn, Richard E. Grant, Gillian Jacobs, Aidy Bryant, Corey Stoll, and Riz Ahmed.
Girls follows these four young women in their early to mid-twenties and their escapades throughout New York City. Dunham very much drew from her own life for the show’s premise and for Hannah’s defining characteristics, including being cut off financially from her parents, making misguided decisions, and her overall life as an aspiring writer. During its run, Girls generated its fair share of criticism regarding its approach to taboo topics such as sex and nudity while also receiving considerable praise from critics, including various Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations.
In a recent profile by The Hollywood Reporter promoting her first film in ten years, Sharp Stick, Dunham also hinted at the possibility of a Girls reboot on HBO Max similar to the recently revived Sex and the City. Although Dunham recognizes “it’s not time yet” for a Girls revival and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys confirmed there is no such project in the works, THR reports that Dunham “has engaged in informal talks with HBO about getting the gang back together for an older and wiser version of the quintessential millennial series.” Read Bloys and Dunham’s quotes below:
Bloys: As proud of the show as we are, there aren’t any plans to bring Girls back. It’s great to know new viewers will continue to discover the [original] series.
Dunham: We all recognize it’s not time yet. I want it to be at a moment when the characters’ lives have really changed. Right now, everyone would just be wanting to see Kylo Ren.
Since airing its finale in April 2017, Girls has managed to remain in the public eye and thus, interest in a revival has remained high. Though, since it’s been less than five years since the series ended, Dunham is right to point out it is still too early for a revival. At this time, interest in a reboot might be misplaced since everyone just wants to see Driver a.k.a Kylo Ren, as Dunham mentions, rather than being interested in each individual character’s journey.
When it comes time for a Girls revival, whether that be in five or ten years, it would certainly be interesting to see how the characters’ lives have changed since the series ended. The new show would definitely take on a different tone with Hannah becoming a mother and moving upstate. With Sex and the City recently getting a revival on HBO Max, And Just Like That…, there is a strong possibility Girls could receive the same treatment in a few years.
