Before subscription streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, or Disney + there was Starz, Showtime, and HBO. HBO has been putting out new content since the turn of the new millennium, and the big machine has yet to keep them from doing so. Ironically enough, HBO now has their own streaming platform, but even before that, they were changing television as a medium. Girls is a show that happened to be a part of their ever changing roster, and though it was popular enough during it’s run, it’s likely that would-be fans today don’t know anything about it.
Beginning in 2012 and ending in 2017, Girls gave the world of TV a comedic series revolving around four young women in their twenties. Starring Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and even a fresh Adam Driver, the HBO series ran for six successful seasons before calling it quits. Much of the show is based off of Dunham’s prior living experiences, written in a way that shows the funny side of unfortunate circumstances, bad life decisions, and other random misfortune that would probably break most people’s will to keep going. Dead end jobs, financial struggle, sex in the modern age, and present day relationship culture are the culmination of everything that makes Girls the show that it is. Taking place in New York City, Girls is a cynical comedy that is incredibly relatable to young women who are at the early stages of living life as an adult.
The acting is comical, witty, and more often than not, awkward, though this is clearly the written intent. The four leading ladies all have something that set themselves apart from each other, but each of them on occasion have the spotlight for any number of reasons. Their commitment to the roles is the most impressive, especially where the intimate scenes are concerned as they are often shot graphically (though oddly, realistic). Dunham and Williams are clear favorites throughout the series, along with Adam Driver. In fact Driver’s performance is a clear indication of why he’s continued to work and build his profile, in case anyone was wondering why he keeps turning up. At any given point of the show they are all funny, sexy, and the driving force of many of the episodes. The writing team hits home with their dialogue, written in an otherwise cynical tone that the leads deliver in uncanny professional fashion.
Women who ‘get it’ will enjoy Girls but so will men.
Women who ‘get it’ will enjoy Girls but so will men. The series may focus heavily on the everyday life of young women, but men might enjoy or otherwise see a deeper point of view from women that they may not have thought about before. This includes how women behave around each other when men aren’t present, AND, what women really think of men when they don’t feel the need to keep quiet about it. Some will like it, others won’t understand it, and plenty will hate it, but either way, why not give it a try?
