The Somewhat Triumphant Return of Lena Dunham

I wanted to test Too Much, the new, officially “limited,” series from Lena Dunham that premiered on Netflix on July 10 to see if the highly anticipated and hyped return of the Girls creator would captivate audiences. So far… No. Too Much isn’t in the top ten in the United States, much less globally. But why?

It’s been eight years since Girls ended its epic run on HBO. Since then fans everywhere have been waiting for Lena Dunham’s return to recapture the alchemy of a real, funny narrative; with uncomfortable but deeply appealing characters. We wanted to love them even as they showed the worst in themselves, while lifting the veil that forced us to debate topics like contemporary sexual relationships among young people still immersed in their own insecurities.

We got to see, and accept as authentically flawed, these characters’ psychological, physical, motivational imperfections — including the sometimes terrifying way in which bonds between women are formed and broken. We were immersed in the gritty waters of femininity, in a way that a sitcom had never previously dared to present.

The big question is whether Too Much — with a cast led by the wonderfully disruptive performances of Megan Stalter (Hacks) as Jessica and Will Sharpe (The White Lotus) as Felix — can recapture the magic of that show?

Audiences haven’t found it yet, but hell yes! So relax, because Too Much is brutal, funny, honest, romantic, intelligent, ambiguous, surreal, and painful. Is Too Much really as real and honest as it is hypocritical and mischievous? Once again, the answer is: Hell yes!

Too Much stirs Lena Dunham’s personal inkwell. She has bravely written this as autobiographically as possible. Her shows come directly from her personal experiences, confusions and disagreements. They are treatises on relationships —with others, but mainly with ourselves — and the confusions that torment us to tears and laughter. Lena is back with a show that will be hard to forget; an apparent dessert that is actually a whole main course, and the subsequent trip to the bathroom, after a terrible but enjoyable indigestion.

Jessica is described by Netflix as a “workaholic New Yorker” but she seems a mess, unobsessed with work and we never see Jessica’s great professional virtues. Of course, really what marks out “Jessica” is that she made a hit TV show called Girls! But the show isn’t about work, it’s about people.

The timing couldn’t be better for Jessica, since her boyfriend, Zev (Michael Zegen, the memorable Mr. Maisel), recently left her in a traumatic way for an influencer named Wendy Jones. This was no average breakup. Zev, a controlling narcissist, had treated her like crap, destroying her self-esteem and confidence, so Jessica sees London as an escape route. And this brings one of the show’s big themes: does distance help you deal with your traumas and help you find yourself?

And, of course, the romance. It comes fast. In the very first episode, Jessica finds her new potential lifelong love, Felix, a musician, a rocker from dive bars: instant mutual attraction. And here we applaud Dunham’s craft — she co-writes all the episodes and directs all but one. Stalter and Sharpe have a complex, real, believable chemistry that has more in common with the messy confusion of the real world and less like Notting Hill, while still having a drama to present.

Jessica has a habit of recording videos on a private Instagram account where she addresses Wendy directly, as a sort of catharsis. No one knows about this. But, for the audience it’s a layer of insight and reflection. No spoilers, though, because nothing in this series ends up being what you expect. And that’s as good as it is bad. And, for his part, no Insta therapy, but Felix has to exorcise about 40,000 demons that haunt him; but really traumatic demons.

The cast is unbeatable: Dunham herself plays Jessica’s sister, who is even more disastrous than she is. And talents parade through the episodes: Richard E. Grant, Leo Reich, Rhea Perlman, Stephen Fry, Andrew Scott, Naomi Watts. Not to mention special appearances by Jessica Alba, Rita Ora, Alix Earle, Jake Shane and Owen Thiele.

The series has three stellar moments, which Dunham, with impeccable direction, takes to another level. The worst wedding you’ll ever attend, the most disturbing dinner party since Michael and Jan, from The Office, threw one; and a devastatingly raw episode about femininity and the hardships of facing life as a young adult woman.

So with drama, comedy, romance, and stars, why are the Lena fans not flocking, the romcom lovers not watching?

When the series premiered, critics jumped to applaud it fervently. Perhaps it was simply for the fact that Lena, along with her husband, and co-creator, Luis Felber showed us the beginning of their romance. What a premise; a no brainer. And, after I watched the 10 episodes in two days, I was also among those critics: I was ready to applaud and give all the stars and merits possible. Then, I took a few days off to let the show breathe like a fine wine, so I could not only experience its flavor, fragrance and texture, but also the aftertaste left in my mouth.

And then, I saw it again.

But this time, it felt different.

And now I understand why it’s hard for it to reach those yearning for a romantic comedy — or something disruptive like Girls. The problem is simple: This isn’t a romantic comedy, or not the typical one, that skims the surface.

Too Much is such a wicked, honest piece of genius, throwing so many genres into a blender, to generate an unlabelable smoothie — is it more of a hard-boiled, biting drama than a sweet comedy about love and the madness of simplistic young people? Of course. Which makes it unique. How do you promote a dark pyschological drama that arrives dressed as a romcom? Netflix promises that audiencs will fall in love with “Lena Dunham’s Rom-Com” but I’m sorry to say that promise isn’t kept, because the series isn’t about making you fall in love. Rather it’s about making you understand that maybe your perception of being in love is totally wrong.

Since the initial raves, critics have toned down their enthusiasm, and reviews are mixed. Which is sad, because Too Much is the best series to come out in who knows how long. And yes, I know all this sounds contradictory. And it certainly is, just like the series, its characters, the plots, and the feelings it leaves in the audience.