Girls (TV series)

Two years after graduating from Oberlin College, aspiring writer Hannah Horvath is shocked when her parents announce they will no longer financially support her life in Brooklyn, New York. Left to her own devices, Hannah navigates her twenties "one mistake at a time."{{cite web|title=Series tagline|url=https://www.imdb.com/media/rm2794108672/tt1723816|publisher=HBO|access-date=May 29, 2012|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162619/https://www.imdb.com/media/rm2794108672/tt1723816|url-status=live}} Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, and Andrew Rannells co-star as Hannah's circle of friends, as they cycle through friendships, romantic partners, careers, and new experiences.

Girls explores several topics across its six seasons. Dunham explains Girls never started with an "overt, political, or even [exact] artistic mission statement."{{Cite news|last=O'Rourke|first=Meghan|date=2012-06-15|title=A Conversation With Lena Dunham|url=https://slate.com/culture/2012/06/girls-creator-lena-dunham-interviewed-by-meghan-orourke.html|access-date=2024-04-16|work=Slate|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339}} While the primary themes in the television show explore interpersonal relationships{{--}}particularly female friendship and romantic affairs{{--}}New York City culture, coming-of-age struggle, career, mental health, artistic boundaries and self-reflection, Dunham states the show was never "stuck in any specific formula." She also noted "the series reflects a part of the population that hasn’t previously been seen on either film or television and fills the gap between the characters on Sex and the City and the CW’s Gossip Girl."{{Cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|date=2012-01-13|title=TCA: Lena Dunham Says HBO's 'Girls' Isn't 'Sex and the City'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tca-lena-dunham-says-hbos-281483/|access-date=2024-04-16|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}} The series ultimately explores how significantly flawed, unlikable, morally ambiguous characters in their twenties navigate the challenges of adulthood and learn to embrace their imperfections.{{Cite web|date=2017-04-14|title=The Cast of 'Girls' Were THE MOST Unlikeable, and I Kinda Loved It|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/hbo-girls-unlikeable|access-date=2024-04-16|website=Teen Vogue|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=ianservantes|title=Why Do I Watch 'Girls' When I Hate All the Characters?|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/ian-servantes/hate-watching-girls-hbo|access-date=2024-04-16|website=Complex|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|date=2020-04-19|title=Monstrous feminine: Why we owe TV's unlikeable women to Girls|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/lena-dunham-hannah-horvath-girls-killing-eve-a9470341.html|access-date=2024-04-16|website=The Independent|language=en}}

File:Girls HBO Poster.jpg

{{Main|List of Girls characters}}

• Lena Dunham as Hannah Helene Horvath: an aspiring writer living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, originally from East Lansing, Michigan, known for her spunk and bad decisions, who struggles to support herself and find a direction in her life. There is much conversation around Hannah's (Dunham's) body and her own, as well as other characters', perception of it. In season two, she struggles with a relapse of the OCD symptoms she suffered from in her youth. In the final season, she becomes pregnant after a brief fling, and later leaves New York City to take a teaching job upstate and raise her baby.{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/hannah-horvath/bio/hannah-horvath.html |title=Girls: Hannah Horvath: Bio |publisher=HBO |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008073247/http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/hannah-horvath/bio/hannah-horvath.html |url-status=live}}
• Allison Williams as Marnie Marie Michaels: Hannah's best friend and, at the start of season 1, roommate. Domineering and arguably as self-centered and narcissistic as Hannah, Marnie struggles in her relationships with Charlie and Ray for much of the series, and eventually ends up marrying her musical partner, Desi Harperin. When both her career and her marriage ultimately collapse, she moves upstate with Hannah to help raise her baby.{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/marnie-michaels/bio/marnie-michaels.html |title=Girls: Marnie Michaels: Bio |publisher=HBO |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008073247/http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/marnie-michaels/bio/marnie-michaels.html |url-status=live}}
• Jemima Kirke as Jessa Johansson: One of Hannah's closest friends, Jessa is a global citizen of British origin and is known for being bohemian, unpredictable, and brash. Throughout the course of the series she deals with the consequences of poor choices, including a short-lived marriage and a stint in rehab due to heroin and cocaine addiction. When she pursues a relationship with Hannah's ex-boyfriend Adam, she and Hannah have an explosive falling-out. Ultimately, Hannah and Jessa manage to reconcile before Hannah's departure from New York.{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/jessa-johansson/bio/jessa-johansson.html |title=Girls: Jessica Johansson: Bio |publisher=HBO |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008073247/http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/jessa-johansson/bio/jessa-johansson.html |url-status=live}}
• Zosia Mamet as Shoshanna Shapiro: Jessa's naive and innocent American cousin who is a Media, Culture, and Communications major at New York University. She is embarrassed to still be a virgin at the start of the series.{{cite web |url=http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2013/01/28/a-look-inside-shoshanna-of-girls-life-at-nyu/ |title=A Look Inside The NYU Life Of Girls' Shoshanna |work=NYU Local |date=January 28, 2013 |publisher=NYU |access-date=January 28, 2013 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162606/https://nyulocal.com/a-look-inside-the-nyu-life-of-girls-shoshanna-d1cdedfa7a56 |url-status=live}} The character is fast-talking and her lack of enunciation gives her a mumbling, nervous persona. After a brief career stint in Japan, she comes to realize that her friendship with the other three has only ever held her back, and ultimately distances herself from them.{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/shoshanna-shapiro/bio/shoshanna-shapiro.html |title=Girls: Shoshanna Shapiro: Bio |publisher=HBO |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008073247/http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/shoshanna-shapiro/bio/shoshanna-shapiro.html |url-status=live}}
• Adam Driver as Adam Sackler: an aloof, passionate young man who works as a part-time carpenter and actor. At the start of the series, he is in a casual relationship with Hannah, which becomes serious before ultimately falling apart as he gains success as an actor. He later enters a volatile relationship with Jessa, which is implied to be ongoing as the series ends. Adam is an alcoholic who has been sober for years.{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/adam-sackler/bio/adam-sackler.html |title=Girls: Adam Sackler: Bio |publisher=HBO |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008073247/http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html#/girls/cast-and-crew/adam-sackler/bio/adam-sackler.html |url-status=live}}
• Alex Karpovsky as Raymond "Ray" Ploshansky (seasons 2–6; recurring season 1):{{cite web |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/08/01/acclaimed-hbo-series-enlightened-and-girls-to-kick-off-second-seasons-in-jan-2013-740010/20120801hbo01/ |title=Acclaimed HBO Series "Enlightened" and "Girls" to Kick Off Second Seasons in Jan. 2013 |date=August 1, 2012 |access-date=August 2, 2012 |archive-date=February 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203232630/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/08/01/acclaimed-hbo-series-enlightened-and-girls-to-kick-off-second-seasons-in-jan-2013-740010/20120801hbo01/ |url-status=live}} Originally Charlie's friend, but later a friend of the others, he is the group's straight man. Eventually, he has sexual and romantic relationships with both Shoshanna and Marnie. At the start of season 3, he is made manager of a spin-off of Grumpy's, called Ray's.
• Andrew Rannells as Elijah Krantz (seasons 4–6; recurring seasons 1–3):{{cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2014/01/girls-season-4-andrews-rannells-confirms-series-regular-status.html |title='Girls' Season 4: Andrews Rannells confirms series regular status |date=January 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116211306/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2014/01/girls-season-4-andrews-rannells-confirms-series-regular-status.html |archive-date=January 16, 2014 |last=Nilles |first=Billy |website=Zap 2 it}} Hannah's ex-boyfriend from college, who reveals that he is gay. Despite some initial hostility between the pair, they eventually become friends and later roommates on and off. The two grow much closer as roommates.
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Desi Harper in (seasons 4–6; recurring season 3): Adam's co-star in Major Barbara and Marnie's bandmate. Desi and Marnie become engaged and later marry. Marnie ends the relationship with him when she tires of his childishness and self-indulgence. In season 6, it is revealed that Desi is addicted to prescription pain killers after Marnie cheats on Ray with him{{clarify|date=November 2024}}.
• Jake Lacy as Fran Parker (season 5; recurring season 4): A colleague of Hannah's whom she dates. In season 5, Fran moves in with Hannah and Elijah, but he and Hannah break up by the end of the season.

• Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari as Hannah's parents, Loreen and Tad Horvath (seasons 1–6)
• Christopher Abbott as Marnie's ex-boyfriend Charlie Dattolo (seasons 1–2, 5)
• Kathryn Hahn and James LeGros as Katherine and Jeff Lavoyt, the parents of two young girls who Jessa babysat (season 1)
• Chris O'Dowd as Thomas-John, an affluent venture capitalist. (seasons 1–2)
• Rita Wilson as Evie Michaels, Marnie's mother.{{cite web |last1=Nicolaou |first1=Elena |title=The 32 Most Memorable Celebrity Cameos On Girls |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/04/149051/girls-guest-stars-celebrity-characters |access-date=10 November 2023}} (seasons 2–6)
• Jon Glaser as Laird Schlesinger, Hannah's neighbor and a recovering drug addict. (seasons 2–6)
• Colin Quinn as Hermie, Ray's boss at the coffee shop. He dies in "Painful Evacuation" from scleroderma. (seasons 2–6)
• John Cameron Mitchell as David Pressler-Goings, Hannah's editor for her e-book. (seasons 2–3)
• Shiri Appleby as Natalia, Adam's ex-girlfriend. He abruptly breaks up with her after getting back together with Hannah. (seasons 2–3)
• Gaby Hoffmann as Caroline Sackler, Adam's extremely troubled sister. (seasons 3–6)
• Richard E. Grant as Jasper, Jessa's friend from rehab. (season 3)
• Gillian Jacobs as Mimi-Rose Howard, Adam's new girlfriend after Hannah moves away to Iowa. (season 4)
• Jason Ritter as Scott, an entrepreneur and Shoshanna's boyfriend. (seasons 4–5)
• Aidy Bryant as Abigail, Shoshanna's former boss from when she worked in Japan. (seasons 4–6)
• Corey Stoll as Dill Harcort, a successful news anchor and Elijah's love interest. (seasons 5–6)

• Chris Eigeman as Hannah's boss who fires her in the pilot.{{cite web |title=The Top 50 'Girls' Guest Stars, Ranked |date=March 29, 2017 |url=https://www.flavorwire.com/602363/the-top-50-girls-guest-stars-ranked |access-date=May 8, 2024 |publisher=Flavorwire}} (season 1)
• Mike Birbiglia as Brian, an employer who briefly interviews Hannah for a job. (season 1)
• Skylar Astin as Matt Kornstein, Shoshanna's former camp counselor. (season 1)
• Bobby Moynihan as Thadd, Thomas-John's best man. (season 1)
• Jenny Slate as Tally Schifrin, a former classmate of Hannah whose professional success is a source of annoyance.{{cite web |last1=Zarum |first1=Lara |title=The Top 50 'Girls' Guest Stars, Ranked |url=https://www.flavorwire.com/602363/the-top-50-girls-guest-stars-ranked |website=Flavorwire |date=29 March 2017 |access-date=10 November 2023}} (season 1, season 5)
• Michael Imperioli as Powell Goldman, a former writing mentor of Hannah's she meets at a party.{{cite web|url= https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-five-greatest-guest-stars-on-girls-so-far-29029/|title= The Five Greatest Guest Stars on 'Girls' (So Far)|website= IndieWire|date= March 13, 2014|accessdate= May 8, 2024}} (season 1, episode 9)
• Billy Morrisette as George, Elijah's first boyfriend after coming out to Hannah.{{cite magazine |last1=Maerz |first1=Melissa |title='Girls': Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner answer our burning questions about season 2 |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/01/11/girls-season-2-interview-lena-dunham/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=10 November 2023}} (seasons 1–2)
• Donald Glover as Sandy, a Black Republican who Hannah briefly dates.{{cite web |last1=Muller |first1=Marissa G. |title=Donald Glover and Lena Dunham Had an Uncomfortable Exchange After His Girls Takedown of White Women |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/donald-glover-lena-dunham-girls-tokenism |website=W Magazine |date=27 February 2018 |access-date=10 November 2023}} (season 2)
• Jorma Taccone as Booth Jonathan, an avant-garde artist who leads Marnie on romantically after they meet at an art gallery. (seasons 1–2)
• Greta Lee as Soojin, Booth's former assistant who hopes to open her own art gallery, much to Marnie's annoyance. (seasons 2–3)
• Ben Mendelsohn as Salvatore, Jessa's flaky dad. (season 2)
• Carol Kane as a member of Adam's AA group. (season 2)
• Patrick Wilson as Joshua, a doctor with whom Hannah has a one-night stand. Years later, he delivers the news that she is pregnant. (season 2, season 6)
• Amy Schumer as Angie, Natalia's friend.{{cite web |last1=n.a. |title=Girls (2012–2017) Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723816/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm |website=IMDb |access-date=10 November 2023}} (seasons 2–3)
• Bob Balaban as Dr. Rice, Hannah's therapist. (Seasons 2–4)
• Danielle Brooks as Laura, one of Jessa's co-rehabbers. She is the first African-American woman to appear on the show.{{cite web|url= https://www.huffpost.com/entry/danielle-brooks-girls_n_3930436|title= Danielle Brooks Will Be 'The First Black Woman' On 'Girls'|website= HuffPost|date= September 15, 2013|accessdate= May 8, 2024}} (season 3)
• June Squibb as Grandma Flo, Hannah Horvath's dying grandmother.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/june-squibb-guests-on-an-episode-of-girls-about-how-growing-up-doesnt-mean-getting-along-29418/|title= June Squibb Guests On An Episode of 'Girls' About How Growing Up Doesn't Mean Getting Along |website=IndieWire |date=March 3, 2014 |access-date=May 8, 2024}} (season 3)
• Felicity Jones as Dottie, the daughter of Richard E. Grant's Jasper. (season 3)
• Patti LuPone as a fictionalized version of herself.{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/patti-lupone-will-appear-in-third-season-of-hbos-girls-com-209790|title= Patti LuPone Will Appear in Third Season of HBO's "Girls"|website= Playbill|accessdate= May 8, 2024}} (season 3)
• Reed Birney as the fictional husband of Patti LuPone.{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/what-show-would-patti-lupone-andrew-rannells-lena-dunham-and-reed-birney-like-to-revive-on-broadway-com-322675|title= What Show Would Patti LuPone, Andrew Rannells, Lena Dunham and Reed Birney Like to Revive on Broadway?|website= Playbill|accessdate= May 10, 2024}}(season 3)
• Jenna Lyons as Janice, Hannah's boss at GQ magazine.{{cite web |last1=Murray |first1=Darla |title=Q&A: Jenna Lyons on Her Girls Cameo, Befriending Lena Dunham, and More |url=https://www.thecut.com/2014/02/qa-jenna-lyons-on-her-girls-cameo-fedoras.html |website=The Cut |date=9 February 2014 |access-date=10 November 2023}} (season 3)
• Amir Arison, Jessica Williams, and Michael Zegen as Kevin Mimma, Karen, and Joe, Hannah's colleagues at GQ. (season 3){{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Lauren |title=The Daily Show's Jessica Williams on Race, Comedy, and Her Role in "Girls." |url=https://www.motherjones.com/media/2014/01/interview-jessica-williams-daily-show-race-comedy-girls/ |website=Mother Jones |access-date=10 November 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Piwowarski |first1=Allison |title=Ranking All Of The Men On 'Girls' (Suck It, Ace) |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/70788-ranking-all-of-the-guys-on-girls-because-someone-needs-to-put-an-end-to-ace |website=Bustle |date=22 March 2015 |access-date=10 November 2023}}{{cite magazine |last1=Thorp |first1=Charles |title=Meet Michael Zegen, the Charming New Guy on 'Girls' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/meet-michael-zegen-the-charming-new-guy-on-girls-245860/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=10 November 2023}}
• Natalie Morales as Clementine Barrios, Desi's girlfriend who he leaves to be with Marnie. (seasons 3–4)
• Louise Lasser as Beadie, an artist for whom Jessa briefly works as an assistant. (season 3–4)
• Jason Kim, Marin Ireland, Desiree Akhavan, Ato Essandoh, Peter Mark Kendall, and Zuzanna Szadkowski as Chester Chong, Logan, Chandra, D. August, Jeffrey, and Priya, Hannah's classmates at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.{{cite web |last1=Lorre |first1=Rose Maura |title=The 25 Best Girls Guest Stars, Ranked |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/04/girls-best-guest-stars-ranked.html |website=Vulture |date=14 April 2017 |access-date=10 November 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Usovicz |first1=Jennifer |title=Hannah's new career path is inspiring to "Girls" viewers, but Adam has her stuck in sadness |url=https://thesuffolkjournal.com/18185/ac/hannahs-new-career-path-is-inspiring-to-girls-viewers-but-adam-has-her-stuck-in-sadness/ |website=The Suffolk Journal |access-date=10 November 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Scharper |first1=Julie |title=Towson native Peter Mark Kendall snags recurring role on "Girls" |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider/bal-towson-native-peter-mark-kendall-snags-recurring-role-on-girls-20150109-story.html |access-date=10 November 2023 |agency=The Baltimore Sun}} (season 4)
• Zachary Quinto as Ace, the ex-boyfriend of Adam's girlfriend, Mimi-Rose. (season 4)
• Jen Jacob as Larraby Delayne (season 4)
• Natasha Lyonne as Rickey, Bedelia's daughter. (season 4)
• Marc Maron as Ted Duffield, a gruff community board leader.
• Spike Jonze as Marcos{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/tv/girls-guest-stars/|title= The 30 Best Girls Guest Stars|magazine= Entertainment Weekly |access-date=May 10, 2024}} (season 4)
• Fred Melamed and Jackie Hoffman as Avi and Shanaz, friends of Hannah's parents.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/girls-girls-podcast-tenure-tad-779869/ |title='Girls on Girls' Podcast: In With Tenure, Out With Tad |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 8, 2015 |access-date=May 10, 2024}}
• Maude Apatow as Cleo, one of Hannah's students. (season 4)
• Douglas McGrath as Toby Cook, the principal at the school where Hannah teaches. (seasons 4–5)
• Lena Hall as Holly, a lesbian working at a women's retreat{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/girls-season-5-episode-5-queen-two-days-review/ |title=Girls: Season 5, Episode 5 – Queen For Two Days Review |website=Empire Magazine |date=March 22, 2016 |access-date=May 11, 2024}} (Season 5)
• Julia Garner as Charlie's Roommate{{cite web |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2016/03/106967/girls-recap-the-panic-in-central-park |title=Girls Recap: The One Where Charlie Shows Up & Changes EVERYTHING |website=Refinery29 |access-date=May 11, 2024}} (Season 5)
• Ethan Phillips as Keith, Tad Horvath's partner after coming out as gay. (seasons 5–6)
• Lisa Bonet as Tandice Moncrief, a spiritual coach who comforts Desi after his divorce from Marnie. (season 5)
• Riz Ahmed as Paul-Louis, a surf instructor and the father of Hannah's child. (season 6)

Lena Dunham's 2010 second feature, Tiny Furniture—which she wrote, directed and starred in—received positive reviews at festivals as well as awards attention, including Best Narrative Feature at South by Southwest and Best First Screenplay at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards.{{cite web |title=Will Lena Dunham's HBO Series Girls Speak for Her Generation? |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/12/12/lena_dunham_is_the_voice_of_her_generation_in_the_trailer_for_hbo_series_girls.html |work=Slate |date=December 12, 2011 |first=Forrest |last=Wickman |access-date=December 27, 2011 |archive-date=December 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227035350/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/12/12/lena_dunham_is_the_voice_of_her_generation_in_the_trailer_for_hbo_series_girls.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Another Look At HBO's Girls From Lena Dunham And Judd Apatow |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/Another-Look-HBO-Girls-From-Lena-Dunham-Judd-Apatow-37852.html |publisher=TV Blend |date=December 15, 2011 |first=Jesse |last=Carp |access-date=December 27, 2011 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162522/https://www.cinemablend.com/television/Another-Look-HBO-Girls-From-Lena-Dunham-Judd-Apatow-37852.html |url-status=live}} The independent film's success earned her the opportunity to collaborate with Judd Apatow for an HBO pilot.{{cite web |title=South by Southwest film fest announces lineup |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/movies/headlines/20110203-south-by-southwest-film-fest-announces-lineup.ece |work=The Dallas Morning News |date=February 23, 2011 |first=Rebecca |last=Keegan |access-date=December 27, 2011 |archive-date=February 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209085109/http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/movies/headlines/20110203-south-by-southwest-film-fest-announces-lineup.ece |url-status=live}} Judd Apatow said he was drawn to Dunham's imagination after watching Tiny Furniture, and added that Girls would provide men with an insight into "realistic females."{{cite news |title=TCA: Lena Dunham Says HBO's 'Girls' Isn't 'Sex and the City' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tca-hbo-girls-lena-dunham-judd-apatow-281483 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 13, 2012 |first=Lesley |last=Goldberg |access-date=January 14, 2012}}

Some of the struggles facing Dunham's character Hannah—including being cut off financially from her parents, becoming a writer and making unfortunate decisions—are inspired by Dunham's real-life experiences. The show's look is achieved by furnishings at a number of vintage boutiques in New York, including Brooklyn Flea and Geminola owned by Jemima Kirke's mother.{{cite web |url=http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/802062/vagabond-shoes-longing-to-stray-girls-costume-designer |date=April 30, 2012 |website=blouinartinfo.com |author=Freeman, Nate |title=Vagabond Shoes, Longing to Stray: "Girls" Costume Designer Discusses the HBO Show's Footwear Fashion |access-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312135649/http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/802062/vagabond-shoes-longing-to-stray-girls-costume-designer |url-status=live}}

Dunham said Girls reflects a part of the population not portrayed in the 1998 HBO series Sex and the City. "Gossip Girl was teens duking it out on the Upper East Side and Sex and the City was women who [had] figured out work and friends and now want to nail romance and family life. There was this 'hole-in-between' space that hadn't really been addressed", she said. The pilot intentionally references Sex and the City as producers wanted to make it clear that the driving force behind Girls is that the characters were inspired by the former HBO series and moved to New York to pursue their dreams. Dunham herself says she "revere[s] that show just as much as any girl of her generation".

Dunham's identity and her creative endeavors played a pivotal role in establishing the groundwork for the show, persistently surfacing in discussions surrounding "Girls." There are several key aspects: emphasis on the privileged environment of her upbringing in New York's art scene and her early intellectual maturity; her utilization of personal experiences to craft candid and humorous storylines; her generation's experience of minimal privacy both in real life and online; and her deliberate choice to portray her body onscreen, preemptively addressing potential criticisms regarding her body size.{{Cite journal |last=Woods |first=Faye |date=Summer 2015 |title=Girls Talk: Authorship and Authenticity in the Reception of Lena Dunham's Girls |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.7227/CST.10.2.4 |journal=Critical Studies in Television: Scholarly Studies in Small Screen Fictions |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=37–54 |doi=10.7227/CST.10.2.4 |s2cid=142704483 |issn=1749-6020}}

As executive producer, Dunham and Jennifer Konner were both showrunners of the series while Dunham was the head writer.{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/lena-dunham-girls-hbo-emmys-336993 |title=Emmys 2012: Lena Dunham Says She Never Thought of Herself as a 'Funny Person' (Video) |work=Hollywood Reporter |date=June 18, 2012 |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162552/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/lena-dunham-girls-hbo-emmys-336993 |url-status=live |last=Feinberg |first=Scott}} Apatow is also executive producer, under his Apatow Productions label. Dunham wrote or co-wrote all ten episodes of the first season and directed five, including the pilot.{{cite web |title=HBO Picks Up Lena Dunham Pilot To Series |url=https://deadline.com/2011/01/hbo-picks-up-lena-dunham-pilot-to-series-94685/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=January 7, 2011 |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |access-date=December 27, 2011 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162543/https://deadline.com/2011/01/hbo-picks-up-lena-dunham-pilot-to-series-94685/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/03/14/new-comedy-series-girls-created-by-and-starring-tiny-furniture-filmmaker-lena-dunham-debuts-april-15-exclusively-on-hbo-528011/20120314hbo01/ |title=New Comedy Series 'Girls', Created by and Starring 'Tiny Furniture' Filmmaker Lena Dunham, Debuts April 15, Exclusively on HBO |publisher=The Futon Critic |date=March 13, 2012 |access-date=March 14, 2012 |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204013427/http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/03/14/new-comedy-series-girls-created-by-and-starring-tiny-furniture-filmmaker-lena-dunham-debuts-april-15-exclusively-on-hbo-528011/20120314hbo01/ |url-status=live}} Season one was filmed between April and August 2011 and consisted of 10 episodes. As did the second season, running on HBO from January 13, 2013, to March 17, 2013.

On April 4, 2013,{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} Christopher Abbott left the series. Dunham announced via Instagram on September 6, 2013, that production for the third season had concluded.{{cite web|title=lenadunham – Instagram|url=http://instagram.com/p/d8VFsUC1Fn/#|via=Instagram|access-date=September 27, 2013|archive-date=December 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217035501/http://instagram.com/p/d8VFsUC1Fn/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=West|first=Kelly|title=Girls Season 3 Production Video Looks Like A Day At The Beach, Hello Ladies Gets A Second Teaser|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/Girls-Season-3-Production-Video-Looks-Like-Day-Beach-Hello-Ladies-Gets-Second-Teaser-58408.html|work=Television Blend|date=August 19, 2013|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162559/https://www.cinemablend.com/television/Girls-Season-3-Production-Video-Looks-Like-Day-Beach-Hello-Ladies-Gets-Second-Teaser-58408.html|url-status=live}} Season 3, which contained 12 episodes as opposed to the previous 10-episode seasons, ran from January 12, 2014, to March 23, 2014. The fourth season of the series started filming in April 2014.{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/10/16/hbo-confirms-january-premiere-dates-for-series-girls-true-detective-looking/209502|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019015149/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/10/16/hbo-confirms-january-premiere-dates-for-series-girls-true-detective-looking/209502/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 19, 2013|title=HBO Confirms January Premiere Dates for Series 'Girls', 'True Detective', 'Looking'|last=Bibel|first=Sara|work=TV by the Numbers|date=October 16, 2013|access-date=January 10, 2014}} On January 5, 2016, HBO announced that the series' sixth season would be its last, allowing the writers to create a proper finale.{{cite web |title='Girls' Ending After Season 6 on HBO |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/girls-ending-cancelled-season-6-hbo-lena-dunham-1201672793/ |publisher=Variety |access-date=May 16, 2019 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162532/https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/girls-ending-cancelled-season-6-hbo-lena-dunham-1201672793/ |url-status=live |last=Wagmeister |first=Elizabeth |date=January 5, 2016}}

{{Main|List of Girls episodes}}

{{:List of Girls episodes}}

{{Television critical response

| rotten_tomatoes1 = 94% (49 reviews){{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s01|title= Girls: Season 1|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= May 8, 2024}}

| metacritic1 = 87% (31 reviews)

| rotten_tomatoes2 = 94% (36 reviews){{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s02|title= Girls: Season 2|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= May 8, 2024}}

| metacritic2 = 84% (20 reviews)

| rotten_tomatoes3 = 91% (32 reviews){{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s03|title= Girls: Season 3|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= May 8, 2024}}

| metacritic3 = 76% (18 reviews)

| rotten_tomatoes4 = 83% (24 reviews){{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s04|title= Girls: Season 4|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= May 8, 2024}}

| metacritic4 = 75% (16 reviews)

| rotten_tomatoes5 = 86% (22 reviews){{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s05|title= Girls: Season 5|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= May 8, 2024}}

| metacritic5 = 73% (13 reviews)

| rotten_tomatoes6 = 90% (39 reviews){{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s06|title= Girls: Season 6|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= May 8, 2024}}

| metacritic6 = 79% (15 reviews)

}}

The first season of Girls received universal acclaim from television critics. On review aggregation website Metacritic, the series' first season holds an average of 87 based on 29 reviews.{{cite web |title=TV Show Releases by Score |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=April 4, 2013 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162556/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls |url-status=live}} The website also lists the show as the highest-rated fictional series debut of 2012.

James Poniewozik from Time reserved high praise for the series, calling it "raw, audacious, nuanced and richly, often excruciatingly funny".{{cite magazine |last=Poniewozik |first=James |title=Dead Tree Alert: Brave New Girls |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/05/dead-tree-alert-brave-new-girls/ |magazine=Time |access-date=May 5, 2012 |date=April 5, 2012 |archive-date=April 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430042051/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/05/dead-tree-alert-brave-new-girls/ |url-status=live}} Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called Girls "one of the most original, spot-on, no-missed-steps series in recent memory". Reviewing the first three episodes at the 2012 SXSW Festival, he said the series conveys "real female friendships, the angst of emerging adulthood, nuanced relationships, sexuality, self-esteem, body image, intimacy in a tech-savvy world that promotes distance, the bloodlust of surviving New York on very little money and the modern parenting of entitled children, among many other things—all laced together with humor and poignancy".{{cite news|title=Review: 'Girls' Is Brilliant Gem For HBO|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/review-girls-lena-dunham-brilliant-HBO-298379 |work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 11, 2012|first=Tim|last=Goodman|access-date=March 11, 2012}} The New York Times also applauded the series and said: "Girls may be the millennial generation's rebuttal to Sex and the City, but the first season was at times as cruelly insightful and bleakly funny as Louie on FX or Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO."{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/arts/television/lena-dunhams-girls-returns-to-hbo.html |title=The Edges Are Still Sharp in Brooklyn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162534/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/arts/television/lena-dunhams-girls-returns-to-hbo.html |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |website=The New York Times |date=January 10, 2013 |url-status=live |last=Stanley |first=Alessandra |access-date=January 3, 2021}}

Despite many positive reviews, several critics criticized the characters themselves. Gawker's John Cook strongly criticized Girls, saying it was "a television program about the children of wealthy famous people and shitty music and Facebook and how hard it is to know who you are and Thought Catalog and sexually transmitted diseases and the exhaustion of ceaselessly dramatizing your own life while posing as someone who understands the fundamental emptiness and narcissism of that very self-dramatization."{{cite web |title=Small Girl Big Mouth': A Girls Recap |url=http://gawker.com/5902308/small-girl-big-mouth-a-girls-recap |publisher=Gawker |date=April 16, 2012 |first=John |last=Cook |access-date=April 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420035907/http://gawker.com/5902308/small-girl-big-mouth-a-girls-recap |archive-date=April 20, 2012}}

The second season of Girls continued to receive critical acclaim. On Metacritic, the second season of the series holds an average of 84 based on 19 reviews.{{cite web |title=TV Show Releases by Score |url=https://www.metacritic.com/browse/tv/score/metascore/year?sort=desc&view=condensed |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162542/https://www.metacritic.com/browse/tv/score/metascore/year?sort=desc&view=condensed |url-status=live}}

Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter stated that "Girls kicks off its second season even more assured of itself, able to deftly work strands of hard-earned drama into the free-flowing comedic moments of four postcollege girls trying to find their way in life".{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/hbo-lena-dunham-girls-season-408357 |title='Girls' Season 2: TV Review |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 4, 2013 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |author=Goodman, Tim |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162544/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/hbo-lena-dunham-girls-season-408357 |url-status=live}} David Wiegland of the San Francisco Chronicle said that "The entire constellation of impetuous, ambitious, determined and insecure young urbanites in Girls is realigning in the new season, but at no point in the four episodes sent to critics for review do you feel that any of it is artificial".{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Girls-and-Enlightened-reviews-Daring-doubt-4183655.php |title='Girls' and 'Enlightened' reviews: Daring, doubt |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 10, 2013 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |author=Wiegland, David |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162555/https://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Girls-and-Enlightened-reviews-Daring-doubt-4183655.php |url-status=live}} Verne Gay of Newsday said it is "Sharper, smarter, more richly layered, detailed and acted".{{cite web |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/girls-review-returning-more-maturely-1.4426583 |title='Girls' review: Returning, more maturely |work=Newsday |date=January 9, 2013 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |author=Verne, Gay |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162528/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/girls-review-returning-more-maturely-1.4426583 |url-status=live}} Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly felt that "As bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as it was in its first season, Girls may now be even spunkier, funnier, and riskier".{{cite magazine | page=80 | url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-2/critic-reviews | title=Girls | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=January 11, 2013 | access-date=April 4, 2013 | author=Tucker, Ken | archive-date=November 16, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162605/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-2/critic-reviews | url-status=live}} In reference to the series' growth, Willa Paskin of Salon thought that Girls "has matured by leaps and bounds, comedically and structurally, but it has jettisoned some of its ambiguity, its sweetness, its own affection for its characters. It's more coherent, but it's also safer."{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/girls_hannah_horvath_no_longer_cares_what_you_think/ |title="Girls": Hannah Horvath no longer cares what you think |work=Salon |date=January 10, 2013 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |author=Paskin, Willa |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162538/https://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/girls_hannah_horvath_no_longer_cares_what_you_think/ |url-status=live}}

The third season of Girls received positive reviews. On Metacritic, the third season of the series holds an average of 76 based on 18 reviews.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-3 |title=Girls – Season 3 Reviews |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=August 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162558/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-3 |url-status=live}} Rotten Tomatoes reports a 91% approval rating from critics, based on 32 reviews with an average score of 7.9/10. The consensus states: "Still rife with shock value, Season 3 of Girls also benefits from an increasingly mature tone."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/ |title=Girls: Season 3 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |date=February 12, 2014 |access-date=August 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162645/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls |url-status=live}}

Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter lauded the first two episodes, and commented: "Going into its third season, Girls is as refreshing and audacious as ever and one of the few half-hour dramedies where you can feel its heart pounding and see its belly ripple with laughter."{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/girls/review/670204 |title=Girls Review |work=Hollywood Reporter |date=August 15, 2014 |access-date=August 22, 2014}} In addition, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and PopMatters praised the comedic portrayal of its lead female characters.{{cite web|work=The New York Times|title=Looking Again at That Mars-Venus Thing 'Girls' Returns and 'Looking' Will Debut on HBO|author=Stanley, Alessandra|date=January 9, 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/arts/television/girls-returns-and-looking-will-debut-on-hbo.html|access-date=February 27, 2017|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162601/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/arts/television/girls-returns-and-looking-will-debut-on-hbo.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2014/01/27/girls |title=Girls Review |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=January 27, 2014 |access-date=August 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162554/https://ew.com/article/2014/01/27/girls/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Landweber |first=Michael |url=https://www.popmatters.com/review/178140-girls-growing-up-is-hard-to-do/ |title=Growing Up Is Getting Complicated, in a Good Way, in Season 3 of 'Girls' |work=PopMatters |date=January 12, 2014 |access-date=August 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162602/https://www.popmatters.com/178140-girls-growing-up-is-hard-to-do-2495695667.html |url-status=live}}

The fourth season of Girls received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic, the fourth season of the series holds an average of 75 based on 16 reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-4|title=Girls : Season 4|website=Metacritic|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162542/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-4|url-status=live}} Rotten Tomatoes reports an 83% approval rating from critics, based on 24 reviews with an average score of 7.5/10. The consensus states: "Girls is familiar after four seasons, but its convoluted-yet-comical depiction of young women dealing with the real world still manages to impress."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s04/|title=Girls : Season 4|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162640/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s04|url-status=live}}

The fifth season of Girls received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic, the fifth season of the series holds an average of 73 based on 13 reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-5|title=Girls: Season 5|website=Metacritic|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162542/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-5|url-status=live}} Rotten Tomatoes reports an 86% approval rating from critics, based on 22 reviews with an average score of 8.14/10. The consensus states: "Though some characters have devolved into caricatures, watching them struggle in Girls is more fun in season five, with sharper humor and narrative consistency than prior seasons."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s05/|title=Girls : Season 5|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162542/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s05|url-status=live}}

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter gave the season a positive review writing: "Girls had only a niche audience. It's possible that being freed from the responsibility of the zeitgeist is what has kept Girls so watchable. The start of the fifth season won't launch an armada of think pieces, but if you still get pleasure from watching these flawed, often awful characters make flawed, often funny choices, Girls is still Girls."{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/girls-season-5-tv-review-867717|title=Girls' Season 5: TV Review|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Daniel|last=Fienberg|date=February 19, 2016|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162542/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/girls-season-5-tv-review-867717|url-status=live}}

The sixth season of Girls received highly positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the sixth season of the series holds an average of 79 based on 15 reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/|title=Girls|website=Metacritic |access-date=March 13, 2017|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162608/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls|url-status=live}} Rotten Tomatoes reports a 90% approval rating from critics, based on 39 reviews with an average score of 8.10/10. The consensus states, "In its final season, Girls remains uncompromising, intelligent, character-driven, compassionate – and at times consciously aggravating."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s06/|title=Girls: Season 6 – Rotten Tomatoes|website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=July 22, 2019|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162545/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/girls/s06|url-status=live}}

The broadcast of the season's third episode "American Bitch" in Australia on Showcase had to be edited, due to a scene that breached the maximum MA15+ classification of the broadcaster.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2017/03/r-rated-episode-of-girls-trimmed-to-ma15.html|title=R-rated episode of Girls trimmed to MA15+|date=March 3, 2017|access-date=March 3, 2017|work=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162543/https://tvtonight.com.au/2017/03/r-rated-episode-of-girls-trimmed-to-ma15.html|url-status=live}}

The pilot was met with criticism regarding the all-white main cast in the otherwise culturally diverse setting of New York City.{{cite news |title='Girls' Reviews: New HBO Show And Lena Dunham Face Backlash On Racism And More |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/girls-reviews-backlash-hbo-show_n_1429328.html |work=The Huffington Post |date=April 16, 2012 |first=Kia |last=Makarechi |access-date=April 18, 2012 |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419010428/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/girls-reviews-backlash-hbo-show_n_1429328.html |url-status=live}} Catherine Scott of The Independent asked: "What's there to celebrate for feminism when black, Hispanic or Asian women are totally written out of a series that's supposedly set in one of the most diverse cities on earth? But also, what's there to celebrate for feminism when a show depicts four entirely self-interested young women and a lead character having the most depressing, disempowered sexual relationships imaginable?"{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Catherine|title='Girls' is not diverse, not feminist and not empowering|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/girls-is-not-diverse-not-feminist-and-not-empowering-8224704.html|work=The Independent|access-date=November 11, 2013|location=London|date=October 24, 2012|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162602/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/girls-not-diverse-not-feminist-and-not-empowering-8224704.html|url-status=live}} Fox News's Hollie McKay wrote that many white Americans are friends with other people of the same race, and adding a "token" African-American or Asian-American friend would be "immature" to reality.{{cite news|url= https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/criticism-of-hbos-girls-for-being-about-white-girls-money-whining-justified/|title=Criticism of HBO's 'Girls' for being about 'white girls, money, whining' justified?|last=McKay|first=Hollie|date=April 18, 2012|access-date= April 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419142927/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/04/18/criticism-hbo-girls-for-being-about-white-girls-money-whining-justified/|archive-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=live|publisher=FoxNews.com|quote=Most wealthy white girls in America are surrounded by other wealthy white girls, so that’s who they choose to be friends with. So what? Are we so immature that we need to throw in a token African-American or Asian to make us better about the fact that some white people have zero exposure to diversity?}} Writing at The Hairpin, Jenna Wortham deemed the series' lack of a main black character "alienating, a party of four engineered to appeal to a very specific subset of the television viewing audience, when the show has the potential to be so much bigger than that".{{cite web |last=Wortham |first=Jenna |author-link=Jenna Wortham |date=April 16, 2012 |title=Where (My) Girls At? |url=https://www.thehairpin.com/2012/04/where-my-girls-at/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929210717/https://www.thehairpin.com/2012/04/where-my-girls-at/ |archive-date=September 29, 2023 |access-date=January 3, 2021 |website=The Hairpin}} Maureen Ryan from The Huffington Post attributes the lack of diversity to the industry as a whole, specifying that not only is it "easier (and lazier) to attack a 25-year-old woman who's just starting out than to attack the men twice her age who actually control the industry", but that "of all shows, this is the one that is being attacked for being too white."{{cite news|publisher=Huffington Post|title='HBO's 'Girls' Isn't Racist, Television Is Racist (And Sexist)|date=April 25, 2012|first=Maureen|last=Ryan III|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/girls-hbo-racist_b_1451931|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162642/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/girls-hbo-racist_b_1451931|url-status=live}}

Lesley Arfin, a writer for the show, responded to the criticism, tweeting: "What really bothered me most about Precious was that there was no representation of ME". Arfin later deleted the comment following backlash.{{cite web |title='Girls' Writer Responds to Critique of 'Girls' with Horrible Joke |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2012/04/girls-writer-responds-critique-girls-horrible-joke/329117/ |work=The Atlantic |date=April 18, 2012 |first=Elspeth |last=Reeve |access-date=January 14, 2013 |archive-date=December 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230032415/http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/04/girls-writer-responds-critique-girls-horrible-joke/51314/ |url-status=live}} Dunham has publicly said, "I really wrote the show from a gut-level place, and each character was a piece of me or based on someone close to me". She adds that she wanted to avoid tokenism in casting. The experience of a black character would involve a certain specificity, a type she could not speak to.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/2c060de0-993b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 |title=Lena Dunham Addresses "Girls" Diversity Criticism & Why I Just Don't Care... | Shadow and Act |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=January 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013205833/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/2c060de0-993b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 |archive-date=October 13, 2013 |url-status=dead}}

The New York Times concluded that the series earned praise "for its sexually frank, wryly satirical look at millennial angst" and criticism "for its lack of diversity while raising "an endless stream of essays and social media posts thanks to its explorations of gender politics and post-collegiate social panic".{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/arts/television/girls-season-six.html|title=6 Ways 'Girls' Changed Television. Or Didn't.|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|date=February 2, 2017|access-date=September 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411123125/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/arts/television/girls-season-six.html|archive-date=April 11, 2023|url-status=live}} In a review for Ms., Kerensa Cadenas writes, "Despite its lack of a serious class and race consciousness, Girls does address other feminist issues currently in play, among them body image, abortion, relationships within a social media age, and street harassment."{{cite web|last=Cadenas|first=Kerensa|title=Feminism and Flawed Women in Lena Dunham's "Girls"|url=http://msmagazine.com/blog/2012/04/14/flawed-women-and-feminism-in-lena-dunhams-girls/|work=Ms. Magazine Blog|date=April 14, 2012 |access-date=November 11, 2013|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162546/https://msmagazine.com/2012/04/14/flawed-women-and-feminism-in-lena-dunhams-girls/|url-status=live}} Kim Price of The Independent predicted that the Girls{{'}} legacy would be the series' "mainstreaming of 'gross-out' femininity" and "intermittent and sometimes cack-handed attempts to comment on contemporary issues such as race relations or lack of opportunities for young people".{{cite web|last1=Price|first1=Kim|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/girls-may-be-flawed-but-its-feminist-legacy-will-last-a7577211.html|title=Girls may be flawed, but its feminist legacy will last|work=The Independent|date=February 15, 2017|access-date=September 17, 2023}}

In response to the critiques, Lena Dunham has acknowledged the concerns raised by viewers and critics.{{Cite web |last=Grose |first=Jessica |date= February 10, 2017 |title=Lena Dunham Discusses Her HBO Show, "Girls" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9H-etNci0s |access-date= December 4, 2022 |website=YouTube}} Dunham has expressed a commitment to learning and growing from the feedback she received. She mentioned that she appreciates the discussions sparked by the show and has apologized for unintentional insensitivity or oversight in her portrayal of certain issues. She has also outwardly expressed her frustration at the critics’ tendency to overlook her ability to write with nuance, specifically in regards to her commentary on class.{{Cite journal |last=Bell |first=Katherine |date=February 26, 2013 |title='Obvie, We're the Ladies!' Postfeminism, Privilege, and HBO's Newest Girls. |url=https://www.wizdom.ai/publication/10.1080/14680777.2013.771886/title/_obvie_we_re_the_ladies_postfeminism_privilege_and_hbo_s_newestgirls |journal=Feminist Media Studies |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=363–66 |doi=10.1080/14680777.2013.771886 |s2cid=144979569 |via=Taylor&Francis online|url-access=subscription }} While the characters in Girls are often criticized for their narrow and privileged view of the world, being from clearly wealthier families, Dunham actually intended this specific portrayal to use and explains how it is a tool to justify their slow maturation.

Since the series' last episode premiering in 2017, the show's impact and Lena Dunham's identity have inevitably evolved.{{Cite web |last=Sproull |first=Patrick |date=October 7, 2022 |title=Lena Dunham Is Ready for Her Comeback |url=https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/14426/lena-dunham-interview-catherine-called-birdy-review |website=Another Magazine}} Initially hyped and criticized for various reasons, including lack of diversity, "Girls" became a cultural lightning rod. Over the years, Dunham distanced herself from the show, focusing on personal and professional growth. The show's satirical elements and its influence on the portrayal of sex and body image with disarming honesty trademark its originality. Despite initial controversy, "Girls" is appreciated for this originality and its contribution to feminist television.{{Cite web |last=Herman |first=Alison |date=April 15, 2022 |title='Girls' Deserved What It Got. But It Also Deserved Better. |url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/4/15/23026177/girls-hbo-pilot-10-year-anniversary-lena-dunham |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=The Ringer |language=en}}

In December 2023, Variety ranked Girls #86 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/|title=The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|publisher=Variety|date=December 20, 2023}}

{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Girls}}

Since its debut, the series has received numerous accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards, Peabody Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Directors Guild of America Award. Dunham has been nominated for sixteen individual awards for her role as the series lead, as writer, and as producer. Several of Dunhams collaborators have also been nominated for various awards including co-stars Allison Williams and Adam Driver as well as recurring guest stars Riz Ahmed, Becky Ann Baker, Gaby Hoffmann, Andrew Rannells, Matthew Rhys, Peter Scolari, and Patrick Wilson.

Girls premiered on April 15, 2012, on HBO in the United States.{{cite web |title=Premiere Dates For HBO's 'Girls', 'Game Of Thrones', 'Veep' & 'Game Change' |url=https://deadline.com/2012/01/hbo-sets-premiere-dates-for-series-veep-movie-game-change-214092/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=January 13, 2012 |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |access-date=January 13, 2012 |archive-date=April 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418232234/http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/hbo-sets-premiere-dates-for-series-veep-movie-game-change/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Deamer|first=Eric|title=TV Show Review: HBO's Girls|work=TechnologyTell |url=http://www.technologytell.com/entertainment/236/tv-show-review-hbos-girls/|publisher=www.technologytell.com|access-date=April 17, 2012|archive-date=April 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422023945/http://www.technologytell.com/entertainment/236/tv-show-review-hbos-girls/|url-status=live}} The first three episodes were screened at the 2012 SXSW Festival on March 12.{{cite magazine |title=SXSW: '21 Jump Street' to premiere at Austin festival, full line-up announced |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/02/01/sxsw-full-line-up/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=February 1, 2012 |first=Adam B |last=Vary |access-date=February 9, 2012 |archive-date=February 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205231200/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/02/01/sxsw-full-line-up/ |url-status=live}}

HBO renewed the series for a second season of ten episodes on April 30, 2012.{{cite news |title='Girls' On Film: Lena Dunham's Hot Streak Continues As HBO Picks Up Show |url=http://www.observer.com/2011/culture/girls-film-lean-dunhams-hot-streak-continues-hbo-picks-show |work=The New York Observer |date=January 7, 2011 |first=Nate |last=Freeman |access-date=December 27, 2011 |archive-date=January 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121122500/http://www.observer.com/2011/culture/girls-film-lean-dunhams-hot-streak-continues-hbo-picks-show |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title='Girls' and 'Veep' Both Renewed by HBO for Second Seasons|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/04/30/girls-and-veep-both-renewed-by-hbo-for-second-seasons/131551/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501220127/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/04/30/girls-and-veep-both-renewed-by-hbo-for-second-seasons/131551/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 1, 2012|date=April 30, 2012|access-date=April 30, 2012|website=TV by the Numbers|last=Seidman|first=Robert}}{{cite web|title=HBO Renews Comedy Series 'Veep' And 'Girls' For Second Season|url=https://www.deadline.com/2012/04/hbo-renews-comedy-series-veep-girls-for-second-season/|date=April 30, 2012|access-date=April 30, 2012|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162553/https://deadline.com/2012/04/hbo-renews-comedy-series-veep-girls-for-second-season-264474/|url-status=dead|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie}}

On January 7, 2014, the premiere of the third season of Girls was shown at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City.{{cite web |url=http://www.wwd.com/eye/parties/girls-season-3-premieres-at-lincoln-center-7339013?src=nl/mornReport/20140108 |title='Girls' Season 3 Premieres at Lincoln Center |publisher=WWD |date=January 8, 2014 |access-date=January 8, 2014 |author1=Maza, Erik |archive-date=January 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109113943/http://www.wwd.com/eye/parties/girls-season-3-premieres-at-lincoln-center-7339013?src=nl%2FmornReport%2F20140108 |url-status=live}} Models Karlie Kloss, Karen Elson, and Hilary Rhoda; designers Nicole Miller, Cynthia Rowley, and Zac Posen; and editors Anna Wintour, Joanna Coles, and Amy Astley were all in attendance. The after party was at the Allen Room and "hosted by HBO and the Cinema Society".

Girls premiered on OSN in the Middle East on September 7, 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.osn.com/ |title=The ultimate HD Television experience |publisher=OSN |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=September 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926182250/http://www.osn.com/ |url-status=live}} In Australia, it premiered on Showcase on May 28, 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/04/airdate-girls.html |title=Airdate: Girls |date=April 24, 2012 |publisher=TV Tonight |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103061316/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/04/airdate-girls.html |url-status=live}} The series began airing on HBO Canada on April 15, 2012. In New Zealand, the SoHo channel premiered Girls in May 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.skytv.co.nz/soho/#i=Girls |title=SOHO |publisher=Skytv.co.nz |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-date=January 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122174312/http://www.skytv.co.nz/soho/#i=Girls |url-status=live}}

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series premiered on Sky Atlantic on October 22, 2012.{{cite web |url=http://skyatlantic.sky.com/girls/girls-coming-to-sky-atlantic-in-september |title=Girls Launches October 22nd |publisher=Sky Atlantic |access-date=November 28, 2012 |archive-date=October 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001041404/http://skyatlantic.sky.com/girls/girls-coming-to-sky-atlantic-in-september |url-status=live}} The second season premiered on January 14, 2013,{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s236/girls/news/a439318/girls-season-two-uk-premiere-date-confirmed-by-sky-atlantic.html#~p1bKIerDHrLMtj|title='Girls' season two UK premiere date confirmed by Sky Atlantic|last=Jeffery|first=Morgan|date=November 19, 2012|work=Digital Spy|access-date=January 12, 2015|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162556/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a439318/girls-season-two-uk-premiere-date-confirmed-by-sky-atlantic/#~p1bKIerDHrLMtj|url-status=live}} and the third season began airing on January 20, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/s236/girls/news/a539404/girls-season-3-gets-uk-sky-atlantic-air-date.html#~p1bKeq9k4q6pI6|title=Girls season 3 gets UK Sky Atlantic air date|last=Fletcher|first=Alex|date=December 19, 2013|work=Digital Spy|access-date=January 12, 2015|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162614/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a539404/girls-season-3-gets-uk-sky-atlantic-air-date/#~p1bKeq9k4q6pI6|url-status=live}} The fourth season premiered on January 12, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2014/12/sky-atlantic-sets-uk-premiere-date-girls-season-4/|title=Sky Atlantic Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Girls' Season 4|date=December 18, 2014|work=TV Wise|access-date=January 12, 2015|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116162551/https://www.tvwise.co.uk/2014/12/sky-atlantic-sets-uk-premiere-date-girls-season-4/|url-status=live}}

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