According to WIRED, HBO has announced a five-episode revival of Lena Dunham’s Girls, a series that premiered in 2012 to rave reviews but soon became a lightning rod for backlash over sexism, diversity, and nepo-baby allegations. The revival arrives after a Gen Z-led reappraisal transformed the show into a cultural phenomenon.
The reappraisal was driven largely online. Viewership doubled between November 2022 and January 2023 compared with the prior three months, The New York Times reported. TikTok and Instagram memes, supercuts, and podcasts—notably the Girls Rewatch show hosted by Brooklyn comedians Amelia Ritthaler and Evan Lazarus—introduced the series to a generation that had missed its first run. Dunham acknowledged the fan energy in a Substack post, saying the love viewers shared helped turn her around.
WIRED notes the revival also fits a broader “nostalgia-core” moment, alongside reboots like Gossip Girl and iCarly, and a longing for mid-2010s millennial optimism. While the original backlash has faded, the new audience appears less focused on old controversies and more on enjoying the show’s satirical voice on its own terms.