HBO’s award-winning show Girls will return to screens for a limited run, ten years after the series finale aired. Creator, writer and star Lena Dunham shared the news in a mock Zoom call with four members of the original cast: Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet and Andrew Rannells.
All five actors, whose careers took off after Girls, will take part in the five-episode revival. Production is set to begin in 2027. Judd Apatow, who helped get the show greenlit by HBO, will also return as an executive producer.
Dunham says the characters returned to her
In a statement, Dunham said the cast had always agreed they would only return to Girls if there was a specific story they were eager to tell. She said she had missed the characters but had struggled for a long time to imagine them in the present day.
That changed around her 40th birthday, she said. “Then, right around my 40th birthday, they started talking to me in the shower. And, as you may remember, once this fivesome starts talking it’s pretty hard to get them to stop,” she said.
Girls ran for six seasons from 2012 to 2017. It was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards and won two, including best casting. The series follows four friends, Hannah, played by Dunham, Marnie, played by Williams, Jessa, played by Kirke, and Shoshanna, played by Mamet, as they live in New York City in their 20s. Dunham created the show when she was 23.
The show drew both praise and controversy during its original run. The title of the limited series has yet to be announced. During the mock call, Dunham asked her co-stars, “can we still call it Girls?” before joking that they were “old as” well.
Adam Driver and Jenni Konner absent from HBO statement
HBO’s official statement did not mention several cast and production members, most notably actor Adam Driver. Driver played Dunham’s on-and-off love interest in the show, a role that was his breakout.
In her 2026 bestselling memoir, Famesick, Dunham alleged that Driver’s behaviour on set at times became verbally aggressive and physically imposing. Driver has not publicly commented on the allegations.
Famesick also describes the breakdown of Dunham’s working relationship and friendship with co-showrunner and executive producer Jenni Konner. Konner is not included in HBO’s statement about the revival.
Dunham reflects on returning with fresh perspective
Writing on her Substack, Dunham said it was rare to get the chance to return to something you love with new knowledge and a great deal of gratitude. She said she loved the characters and the people who had reminded the team why they make the show, which she described as the joy of being together.
Since Girls ended, Dunham has created the Netflix series Too Much, released in 2025, and the independent film Sharp Stick.
