HBO orders five-episode Girls revival with Dunham and four returning cast members

Mixed · 2HBO has ordered a limited, five-episode revival of "Girls", Lena Dunham's comedy, which ran from 2012 to 2017, with production due to begin in 2027. 1 2 Centre · 1Dunham returns as Hannah, alongside Allison Williams (Marnie), Jemima Kirke (Jessa), Zosia Mamet (Shoshanna) and Andrew Rannells (Elijah). 3 Left · 1Rolling Stone reports that Dunham will write and direct the new episodes, and that all five cast members appeared in a teaser announcing the reunion, technically as themselves but more or less playing their characters. 4

Mixed · 2Dunham will executive produce with Judd Apatow and with Ilene S. Landress and Michael P. Cohen of Good Thing Going; Williams, Kirke, Mamet and Rannells are co-executive producers. 5 3 Centre · 1In a statement Dunham said the cast had always said they would return only if there was a specific story they were burning to tell, and that the characters began "talking to me in the shower" around her fortieth birthday. 3 Centre · 1Amy Gravitt, head of HBO and HBO Max comedy programming, said HBO was thrilled to have Dunham "turn her gaze from the tumult of one's twenties to the milestone of turning forty". 2

Left · 1Adam Driver, who played Hannah's on-and-off boyfriend Adam, is not named among the returning cast, and co-showrunner Jenni Konner is not involved. 5 Left · 2Several outlets linked this to Dunham's memoir "Famesick" (published April 2026), in which she alleged Driver was "verbally aggressive, condescending and physically imposing" and described a strained relationship with Konner; Dunham and Konner announced in 2018 that they were ending their producing partnership. 1 5 Mixed · 2Story details are being kept quiet, though outlets noted that in a 2025 Variety interview Dunham imagined where the characters might be now, such as Jessa living on a boat in Croatia and Hannah teaching at Bard. 5 2

Mixed · 2Title, plot and additional casting have not been announced; in the teaser Dunham asks whether it can still be called "Girls" because "we're old as f-", and Collider, which calls it a seventh season, says it is likely to be released in 2028. 6 7 Left · 2The original series won two Emmys and received 19 nominations in total, according to Variety and IndieWire; The Hollywood Reporter counts two wins plus 17 further nominations. IndieWire said Variety first reported the news. 8 5 Left · 2The Guardian notes the news arrives as HBO becomes part of Skydance after a $111bn merger made official last week; Rolling Stone adds the show won two Golden Globes from six nominations and ranks 65th on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows. 6 4

Mixed · 2Early reporting differed on Driver: The Independent said it was unclear whether he would return, while Collider reported he is reportedly not returning. 9 7