Lena Dunham's Girls to return for limited HBO run

HBO's acclaimed series Girls is set to make a comeback for a limited five-episode run, a decade after its final episode aired in 2017.

Lena Dunham, the creator, writer, and one of the lead actresses, announced this exciting news during a playful mock zoom call with original cast members Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and Andrew Rannells.

All five actors, whose careers significantly advanced due to their roles in Girls, are confirmed to participate in the revival, with production slated to start in 2027. Judd Apatow, who played a pivotal role in bringing the show to HBO, will return as an executive producer.

"We always said we would only return to 'Girls' if there was a specific story we were burning to tell," Dunham stated.

"I’ve missed these characters, but for a long time, I couldn’t quite picture them in the present day," Dunham continued.

"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 added.

Girls aired for six seasons between 2012 and 2017, garnering 19 Emmy nominations and winning two, including one for best casting.

The series chronicles the lives of four friends: Hannah (played by Dunham), Marnie (played by Williams), Jessa (played by Kirke), and Shoshanna (played by Mamet) as they navigate their twenties in New York City.

Dunham created the show when she was just 23 years old, and it attracted both acclaim and controversy during its run. The BBC recognized it as the 30th entry in its list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows of the 21st Century.

"We're thrilled to have Lena turn her gaze from the tumult of one's twenties to the milestone of turning forty," remarked Amy Gravitt, executive vice-president of HBO programming.

"To say the world has changed since we last saw Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna, Jessa, and Elijah is a massive understatement, but we know fans—both old and new—will be delighted to see how they’ve evolved and relieved that they’re still the 'Girls' we knew way back when."

The title of the limited series has not been disclosed; however, Dunham humorously inquired during the mock zoom call, "Can we still call it Girls?", before quipping, "because we’re old now."

Notably absent from HBO's official announcement are other cast and crew members, particularly Adam Driver, who famously played Dunham's on-and-off love interest.

In her 2026 bestselling memoir Famesick, Dunham alleged that Driver's behavior on set occasionally became verbally aggressive and physically intimidating. Driver has yet to publicly address these claims.

Famesick also detailed Dunham’s fractured working relationship and friendship with co-showrunner and executive producer Jenni Konner, who is not mentioned in HBO’s statements regarding the revival.

Dunham expressed in her Substack that "it's rare in life that you get the chance to return to something you love with new knowledge and a ... ton of gratitude."

"I love these girls (and boy) and I love all the people who have reminded us afresh why we do this, which is the joy of being together and the chance to wear yellow mesh…" she wrote.

Since the conclusion of Girls, Dunham has created the Netflix series Too Much in 2025 and the independent film Sharp Stick.