Girls

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 15, 2012
Season #: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 382 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 254 out of 382
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 382
  3. Negative: 92 out of 382
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  1. Proteus
    Apr 16, 2017
    0
    Its been said that if the end of the world is near that ending began in Moscow. We need to update that. The beginning of the end of the world is right here, with these girls in this place. They are that hideous. God save us all.
  2. BillySpandex
    Mar 21, 2017
    0
    There is only one word that can describe Girls and that is "Trash". This is one of the worst TV shows HBO has created in a long time, and what's worse it's been dragging its diseased genitals on the floor for 6 seasons. Disgusting! Hopefully after this, Lena Dunham will find herself in a trailer park where she belongs.
  3. m43d
    May 2, 2016
    10
    This show is arguably the best TV show of our generation. The girls could not be more relatable. In each female friend group of the 21st century, there is a Marnie, a Jessa, a Shoshauna, and a Hannah, to varying degrees. The characters are not one-dimensional at all; they are incredibly complex, they make a lot of mistakes, and their actions and behaviours are sometimes very contradictory.This show is arguably the best TV show of our generation. The girls could not be more relatable. In each female friend group of the 21st century, there is a Marnie, a Jessa, a Shoshauna, and a Hannah, to varying degrees. The characters are not one-dimensional at all; they are incredibly complex, they make a lot of mistakes, and their actions and behaviours are sometimes very contradictory. And that's OK, because that makes them very real. Usually people don't like this show because they are put off by Hannah, or think Marnie is annoying, or think the characters are narcissists... But that is the reality of our generation, we are narcissists. And to be put off by Hannah? That probably means that you are most likely "a Hannah" and you are uncomfortable watching yourself. But you shouldn't be uncomfortable. This is a very "real" show, and none of the characters are "right" or "wrong", Lena Dunham is simply exploring the many different types of "twenty-somethings" we usually come across in our lives.
    I have watched this show when it first came out, but I have rewatched it recently and I was very impressed by the character progression throughout the seasons. Also, the writing is INCREDIBLE! There are some hilarious one-liners that I know by heart because they were so iconic. I am very sad that this show is ending soon, and I wish they carry on, or create a sequel called "Women" because it is too good to end so soon!!!!    … Expand
  4. JaneHarrison
    Aug 13, 2015
    9
    Best episode of the season I think due to writing and a tight storyline that came together. I laughed out loud. What's fascinating about 'Girls' is the extent of which people outside of Brooklyn, and unfortunately some people in the city, think it's exaggerated.
  5. NikolayG
    Jun 14, 2015
    0
    Girls is: the opposite of subtle and just not funny; it is crude, vulgar, obvious, uncreative, and full of negativity and unsympathetic, uninteresting characters. If I don't like a character, it's difficult to care what happens to them. And so all the drama surrounding them falls flat, doesn't matter. Because they are simply people I would be happy never to meet. Their self involvedGirls is: the opposite of subtle and just not funny; it is crude, vulgar, obvious, uncreative, and full of negativity and unsympathetic, uninteresting characters. If I don't like a character, it's difficult to care what happens to them. And so all the drama surrounding them falls flat, doesn't matter. Because they are simply people I would be happy never to meet. Their self involved problems are of no concern to me. All around it's a gross show. The fault is clearly with the writing. I watched a few episodes before I gave up on it. It makes you feel like taking a shower afterward to clear the ick out of your mind, cleanse your spirit, so you can put it behind you and get on with your life.… Expand
  6. ahartma
    Mar 18, 2015
    0
    Season Four has been a bore. I ask myself why even bother watching unimpressive, self-obsessed and extremely privileged girls engage in narcissistic banter. Season 1 and 2 were great and refreshing. A breath of fresh air for the young 20 something woman. Maybe Ms. Dunham should retire her show to keep its initial greatness and integrity.
  7. borderlinefilms
    Feb 5, 2015
    4
    My Life as a Bad Script
    (28 January 2014)
    HBO is sliding. It once had brisk, wobbly comedies punctuated with F- bombs; and slow engaging dramas with a splatter and glimpse of blood and boobs (in True Blood's case, blood on boobs). Now the reverse is true. The spice is the essence and the content is half-baked. Thus proving that quality drama and comedy are difficult to construct on a    My Life as a Bad Script
    (28 January 2014)

    HBO is sliding. It once had brisk, wobbly comedies punctuated with F- bombs; and slow engaging dramas with a splatter and glimpse of blood and boobs (in True Blood's case, blood on boobs). Now the reverse is true. The spice is the essence and the content is half-baked. Thus proving that quality drama and comedy are difficult to construct on a regular basis. Girls is a case in point. It started out fresh and blunt, daring and original, but has evolved into an exercise of desperate story- telling. The self-evident, honest precociousness of the first season has become conspicuously pretentious with little foresight and even less insight. Sudden character traits fall from the sky (the OC disorder), the plot twists are cliché (girl friend disappears) and themes of love and friendship are often sketchy and stranded. Girls went from good bad to bad bad within three short seasons. The only reason I continue to watch Girls is because of Boy, namely, Adam Driver. He is the only authentic quirk in the ensemble of ever-so-shallow dead-beat characters. (I'd pay to see him headline a series with Greta Gerwig). Girls would be infinitely more appealing if Lena "aren't-I-adorable?" Dunham just wrote herself out of it. Better yet, if someone else wrote her out of it. Otherwise, HBO should cancel this one before it embarrasses itself any further.    … Expand
  8. hotfromcauldron
    Jan 18, 2015
    3
    SEASON FOUR- " Girls" gone Iowa is far from wild- as Hannah goes to college is quite sophomoric. Campus escapades can't sustain what once was a fresh, frank and daring feminine point of view of NYC 20's coupling. Calls to old friends- dropped and collect- make for long and distant conversations while new acquaintances all sound the same. Hannah's fictional writing is critiqued forSEASON FOUR- " Girls" gone Iowa is far from wild- as Hannah goes to college is quite sophomoric. Campus escapades can't sustain what once was a fresh, frank and daring feminine point of view of NYC 20's coupling. Calls to old friends- dropped and collect- make for long and distant conversations while new acquaintances all sound the same. Hannah's fictional writing is critiqued for being too real. Maybe the talented young Dunham has run out of life to share- for now.… Expand
  9. ll2k89
    Aug 21, 2014
    2
    this show is not worth typing the 120 minimum words. Let me start of by saying that, this show is incredibly hard to watch due to how unlikeable all the characters are, starting by hanna.
  10. haw2991
    Feb 3, 2014
    8
    Not everyone's cup of tea to put it lightly, Lena Dunham's, "Girls" may come off as overly sympathetic to its at times obnoxious and self-indulgent cast however, there is no denying the humorous and clever dialogue that exists. The whole concept of such dislikable characters is intentionally done and the actual charm of the show providing a realistic outlook of your typical irrationalNot everyone's cup of tea to put it lightly, Lena Dunham's, "Girls" may come off as overly sympathetic to its at times obnoxious and self-indulgent cast however, there is no denying the humorous and clever dialogue that exists. The whole concept of such dislikable characters is intentionally done and the actual charm of the show providing a realistic outlook of your typical irrational young-adult acting like a monkey. It in the end works for me.… Expand
  11. luvastray
    Jan 24, 2014
    3
    Why are the majority of these characters Jewish? Adam's sister is so completely obnoxious. It boggles the mind that someone hasn't killed her by now. I have great difficulty understanding very much of what Shoshanna has to say. She rattles on so quickly, it sounds like a gun being fired in rapid succession. Why does Hannah insist on flaunting her less than perfect body in so manyWhy are the majority of these characters Jewish? Adam's sister is so completely obnoxious. It boggles the mind that someone hasn't killed her by now. I have great difficulty understanding very much of what Shoshanna has to say. She rattles on so quickly, it sounds like a gun being fired in rapid succession. Why does Hannah insist on flaunting her less than perfect body in so many episodes. Hey, I don't look like a model either, but this is definitely not a case for "If you got it, flaunt it! If you don't have it, flaunt it anyway!" She's probably one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, but, please, Hannah, keep your clothes on...Marine does! And, I know Jessa has some life issues, but she is the most caustic, abrasive human being I've seen strutting her stuff. Again, how has this chick managed to avoid being slapped around like a red-headed step child? Patrick Wilson and Hannah? Are you kidding me? Well, that's Hollywood I guess. They need to have Adam's sister jump off a train track very, very soon. Where do they all get the money they need to survive in NYC? So many questions and not enough answers.… Expand
  12. JudgeMathew
    Jan 11, 2014
    9
    Really funny and believable, though it seems as if Lena Dunham is in love with herself, especially towards the season's end. There's reason to like or dislike characters and that's all part of the charm due to the realism. Many odd moments will occur throughout the show and will show off some of those embarrassing feelings which you have kept hidden inside of you, that alone is a goodReally funny and believable, though it seems as if Lena Dunham is in love with herself, especially towards the season's end. There's reason to like or dislike characters and that's all part of the charm due to the realism. Many odd moments will occur throughout the show and will show off some of those embarrassing feelings which you have kept hidden inside of you, that alone is a good reason to watch.… Expand
  13. blackrose02
    Nov 12, 2013
    0
    Couldn't watch past the third episode. Vomit reasons. Not worth the other 100 characters.....................................................................
  14. dierregi
    Aug 22, 2013
    0
    Intrigued by rave reviews and against my best judgement, I decided to give it a go. Turns out, this show is just as bad as I expected. The story revolves around four younger, poorer and charm-free versions of the notorious Sex & the City women.
    Said "girls" are depressed (and depressing) whiners, unable to earn a living and clueless about life and love. Granted we were probably behaving    Intrigued by rave reviews and against my best judgement, I decided to give it a go. Turns out, this show is just as bad as I expected. The story revolves around four younger, poorer and charm-free versions of the notorious Sex & the City women.
    Said "girls" are depressed (and depressing) whiners, unable to earn a living and clueless about life and love. Granted we were probably behaving in a similar irrational way during our twenties, however, I do not watch TV shows to be reminded of the most difficult time of my life.
    The sex scenes are cringe-inducing. Probably more "realistic" than your average filmed, mainstream sex, but then again, who needs to witness so many scenes of humiliation and awkwardness?
    I can vaguely see the appeal for those in the same age-frame. I see none for everybody else. About the rave reviews… honestly no clue whatsoever how they got to be written.    … Expand
  15. x_phile
    Jun 30, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This show surprised me. The writing is snarky, funny, occasionally emotional, and very real. The portrayal of the characters is not entirely sympathetic. Yes, they are whiny, self-absorbed daddy's girls sometimes, but they are also caring, sensitive, and thoughtful. This is a very introspective portrait of the millennial generation: often maligned and misunderstood, over-educated and under-employed, feeling always in transition because they never seem to be doing what they pictured themselves doing as adults when they were 16. I relate to this show not because I live in New York, but because I identify with the struggle of the protagonists. I understand what it's like to be between jobs, to get pressure from parents to just "get a job", to not know what I want to do "when I grow up".
    In addition, Girls is possibly the most feminist series I have ever watched. While Sex and the City was overly focused on superficiality and consumerism, Girls deals with real, messed-up human beings, and all the trouble and baggage that comes with them. Their lives do not revolve around their significant others, and they talk to each other about things like STDs, abortion, gay rights, racism and unemployment. That alone is a feat, given that most female-driven series are overly focused on getting a man and keeping him around. These women feel like real people that I know. Hannah especially is a relatable character because she is possibly the first average-looking body I have ever seen on television. But she owns her body. She traipses around New York in short shorts ("one could go their whole life wearing short shorts and offend almost no one") and dresses without a care in the world. She stress eats, which everyone does once in a blue moon and nobody admits to. In the way it deals with body image alone, Girls is high on my list of feminist dramedy. My boyfriend watches this show with me and is also addicted to it.

    A+++++    … Expand
  16. jessegirl87
    Mar 29, 2013
    1
    I think this show is just a Lena Dunham vanity project. It's self indulgent and certainly not a reflection of reality for young people, as others suggest. It's about poor little privileged girls, living the hipster lifestyle and not being particularly funny or interesting. I also find it quite odd that it's completely white washed when it's supposedly set in New York City which happens toI think this show is just a Lena Dunham vanity project. It's self indulgent and certainly not a reflection of reality for young people, as others suggest. It's about poor little privileged girls, living the hipster lifestyle and not being particularly funny or interesting. I also find it quite odd that it's completely white washed when it's supposedly set in New York City which happens to be one of the most diverse places in America, let alone Brooklyn. I mean, even the background actors are all white. I think the alleged feminism is also very misguided.… Expand
  17. Seriosity
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    Go with the critics on this one; this is another superb show from the always reliable HBO. Lena Dunham has an incredible ear for realistic and interesting dialogue. That alone would be enough for me to watch, but where the show truly shines is in its characters. they are all so strange yet relatable, and frustrating but hopelessly sympathetic. 9.5/10
  18. JustAsMuchAsYou
    Mar 20, 2013
    9
    At first I thought this was going to be stupid. I'm usually like that with the pilot of any new show, so I said well let me watch the next episode and its kinda funny to me. *shrugz*
  19. Tigerlillies244
    Mar 10, 2013
    10
    This is a brilliant show, well deserving of its critical acclaim. Of course you will always have the simpletons who don't "get" shows unless they're completely dumbed down, like 2 Broke Girls or Grey's Anatomy. For those of us who appreciate something edgy, smart, funny unique, this show is fantastic. Something I read online that rings so true: "People are understandably envious ofThis is a brilliant show, well deserving of its critical acclaim. Of course you will always have the simpletons who don't "get" shows unless they're completely dumbed down, like 2 Broke Girls or Grey's Anatomy. For those of us who appreciate something edgy, smart, funny unique, this show is fantastic. Something I read online that rings so true: "People are understandably envious of Dunham's success. Hell, I know I am! But she is successful and the show is successful because she is cool as hell. She is funny, insightful, and most of all, devastatingly honest. She lets it ALL hang out there. It's not narcissism. It's art. And the fact that we're even having this discussion is proof that she is a genius. Good art makes you think about things. Dunham makes us think. She makes us laugh. And she entertains us. What's not to love?"

    Lena is brilliant fantastic I hope the show has many more seasons on HBO!    … Expand
  20. Rewrite
    Feb 17, 2013
    2
    Over-rated self-conscious self-obsessed show about unsympathetic over-privileged girls. So what's to like? My god, these girls are in the 5% of the world and well into the 1% of the world. Why would anyone care about their whining?
  21. krnology
    Feb 14, 2013
    4
    I watched the entire first season of Girls to make sure I wasn't missing anything. After the final episode concluded I was left confused why so many critics gave this show glowing reviews. It has moments that are interesting, but they are maybe 2-3 minutes per episode in length. I also was unable to connect with any of the characters since the show did its best to make them all equallyI watched the entire first season of Girls to make sure I wasn't missing anything. After the final episode concluded I was left confused why so many critics gave this show glowing reviews. It has moments that are interesting, but they are maybe 2-3 minutes per episode in length. I also was unable to connect with any of the characters since the show did its best to make them all equally unlikable. For me, Girls is one of those shows where the numerous critics glowing praise was completely off base.… Expand
  22. templario9002
    Feb 4, 2013
    0
    Expanding my previous comment.... the only thing I`m assuming this show is liked for many critics is because shows the stupid that are white imbecile self entitled rich kids... Oh.. some kid is doing coke... oh... the not so atractive girl is naked.... this is the state in every art... put shocking things in your book/paint/sculpture/tv show and idiots will watched and claim that is theExpanding my previous comment.... the only thing I`m assuming this show is liked for many critics is because shows the stupid that are white imbecile self entitled rich kids... Oh.. some kid is doing coke... oh... the not so atractive girl is naked.... this is the state in every art... put shocking things in your book/paint/sculpture/tv show and idiots will watched and claim that is the best thing ever.... by the way... the music is horrible.. hipster crap..… Expand
  23. GotTheseScars
    Jan 27, 2013
    8
    I was apprehensive when I first started watching "Girls", but as the season progressed I became increasingly intrigued by the show, and after finishing the 1st season I realize how good it really was. Some other users have complained about it "not being up to HBO standards", but I believe in all its simplicity it actually shines by being completely straightforward, not hiding anything inI was apprehensive when I first started watching "Girls", but as the season progressed I became increasingly intrigued by the show, and after finishing the 1st season I realize how good it really was. Some other users have complained about it "not being up to HBO standards", but I believe in all its simplicity it actually shines by being completely straightforward, not hiding anything in it's depiction of a group of mid 20s girls living a glamour-less New York lifestyle.… Expand
  24. LindaW
    Jan 17, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I watched the first three episodes after seeing the Golden Globe awards. This show is not only bad but disturbingly bad. How interesting that the critics rate this higher than the users, just the opposite of the the uplifting and empowering film Cloud Atlas. This TV show reinforces the lowest expectations that a young person might have for love and romance, as do recent reports in the New York Times about "the end of courtship" and "an oil town where men are many and women are hounded." I don't care whether the characters are rich or poor, but how dispiriting that they demand so little respect for themselves, in relationships and at work.

    *** SPOILER ALERT *** There is a lot of nudity and fairly explicit sex scenes, but so joyless! One character halfheartedly participates in fantasies of humiliating under-aged prostitutes, never comes herself, gets a disease, and begs for more. Another one is confronted by a guy who says he will "make you afraid the first time I f*ck you, because I'm a man and I know how to do things" -- and she finds this so exciting she has to run ... run!... back to work to masturbate. Everyone seems to be an unpaid intern or babysitter. Back in Cloud Atlas terms, Girls is a step toward a more barbaric society. There are many more uplifting ways to spend your time, including washing the kitchen floor.    … Expand
  25. JoannaStelling
    Jan 8, 2013
    1
    This is an addendum to my previous review, which is stated far more elegantly than anything I said. It is by the author David Foster Wallace, who talks about the "shallow rebelliousness of TV. Irony and ridicule are effective and entertaining but are at the same time agents of a great despair and stasis..." The full quote is below. I find this show to be too ironic, too full of ridiculeThis is an addendum to my previous review, which is stated far more elegantly than anything I said. It is by the author David Foster Wallace, who talks about the "shallow rebelliousness of TV. Irony and ridicule are effective and entertaining but are at the same time agents of a great despair and stasis..." The full quote is below. I find this show to be too ironic, too full of ridicule and yet at the same time, totally static. ______________________

    Wallace's fiction is often concerned with irony. His essay "E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction",[33] originally published in the small-circulation Review of Contemporary Fiction in 1993, proposes that television has an ironic influence on fiction writing, and urges literary authors to eschew TV's shallow rebelliousness: "I want to convince you that irony, poker-faced silence, and fear of ridicule are distinctive of those features of contemporary U.S. culture (of which cutting-edge fiction is a part) that enjoy any significant relation to the television whose weird pretty hand has my generation by the throat. I'm going to argue that irony and ridicule are entertaining and effective, and that at the same time they are agents of a great despair and stasis in U.S. culture, and that for aspiring fictionists they pose terrifically vexing problems." Wallace used many forms of irony, but focused on individuals' continued longing for earnest, unselfconscious experience and communication in a media-saturated society.[34] Literary critic Adam Kirsch said that Wallace's "self-conscious earnestness" and "hostility to irony defined a literary generation    … Expand
  26. A_Northerner
    Dec 23, 2012
    7
    Remember the four Manhattan based women on Sex and the City? Splashing the cash to keep up with the fashion and attending NY's most glamorous parties? Forget them. Four girls in New York is where the similarities end. These girls live in Brooklyn, struggle to pay rent and are more likely to attend parties in warehouses.

    Based on some of her own experiences, Lena Durham (who plays lead    Remember the four Manhattan based women on Sex and the City? Splashing the cash to keep up with the fashion and attending NY's most glamorous parties? Forget them. Four girls in New York is where the similarities end. These girls live in Brooklyn, struggle to pay rent and are more likely to attend parties in warehouses.

    Based on some of her own experiences, Lena Durham (who plays lead character Hannah) created and wrote the show, as well as directing five of the ten episodes. She deserves credit for writing such a fresh take on the 'girls story'. The girls in question are not always at their glamorous best, crude, promiscuous and are supported by a witty and often hilarious script. Their day to day issues are largely trivial, Hannah's parents cut her off financially, Marnie's boyfriend is too perfect, Shoshanna is a virgin and Jessa returns from travelling unhappy at adapting to the real world. Despite this, the script makes these trivial storylines more than amusing and the pure oddness of the supporting characters, mainly Adam (Adam Driver), really helps. One guy decides not have to have sex with Shoshanna when he discovers she's a virgin because "virgins get attached. Or they bleed.". To which she replies, "I'm a totally unattached bleeder". Chris O'Dowd makes a hilarious cameo in a later episode as a wealthy businessman who gets agonisingly close to having a ménage a trois with Jessa and Marnie, only for it to fall apart before his eyes and actually be more annoyed that the girls spilt wine onto his expensive rug.    … Expand
  27. LuminousEgg
    Nov 30, 2012
    0
    Intolerably bad. Seriously. I didn't just watch the first scene of episode 1 & get sick to my stomach either. I forced myself to watch the entire season & to remain "open minded". What a complete waste of time. I guess if you're into complete **** or if you're an old fogey that wants to live vicariously through these zero- dimensional characters, then have at it.
  28. LetzTalkMoveez
    Nov 21, 2012
    7
    It's a love-hate relationship with "Sex and the City" that Lena Dunham explores in "Girls". The thing is, yes, not everyone is Carrie from that show, but most people aren't Lena Dunham either which seems to be the thing the show forgets. Thankfully, the over-honesty is mostly endearing and Dunham is as likable as she could be playing what I'd assume is herself.
  29. orbit
    Nov 12, 2012
    8
    In my opinion it takes some episodes to really appreciate this show but once you do you love it. It's like a mix between US tv series Sex&the city (but it's deeper and more interesting and realistic) and UK tv series Skins. Give it a shot
  30. darktyler
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    I feel that I have to defend the show. Don't get me wrong I don't think it was the perfect start for a freshman series. It was very good, though. It showed how it feels to be young, confused, bold, dreamer, a failure, in love, and above all humane in the city that never sleeps in 2012 where everything is possible and thus in question. By the end of the season finale, I was quite impressedI feel that I have to defend the show. Don't get me wrong I don't think it was the perfect start for a freshman series. It was very good, though. It showed how it feels to be young, confused, bold, dreamer, a failure, in love, and above all humane in the city that never sleeps in 2012 where everything is possible and thus in question. By the end of the season finale, I was quite impressed by the universe Mrs. Dunham created and I anticipate the next season eagerly. P.S For those of you who think the protagonist is ugly well...It's not Sex And The City!!!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best TV Season of 2012
8
#8 Most Discussed TV Season of 2012
4
#4 Most Shared TV Season of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Universal acclaim - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. The Wrap
    Reviewed by: Diane Garrett
    Jan 15, 2014
    80
    Overall, the season gets off to a very strong--and interesting--start. The writing is deepening along with the relationships depicted.
    Read full review
  2. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    May 29, 2013
    80
    Girls was great last year. But this season it just got a little bit better.
    Read full review
  3. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    May 7, 2012
    80
    Four episodes in, and Girls is still packing tons of jaw-dropping, head-shaking, eyebrow-raising scenes into 30 minutes each Sunday night.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »