Too Much

“Too Much” is often just the right amount of a compelling romance, but with too much of a sense of loyalty to the conventions of the genre.

Too Much certainly offers some chuckles and heartwarming moments, but getting the most out of it will require a genuine affinity with Dunham's voice and a considerable tolerance for utter nonsense.

Gets off to a rocky start and never fully settles on a tone that might complement its sillier and more serious instincts.

At its best, Too Much offers a candid portrait of modern dating and the challenges of coming to terms with trauma. At its worst, the series loses its charm when it deviates from the main pair to focus on side characters and celebrity cameo appearances that detract rather than add to the story.

Too Much is nothing if not candid, analyzing its leads’ red flags with the clear-eyed empathy of a seasoned therapist. But it struggles to lose itself in its emotions, yielding a romance that’s sweet enough to like but too cool to fall head over heels for.

The truth is the show might have benefited from more mess. This is not to say that Too Much is unenjoyable, just that it feels more like Starstruck than Hacks. A galaxy of stars and a panoply of references will keep people entertained.

As you might expect if you know Dunham’s work, it is sharp, knowing and often funny. But it’s also a self-consciously hip romcom with the whiniest leading man. By the end, I didn’t care if they lived happily ever after or not, as long as they weren’t doing it in my earshot.

The whipped-cream portions of Too Much are never as compelling as the glass-shard self-laceration at which Dunham excels. When that mode does make scattershot appearances in the series, it overwhelms it.

“Too Much” is nowhere near as thorough or tricky [as "Girls"], and it seems happiest in its most pat moments. It’s as diaphanous as one of Jessica’s nightgowns, weirdly long but barely there. Though Felix and Jessica’s relationship moves at warp speed, the show itself does not. Its 10 episodes, which range in length from 31-56 minutes, meander and repeat themselves until the season re-accelerates at the very end.

The show drags in the latter half of its 10 episodes, as Dunham piles on the upper-crust naughtiness while giving short shrift to some characters’ trauma. Perhaps the U.K. approach of four or five episodes would better suit this material.

“Girls” had elements of surprise, transgression, shock and awe. (It first aired in 2012.) “Too Much” is lighter, and thus far more tedious.