When Lena Dunham's Girls premiered on HBO back in 2012, the show's unflinching exploration of how heavy the weight of human existence is when you're drowning in your 20s in the middle of New York City was quickly rewarded with critical applause and a still-in-progress barrage of Twitter commentary. The plight of Hannah Horvath (Dunham), from Brookyln to Iowa to the strange world of substitute teaching, seemed destined for a very American amount of, like, 20 seasons or something.
However, as Variety and many others have now verified, Girls will officially end after six seasons. Unnamed sources have reportedly confirmed to Variety that an official announcement will come later this week during HBO's Television Critics Association press day. Interestingly enough, the news of Girls' departure comes shortly before the premiere of the series' fifth season next month.
"I started working on this show when I was 23, and I’m going to be 30 ," Dunham told Elvis Duran during a radio interview earlier this year, as quoted by the Wrap, "so it kind of feels right that this show kind of sandwiched my 20s and then I go off into the world." Of course, Girls now boasts the compelling distinction of helping launch the career of current Dark Side heartthrob Kylo Ren, a.k.a. Adam Driver. Though it's easy to blame and curse Kylo's relentless daddy issues for the fate of Girls, such an argument is ultimately a waste of time. Did Friends really benefit from running 10 seasons? What about those 11 years of Frasier? Nah.
Here's to a fitting send-off, Girls. Brevity is always genius.
