Too Much: Lena Dunham’s New Netflix Rom-Com
Lena Dunham, the creator of the generation-defining HBO series Girls, returns to television with Too Much, a new Netflix rom-com co-created with her husband, musician Luis Felber. The Netflix rom-com is Dunham’s first major project since her seminal HBO hit aired its finale eight years ago. Dunham acts as the series’ director, writer and executive producer. The show also features producers from the touchstone British rom-coms Love Actually and Notting Hill, a movie referenced throughout the show. Too Much offers a comedic take on love, friendship, and modern womanhood.
Megan Stalter in Too Much
Image Credit: Netflix
What is Too Much About?
The show follows Jessica (Megan Stalter), a New Yorker reeling from the end of a relationship she thought would last forever. Jessica decides to leave the country and take a trip across the pond to start over, in a bid to get over her ex Zev (Michael Zegen) and avoid his influencer fiancée, Wendy (Emily Ratajkowski). Throughout the series, Jessica soon learns that London and love are nothing like Notting Hill when she meets her match in musician Felix, The White Lotus’ Will Sharpe, who the show describes as “less Hugh Grant in Notting Hill and more Hugh Grant’s drunken roommate”.
Too Much taps into the current rom-com resurgence by touching on post-pandemic restlessness and romantic uncertainty, themes resonant with a generation navigating love and identity in the age of influencer culture and dating apps. Stylistically, the series leans into vibrant, contemporary visuals while balancing the romantic gloss of a transatlantic rom-com with Dunham’s signature offbeat realism.
Will Sharpe and Megan Stalter in Too Much
Image Credit: Netflix
Stalter and Sharpe lead this British rom-com alongside a star-studded cast. Prominent figures in British TV and film, including Andrew Scott, Richard E Grant and Kit Harington, make appearances. American stars Jessica Alba and Rita Wilson also join the ensemble with strong supporting performances.
Still from Too Much
Image Credit: Netflix
Is it Worth the Watch?
The show has received an impressive 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it still leaves 15% of critics who weren’t thrilled with the final product. The cast has drawn consistent praise from critics, with reviews from NPR and FandomWire highlighting their talent.
NPR’s Linda Holmes noted some underdeveloped elements, like the rushed ending, but credited much of the show’s success to the nuanced performances of Stalter and Sharpe. Dunham’s writing has also been praised by Variety’s Alison Herman, noticing how the show preserved the charming humour of Girls but had refreshed the Girls’ ethos for a different chapter of life.
However, some of the less favourable reviews questioned the show’s comedy. Adrian Horton for The Guardian labelled the show a ‘crushing disappointment’ for Dunham’s fanbase, attributing this to the show straying too far from the satirical, tongue-in-cheek humour Dunham is known for, which resulted in underbaked background TV. Similarly, David Craig at Radio Times awarded the show three stars, claiming that the show’s comedy missed the mark, whilst playing into negative stereotypes about Londoners.
How To Watch
Megan Stalter in Too Much
Image Credit: Photo by Ana Blumenkron for Netflix
Too Much premiered on Netflix on 10th July and all ten episodes are now available to stream in a range of countries, including the UK, US, Australia and across Europe.
By Shaz Seka