Lena Dunham is a name that sparks a lot of controversy, but those controversy’s are not what I’m here to talk about today. Today, I want to talk about her new Netflix Original show Too Much and the crazy history behind it. And, persuade you to watch it, of course.
Too Much was released on Netflix, on July 10th, 2025. It follows the life of Jessica (Meg Stalter) as she deals with the aftermath of her breakup with Zev (Michael Zegan) and decides to move to London. She thinks she’s going to live a Jane Austen-esque lifestyle, but that is in fact not what she gets. She’s met with a tiny apartment, a guy named Felix (Will Sharpe) that she weirdly connects to, and a lasting obsession with her ex’s new influencer girlfriend, Wendy (Emily Ratajkowski). Now you’re probably thinking, how did she come up with this crazy concept? Well, the truth is, she lived it, give or take some of the details.Â
Starting off with a little history, Lena Dunham gained popularity in 2010 with her indie film “Tiny Furniture”. After getting acclaim from this, she was able to get up and running with her show “Girls”, which follows the lives of Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna. It depicts their lives trying to “make it” in New York, and just the reality of being a girl at that time. Dunham stared in her own show as Hannah, who really sucks a lot of the time, but you can’t stop watching the train wreck situations she puts herself in. It’s especially hard to look away when she’s with her counterpart, Adam (Adam Driver) who is her on and off again boyfriend. Fun fact, it’s actually where Adam Driver got his start. (Crazy, right?)Â
At the same time, Jack Antonoff is having major success with his band Fun, and is beginning to work on his solo project, Bleachers. Fun’s song “We Are Young” was topping the charts, while Lena Dunham’s Girls was a hit on HBO, putting them at similar levels of popularity and success. With them both being in the industry, Antonoff’s sister and Mike Birbiglia set them up on a blind date, which is where their relationship began. They were pictured together at everything from elite Hollywood parties, to music events (like the Grammys), to even red carpets. Lena Dunham continued with her success from Girls, while Jack Antonoff began to work as a producer for Taylor Swift and Lana Del Ray. From an outsider perspective, everything seemed to be going great, until they were not.
Dunham and Antonoff dated from 2012 to 2017, saying they began “growing apart”. They began to move in different directions and decided they would be better suited apart. But is that really what happened? In 2016, Jack Antonoff began working with Lorde on her album Melodrama. With this, they were spending a lot of time together, working closely at all hours, and attending a lot of events together. They were pictured holding hands on walks together, sharing drinks at bars, and snuggling up together in her hometown. There is a lot of speculation that tracks on Melodrama are about Antonoff as well, the lyrics correlating with the weird situationship that seemed to be happening. While Antonoff himself said that it was all fake stupid rumors, “Too Much” shows that maybe there was more to it than that. Along with this, Antonoff began dating Carlotta Kohl in early 2018, right after he and Dunham’s split, and after Melodrama had been completely produced and released. Interesting…Â
I want to make it clear, I am well aware that this is all speculation and fan rumors and theories. I am NOT presenting any of this information as fact, but rather, just giving you things to think about as you enjoy this new show. And, I know “Too Much” is not supposed to be a carbon copy of her life or a dig at Jack Antonoff, but the similarities between the show and the situation are stacked, to say the least. But now, both Jack Antonoff and Lena Dunham have moved on with their lives. Jack Antonoff is now married to actress Margaret Qualley, and Lena Dunham is married to British Musician (I mean come ON) Luis Felber. They are both working on their own projects and successful in their own regards. They do, also, both remain problematic in their own ranks, but you’ll have to look that up for yourself.Â
My roommate and I watched Girls for the first time last year, and we still quote and talk about it to this day. So when my sister texted me and said there was a new show by Lena Dunham coming out, we just had to check it out. I watched the trailer for it, and was immediately sold. After about 2 episodes, we decided to do a deep dive, and found out everything that I’ve detailed here today. Our jaws were on the floor, to say the least, as we started to put together, piece by piece, the ways her life and this show intersected. Either way, it is a recommended watch. It’s heartfelt and funny in ways that you don’t expect, and quite literally will bring out secondhand embarrassment in anyone. Hopefully, though, this history brings you a little context as you start it, and makes it all the more worthwhile to watch!