Girls returns for five-episode HBO Max revival with Lena Dunham – HBO is bringing Girls back for a five-episode limited run, with creator Lena Dunham and the principal cast returning. Production is due to begin in 2027, a decade after the original series ended.
For Australian viewers, the announcement reconnects one of HBO’s defining comedies with the HBO Max era. The broadcaster has confirmed the episode order and cast, but has not announced a premiere date or release schedule. That distinction matters: filming next year does not mean the series will be available to stream in 2027.
Dunham will again play Hannah Horvath, alongside Allison Williams as Marnie Michaels, Jemima Kirke as Jessa Johansson, Zosia Mamet as Shoshanna Shapiro and Andrew Rannells as Elijah Krantz. Rather than recasting a new generation, the limited series will revisit the original group at a different stage of adulthood.
Why Girls is returning
Dunham said she had long wanted a specific reason to revisit the characters. Her comments place the revival around the perspective gained since the series’ sixth-season finale, rather than simply repeating its original twenties setting. HBO’s comedy chief Amy Gravitt framed the time jump as central to the new story.
We’re thrilled to have Lena turn her gaze from the tumult of one’s twenties to the milestone of turning forty.
Amy Gravitt, Executive Vice President, Head of HBO & HBO Max Comedy Programming
HBO has not disclosed the plot, supporting cast or whether the five episodes will be released together or weekly. The confirmed return of Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, Shoshanna and Elijah does, however, establish that the follow-up is built around the show’s original relationships.
Original creative team reunites
Dunham created Girls and is writing and directing the new episodes. She also executive produces with Judd Apatow, who held that role on the original series, plus Ilene S. Landress and Michael P. Cohen of Good Thing Going. Williams, Kirke, Mamet and Rannells are co-executive producers.
The original six-season run earned 19 Emmy nominations and two wins, one of them for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series. Its mixture of friendship, work and uncomfortable personal choices made it a much-discussed HBO title. The revival will have only five episodes in which to show how those characters have changed.
Watch the official announcement video
For more TV Central HBO Max news, head here. Australian streaming information is available from the HBO Max Australia website.
