Netflix is set to debut a fresh take on the romantic comedy genre with its new series Too Much, premiering on July 10, 2025. Created by Lena Dunham, best known for her groundbreaking HBO series Girls, this ten-episode show explores love, heartbreak, and cultural clashes through the eyes of Jessica Salmon, a workaholic New Yorker who relocates to London after the end of a long-term relationship.
Jessica, portrayed by comedian Megan Stalter, is the heart of Too Much. After a brutal breakup with her partner of seven years, she leaves behind her fast-paced life in New York to seek solace and reinvention in London. But instead of the pastoral romance she dreams of, Jessica finds herself navigating the complexities of a new city and an unexpected relationship with Felix, a charming yet flawed British musician played by Will Sharpe.
“This was one of those magical experiences where everyone I wanted and wrote roles for said yes,” Lena Dunham said of assembling the star-studded cast. The show combines a sharp awareness of rom-com tropes with an honest, sometimes gritty portrayal of relationships, giving the sweeter moments real emotional weight. As Will Sharpe put it, the series “has such an awareness of rom-com … but it also does have some rougher edges. That makes the sweeter aspects all the more powerful, because there’s an honesty to it.”
Felix is described as “less Hugh Grant in Notting Hill and more Hugh Grant’s drunken roommate,” a humorous nod to the show’s playful yet realistic approach to romance. Jessica’s journey is one of self-discovery and reconciling the fantasies of London with its realities—a theme Dunham is intimately familiar with. “When I first started coming to the UK for work … I thought to myself, ‘I want to write something about the experience of being a foreigner here, and the fantasies we have of [London] versus the realities,’” Dunham explained. “Then, when I met my husband, Luis, I felt like I was experiencing all of that, but in the context of a relationship.”
Dunham’s own move to London in 2021 after giving up on love inspired much of the show’s narrative. Shortly after relocating, she met musician Luis Felber, whom she married that same year. Their relationship became the creative seed for Too Much, which seeks to expand the traditional rom-com lens by embracing inclusivity and reconsidering the kinds of love stories we tell.
The cast is a veritable who’s who of film and television. Alongside Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe, the series features veteran actors like Richard E Grant as Jonno, Jessica’s London-based boss, and Sir Stephen Fry as Simon, Felix’s somewhat distant father. Both Grant and Fry bring decades of experience to their roles, enriching the show’s texture with their distinctive presence.
Joining them are Rita Wilson, who plays Lois, Jessica and Nora’s mother, and Rhea Perlman as their grandmother Dottie. Both actresses have praised Dunham’s directing style, highlighting how she creates an environment where actors feel free and authentic. Wilson said, “I feel liberated working with Lena,” a sentiment she shared from her time on Girls. Perlman added, “Lena has a way of creating and directing that makes people feel free. Maybe some people would be turned off by that much sex and that much talk of sex, but she made it so funny and so real.”
Lena Dunham herself appears in the series as Nora, Jessica’s older sister, adding a personal touch to the family dynamics portrayed on screen. The supporting cast is extensive, including notable names such as Emily Ratajkowski, Andrew Scott, Kit Harington, Rita Ora, Jennifer Saunders, Naomi Watts, and many others, each bringing their unique flair to the ensemble.
One of the standout scenes from the series, previewed ahead of the release, captures a heartfelt girls’ night at the Salmon family home in Great Neck, Long Island. Jessica, Nora, Lois, and Dottie gather to commiserate on their romantic prospects while watching the Jane Austen classic Sense and Sensibility. Megan Stalter described the scene as “perfectly written,” “funny, and sweet,” capturing the essence of a “broken group of women that need each other.” This moment beautifully encapsulates the show’s blend of humor, warmth, and emotional truth.
Despite the show's lighthearted veneer, Dunham has not shied away from addressing deeper issues. Reflecting on her own experiences with body shaming during her Girls days, she acknowledged how those challenges influenced her decision to focus more on writing and directing rather than acting. When asked about the intimate scenes in Too Much and concerns over potential body shaming for Megan Stalter, Dunham shared a candid exchange: “Megan just said, ‘If you want to leave a comment on my Instagram that says that I’m fat, let’s face it, you’re in love with me and you want to have sex with me.’ I was like, that’s a perfect response. You have this covered.”
All ten episodes of Too Much will be available for streaming on Netflix starting July 10, 2025, at 8:00 AM BST in the UK, with simultaneous releases timed across the globe—from midnight PDT in the United States to evening hours in New Zealand. Viewers can binge-watch the entire series at their leisure with a Netflix subscription, which starts at £5.99 per month.
As audiences prepare to dive into this new romcom, Too Much promises to deliver a fresh, honest, and inclusive exploration of love and life’s messy realities. With Lena Dunham’s return to television after a seven-year hiatus since her 2018 series Camping, fans and newcomers alike can expect a show that balances humor, heart, and the complexities of modern relationships across continents.
In an era saturated with formulaic love stories, Too Much stands out by peeling back the rose-tinted glasses and offering a narrative rich with authenticity and nuance. After all, who hasn’t felt like Jessica, caught between the fantasy of romance and the sometimes chaotic truth of living it?
