Too Much

The biggest issue for me was the main character. She comes across as incredibly over-the-top and grating. It's frustrating that the "big girl" trope still leans so heavily on being loud, overly dramatic, and supposedly funny, while also trying to present her as someone the audience should root for romantically. Her personality was exhausting, and it had nothing to do with her appearance (though the heavy rouge didn't help).

Felix, on the other hand, was a standout. He was kind, grounded, and genuinely likable. Frankly, she didn't treat him well, and he deserved better. I really wanted to enjoy this show because I was a fan of Girls but the writing just didn't land for me this time.

The premise of this show - moving to a different country for a fresh start - is always an interesting setup, and the meet-cute early on was genuinely cool and believable. It pulled me in right away and made me curious to see how things would unfold.

However, the main character, Jessica (played by Megan Stalter), is likely to divide viewers, and unfortunately, I landed on the negative side. While some people loved her performance, I found the character mostly insufferable in the first half. Jessica came off as self-absorbed, whiny, and often made her own life more difficult. Later in the series, I did begin to feel some sympathy for her, especially after we get a bit of backstory involving her ex and see her becoming more caring toward Felix. Still, I never quite warmed up to Stalter's acting. Her interpretation of the character often felt strange, with facial expressions I couldn't quite read. One scene in particular - where she takes ketamine - stood out as especially cringeworthy for me.

Felix was unrealistically cute, but I guess that's part of the rom-com fantasy. I never really noticed Will Sharpe before, even in shows like The White Lotus, but in Too Much, his acting was outstanding and he was perfect for the role. He looked perfectly "not put together." I loved the messy hair, his outfits, the nail polish, everything. I loved that his character was lost, damaged, vulnerable, but also understanding, healing and sweet.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the side characters. Auggie was a great addition - quirky, but not in an annoying way - and I appreciated how his friendship with Felix helped reveal more depth in Felix's character. I also loved the brief appearances from Stephen Fry, Naomi Watts, Andrew Scott, and Kit Harington. And while Adwoa Aboah only had a tiny role, so I can't really judge her acting from this, I have to say I'm completely obsessed with her voice.

While the show tried to be witty, most of the jokes didn't quite land for me. That might be because English isn't my first language, so it's possible some of the humor didn't translate. Still, at some point, the characters and the storyline started to feel a bit too stereotypical and cliché. Also, unfortunately, the ending felt extremely rushed.

I didn't research any of the actors/producers/writers/creators before watching. Not too long into the first episode, I immediately clocked Lena Dunham's touch. If you've seen Dunham's "Girls" (HBO) you will get immediate Hannah energy from the main character. From what I've seen so far, a lot of the situations Jessica herself into are very similar to Hannah from Girls. BUT, it does not have quite the same wit and bite as the dialogue in Girls. Girls felt messier without TRYING to be. Jessica is just a tinge over the top to where it's borderline unbelievable that anyone is friends with her or wants to be with her. Lena's previous characters, like Hannah Horvath, were more fleshed out. They are trying TOO HARD to make Jessica a "mess".

I was waiting for this, hoping it would be as fresh as Girls used to be, but instead, it's surprisingly boring, dreadfully boring.

Surprisingly unfunny or trying too hard to be funny.

Those office characters-we've see them in every Netflix show that has an office.

There's nothing fresh about the show.

The Girls had such brilliant dialogue that if you missed any part of it, you were losing something; here, the conversations mean nothing to the viewer-they're empty, just private babble that makes you feel like you're wasting your time watching it.

Oh, and the main character feels like an extension of her character from Hacks - is that intentional?

There are good moments because of Will Sharpe and Megan Stalter but I feel like the scripts needed another pass. Also Andrew Scott's cameo is not great - his accent eventually arrives at a Jamie Dornan type dialect. Good to see Rhea Perlman as Grandmother and Rita Wilson as the mum. I like that it's a bit different and weird and seemingly sort of biopic for Lena Dunham. Just feel like the script needed an editor who could say no or be ruthless and cut out flabby stuff. I don't mind the series. It's always good to see Will Sharpe in a production and his character gets more interesting as we meet his mother and sister. Anyhow, worth a try.