I was never part of the tribe that saw Lena Dunham as the voice of the millennial generation or put her on a pedestal about ten years ago, when Girls emerged as a younger, more authentic answer to Sex and the City. I never denied her talent as a storyteller, but somehow her transparency and sincerity always felt a bit too close to my (old-fashioned?) concept of oversharing. I had other criticisms as well, but they’re now irrelevant. What was undeniable was that Lena knew how to tell romantic stories—extremely well.

At the time, the actress-writer-director was in a serious relationship with musician Jack Antonoff, whom she met while still a student and who was already rising as a successful producer (working with Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and Taylor Swift), in addition to having his own band, fun.. An indie couple that could be classified as a power couple—with a twist. Lena, always honest, reflected on how Jack had dated Scarlett Johansson before her and would compare herself physically to the actress sweetly and respectfully, but one that laid bare many of her insecurities.

With that much fame, gossip soon started to circulate suggesting that Jack had cheated on her with Lorde, something all three denied. But something broke, and they split in 2017. Lena’s health struggles—including endometriosis (leading to a hysterectomy in 2018), benzodiazepine addiction, and diagnoses of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and OCD over the years—also took a toll on the relationship. To make the drama even more complete, soon after, Jack began dating and eventually married actress Margaret Qualley in August 2023, prompting critics of Lena to emphasize the physical differences between the two women.

This long and intrusive introduction is necessary because the new series Too Much has sparked more buzz about this backstory than about the quality of the show itself—which is a bit unfair. Anyone who has gone through painful breakups and health struggles can’t help but feel a certain empathy for Lena. Once a symbol of Brooklyn’s intellectual scene, she has joined the wave of artists leaving the United States behind, moving to London (add Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and others to the list) to restart her personal and professional life. If only we could all do the same! And lucky for her, soon after arriving, she found unexpected true love. Too Much is precisely about that experience.

The protagonist of the series, Jess (Megan Stalter, from Hacks), is miserable in New York after her boyfriend Zev (Michael Zegen) dumps her, and her career as a commercial producer seems to have ended. Lena plays Jess’s sister, and the two live with their mother (Rita Wilson) and grandmother (Rhea Perlman) in Long Island. A nightmare. To make things worse, Jess is obsessed with Wendy Jones (Emily Ratajkowski), a social media influencer who’s engaged to her ex.

To escape all of this, Jess moves to London for a fresh start—coincidentally, just as Zev proposes to Wendy. Maybe it was fate. Vulnerable, she immediately meets bar singer Felix (Will Sharpe), and destiny works its magic: they’re clearly meant for each other.

Rom-coms are always cliché. But when they stem from real-life stories (like Nobody Wants It, also on Netflix), new dimensions emerge. Instead of simply enjoying what’s on-screen, viewers start drawing parallels and looking for real-life counterparts. Of course, it’s fun, and Lena doesn’t even try to hide the physical resemblances in the cast (she’s married to London-based musician Luis Felber), but there’s more to it. Her breakup with Jack Antonoff was—at least on paper—amicable, but anyone watching Too Much will pick up on the not-so-subtle messages of critique and emotional residue from that relationship. It’s (im)possible to watch without reading between the lines.

But does that make the show bad? Or good? Not exactly. Too Much includes Lena Dunham’s trademark awkward moments—deliberately designed to discomfort—but also offers a softer, more hopeful take on love. And for the romantics out there, that’s always a win. Her authenticity still places her a step above others trying to say familiar things in unfamiliar ways. And she succeeds. As Felix himself says, Jess is “too much”—or, more accurately, “just enough… and a little more.”

What sets Too Much apart from other romantic series is its groundedness—the way it uses trauma and negative experiences as the soil from which new relationships grow. This isn’t a young-adult escapist fantasy where everything magically works out. Here, Lena Dunham’s sharp, confessional lens reasserts her place as “the voice of a generation.”

Too Much isn’t just about romance. It’s about healing, about staying vulnerable even after loss and real pain. And above all, it’s about turning scars into stories. If you can set aside the gossip and preconceptions, there’s something real and resonant waiting here. Sometimes, the right amount of love is exactly what its title says: just too much.