Jess is in her 30s, but she feels like she’s 90. Her career in commercial production has brought her around the world and been the center of her identity to the exclusion of all else. When her seven-year relationship with Zev (Michael Zegen) comes to a messy end, Jess numbs the pain with the help of her dog Astrid, Xanax, triple-shot oat milk lattes, and British rom-coms — which inspire her to accept a job transfer to London in search of a fresh start. There, she meets Felix, and chaos ensues. Read more about the central couple on Tudum.

“Jessica is in many ways a classic sitcom character. I was inspired by characters like Mary Tyler Moore or Gidget,” says Dunham about the show’s lead. “But I wanted to find the modern version of that, as if the classic sitcom heroine was worn down by the realities of the modern world — the ways that ‘liberation’ has also left us tired, worn, and inured to bad behavior in the dating and work spheres.”

Dunham found exactly what she’d envisioned for a contemporary leading lady in Stalter. “Meg has a kindness and an openness that makes you love her immediately,” says the writer-director. “While I’ve never been focused on female likability, she’s inherently likable — and she allows Jess to really act out and learn in front of the audience while still holding on to their empathy. And of course she’s insanely, side-splittingly funny.”

Hacks, The Megan Stalter Show

Felix may be in his 30s, but when we find him, he seems like he’s stuck in the life of  a 21-year-old. A precocious child who moved around due to his father’s unlucky business ventures, he learned to roll with the cool kids for self-protection. Once music entered his life, he wanted to see the world through the rough and tumble eyes of his punk-rock heroes, and that led to decisions as questionable as his various hairstyles. Now he’s sober, searching for balance in life and art, and trying to understand how everyone grew up without him.

Just as quickly as Felix and Jess fall for each other, Dunham knew within 30 seconds of meeting Sharpe that she’d found Too Much’s leading man. “Will came to breakfast, he sat down … and I was like, ‘Well, there he is, God darn it.’ ” says Dunham. “I’d been told he probably wasn’t available, so I was like, ‘Well, now I can’t even make the show.’ I kept telling Will that I was doing spells to make it happen, and I think he was scared!”

Thanks to Dunham’s spells and fortuitous timing, Sharpe took on the role and made it his own. “Will was giving me his notes, and my brain was like one of those flowers expanding at hyper-speed in a science video. I couldn’t believe how smart his instincts were.” Felber agrees, adding, “The guy can do anything.”

The White Lotus, A Real Pain

Zev was Jess’ partner for seven years until he dumped her for a knitwear influencer named Wendy Jones. Zev is the platonic ideal of the nice guy who talks about generational Jewish trauma and wears his feminism like a badge — except when it comes to Miley Cyrus. 

Jess hasn’t processed the series of small cruelties of the relationship, ashamed she let it chip away at her like it did, but ultimately realizes that she is going to join the club and use the term “gaslighting” as much as it pains her. The final act of bravura is to use her newly created social media diary to get her mother’s best vintage T-shirt back from Zev, while cutting him down to size with words she’s thought of over and over but has been too afraid to say.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Penguin, Frances Ha

Wendy is an influencer who knits booty shorts and has a lizard named Beavis, and whom Jess would enthusiastically repost on social media if Wendy wasn’t living with her ex. Instead, Jess keeps a private Instagram account dedicated to Wendy, entangling the two from across the pond. 

“Emily Ratajkowski was so sweet, so it was easy for me to play a character that’s obsessed with her, because she’s such a girl’s girl in real life,” says Stalter. “It wasn’t easy for me to be mad with her, but it was easy to be obsessed with her.”

It isn’t until they finally connect at the series’ end that Jess realizes that being a woman in any form comes with painful expectations that cannot be fulfilled — even for Wendy Jones. Read more on Tudum.

We Are Your Friends, Gone Girl, Entourage

Lois is Jess’ New York Times-reading, intense-feelings mother. A former ’70s wild child, she ultimately settled into a suburban life but still surprises her family — armed with great quips and even better outfits.

Lois thinks Felix may be too attractive to trust. She’s crossing her fingers that he’s not Dirty John-ing her daughter. Thankfully, she’d know as soon as that happened, considering she FaceTimes Jess every day.

Wilson is part of real-life lineage that is very close to Dunham’s heart. “Rita and I worked together on Girls, and we got close then. I think she’s a genius. She was a muse to Nora Ephron; we knew each other through Nora, and she’s so funny and so powerful,” says the writer-director.

Sleepless in Seattle, A Man Called Otto

Dottie is Jess’ feisty grandmother who blames herself for her offspring’s perpetually single status — if only she hadn’t dated all those goys! She’ll always lend a listening ear for all that her daughter and granddaughters have to complain about — from UTIs to Jess’ move — and some backhanded words of encouragement like, “You have a lot of spirit … but no waist.”

Dunham knew only a legendary actor could take on this role, named after her own grandmother Dottie. “I knew [Perlman] was this iconic Jewish comedian who could perfectly capture that texture and that tone,” says the writer-director. “To be in the room with those women and to be playing a family with them, I couldn’t believe it. It’s absolutely insane.”

Cheers, Barbie

Nora is Jess’ older sister, a divorcée who has moved home with her 13-year-old boy Dash (Oliver Nirenberg) in order to tackle her long-term “dysthymia” (aka a constant low-grade depression that keeps her from enjoying the cottage cheese with Splenda that she lives on). Nora has the spirit of Eeyore but can ultimately tell when her sister is happy. Her precocious son, on the other hand, views the women in his family as a bit tragic.

Finding Nora and Jess’ sweet mile-a-minute banter came easily to Stalter and Dunham, who are both effusive in their praise and respect for the other’s acting and comedic chops. “I feel like me and Lena could be sisters,” says Stalter. “It made it really easy to improvise. … When a script’s so good, it’s easy to add different stuff and fake bicker with each other.”

Girls, Tiny Furniture, Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood 

Jess’ New York boss and former brother-in-law, Jameson left Nora to live in a communal space in Bushwick and explore polyamory with a couple both named Cody. As time passes, Jameson wonders where he actually feels most free and reevaluates some of his choices.

“Andrew Rannells is someone who I’ve worked with for years,” says Dunham of her Girls collaborator. “I thought, ‘Let’s find a new iteration for our relationship.’ ”

The Intern, Girls, A Simple Favor 

Astrid is not just a dog. She’s a moody icon in a dog suit, the kind of animal that will stare into your eyes for so long you are begging her to speak. Jess and Astrid are a fully co-dependent pair, and she and Felix, too, become two peas in a pod.

Jonno is Jess’ boss at the high-end ad firm he founded in the ’80s. He’s got the tousled hair, the rumpled white Oxford shirts, and the big house in Notting Hill. At work, he’s outpaced by the Gen Z energy of his team; at home, he’s blind to his wife’s growing unhappiness.

“Richard E. Grant is so funny and so smart that when he’s talking to you, you’re like, ‘Wait, are you teasing me, or are we laughing together?’ ” says Stalter. “He’s so sincere and such an amazing actor.” Dunham adds, “Richard E. Grant is this kind of incredible kind of British maximalism coupled with major pathos and physical comedy.”

Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Withnail and I, Gosford Park

Ann is Jonno’s elegant wife. At first, she appears to be the kind of posh woman who’d clutch her pearls at Jess sharing about her UTIs at the dinner table, but quickly reveals herself to be an ally as Jess navigates fitting in. Behind closed doors, Ann is tired of Jonno’s absence and of mothering everyone around her. It’s time, she realizes, to put herself first and see what else life might have in store.

“Naomi Watts is one of my favorite actors of all time, Mulholland Drive is an amazing movie, and I was too nervous to even give her direction at first because she’s too brilliant,” says Dunham.

Mulholland Drive, King Kong, The Impossible

Kim is Jess’ co-worker and fellow expat, a chic creative director who has conquered London with a blazer over her shoulders. Outwardly, she makes it all seem like an easy dream, but beneath the surface, Kim is grappling with discovering queerness later in life and wrestling with romantic feelings for her colleague Josie.

“I loved watching Janicza build that character through small choices. … Isn’t Janicza a genius?” says Dunham of Bravo, who also directs Episode 8. “She’s one of the great directors of all time and directs arguably my favorite episode of the series, which has so much style, just like she does.”

Zola, Lemon

Jonno’s effortlessly cool assistant Josie is guarded but not unkind. She and Kim share a will they, won’t they romance, and she’s never afraid to admit when she’s made a mistake. 

“Those office scenes were such a joy,” says Dunham. “Daisy’s got so much subtlety.”

The Alienist, The Two Faces of January, The Outcast

Boss is Jess’ Gen Z colleague who has an opinion on everything with zero filter. Sarcastic, confidently queer, and chronically online, Boss is technically Kim’s assistant, though he often forgets that, especially since publishing his experimental PDF novel to, in his words, “much acclaim.” 

“I’d seen a stand-up special of [Leo’s],” says Dunham, “and thought, ‘This is a kid genius.’ ”

Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!

Polly is Felix’s long-term ex. The opposite of anything Jess can conceive for herself, Polly has the gravitas of Joan Didion and the tousled sexiness of Marianne Faithfull. It’s unclear whether she’s actually supportive of Felix moving on or just playing a long con.

Blue Is the Warmest Color, Orphan, Racer and the Jailbird

Gaz is Jess’ neighbor. He’s a hobbyist gardener who always pops up just when she needs him. He has a sweetness that can’t be faked and a genuine investment in Jess finding her way.

Blinded by the Light, Game of Thrones, Before I Go to Sleep

Simon may not be as invested in Jess and Felix’s romance as Jess’ mother, but that’s largely because he’s too distracted by the family’s own changing fortunes. 

Fry played Dunham’s father in Treasure. “I thought, I’ve got to work with this guy again just because I loved to be around him,” she says. Sharpe adds, “Stephen Fry [is a] real hero.”

V for Vendetta, Wilde

Aiko is Felix’s passionately engaged Japanese immigrant mother. She may not be as involved in Felix’s day-to-day, but she does offer insight into his fear of needing anyone, his inability to fully open up, and how to have patience in decoding subtle gaps in language.

“Kaori Momoi is such a legend,” says Sharpe. “Most of that stuff with the family was shot in a day, but it really felt like we fell into a dynamic quite quickly, and everybody sort of inhabits their different corner of the family.”

Memoirs of a Geisha, Faces of a Fig Tree, No More Easy Life

Auggie is Felix’s roommate, a perpetually lost and exhaustingly sardonic cartoon of a guy whose commitment to environmentalism is matched only by his commitment to take-out and foreign cars. Auggie admires Felix’s creativity and passion, so lets him live rent free — but the price is that Felix must listen to all of his feelings all of the time.

Patrick Melrose, Breathtaking

Linnea is the kind of vintage-nightgown-wearing girl with whom you’d trade confessions in a sticky bathroom of a scene-y bar. Her chic exterior masks a loneliness that is not too dissimilar to Jess’.

Ghost in the Shell, Satisfaction, To Get Her