A decade after Girls wrapped up its six-season run on HBO, Allison Williams reflects on Girls resurgence and Marnie’s renewed popularity, as new and returning viewers rediscover the show’s significance. The once controversial character of Marnie, portrayed by Williams, is receiving fresh sympathy amid shifting cultural perspectives and a new generation finding resonance in the stories of Hannah Helene Horvath and her friends in New York City.
Girls Returns to the Spotlight a Decade Later
Nearly ten years have passed since the series finale of Girls, but the show is seeing renewed attention as audiences revisit the experiences of its four central women. Lena Dunham led the ensemble as Hannah Helene Horvath, with Allison Williams as Marnie, Jemima Kirke as Jessa, Zosia Mamet as Shoshanna, and Adam Driver as Adam Sackler. Spanning over 60 episodes from 2012 to 2017, the series became dormant after its conclusion, but recently, a quiet revival has emerged thanks to millennial and Gen Z viewers discovering or rewatching the show.
In a recent interview, Allison Williams discussed how the show is being embraced by a new audience and reconsidered by those who watched it during its original run. She explained that older viewers now feel secure enough in adulthood to appreciate the chaos the show once depicted, while younger audiences see reflections of their own lives—albeit at enough of a distance to be enjoyable rather than uncomfortable.
“There is, actually. I think it is actually just happening. It’s real. It’s incredibly gratifying and very cool…but I am loving it. Gen Z is having a moment with the show almost 10 years after we made it. When the millennial generation was watching it, we were watching our own life happening, and I think now, for my friends, they’re all doing rewatches because now they feel like they’re in the safety of their adulthood and they can enjoy watching the chaos. And then for current 22-year-olds or whatever, they’re watching a version of their own existence that’s just far enough away that they can enjoy it. And it also means that people like Marnie now, which is not something I lived with while we were making the show. People vehemently hated her. And I do think M3GAN is a Marnie.”
—Allison Williams
Williams believes that both Gen Z and Millennials are particularly receptive to the show right now, especially as they either revisit or encounter it for the first time. She notes that when Girls originally aired, millennials saw too much of their own lives reflected in the storylines, but with time, perspectives have shifted, allowing for a more objective and enjoyable viewing experience.
Evolving Attitudes Toward Controversial Characters
Marnie, like other core figures in Girls, was intentionally flawed, and viewers often found her difficult to support due to her self-absorption and her habit of interfering in her friends’ lives. At the show’s peak, these traits sparked widespread criticism of the character, but Williams now observes a new wave of appreciation for Marnie, along with greater empathy for so-called “unlikable” roles. She credits major cultural transformations, especially those prompted by the pandemic, with this change in attitude. As many fans grow older and reflect on their own experiences from their twenties, they are revisiting Marnie and other characters with more understanding and less judgment.
The dynamic between Marnie and Jessa, for example, spotlighted the toxicity inherent in some friendships, one of the show’s central themes. The series was an exploration of the complex and, at times, troubled relationships among women, set against the backdrop of New York City. While Sex and the City broke similar ground before Girls, few series at the time of Girls’ debut featured lead characters who were unapologetically messy or difficult to like. This bold approach set Girls apart and, over time, has contributed to its growing legacy as audiences learn to contextualize these characters with more nuance and less personal projection.
Shifts in the greater cultural conversation after the COVID-19 pandemic have allowed viewers to reconsider the value of female-driven, unpolished storytelling like that found in Girls. As other shows—such as The Sex Lives of College Girls, Sort Of, and Uncoupled—have followed in its footsteps, Girls is being seen as ahead of its time in how it addressed imperfection, growth, and the tension between personal desires and group dynamics.
Streaming Platforms Bring Old Series Back From the Brink
In the days before streaming, it was rare for a show to attract new interest after its last episode aired. Programs that didn’t enter heavy syndication often disappeared from public view, accessible only through DVDs or on rare cable reruns. The advent of services like HBO Max, however, has given shows such as Girls a second life, connecting them to viewers who might otherwise never have encountered them. Viewers today can easily revisit the stories of Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna with a few clicks, ensuring that the series remains present in popular culture.
This growing availability has allowed the resurgence described by Allison Williams, where younger audiences discover Girls for the first time and original fans look back with fresh eyes. The show‘s complex characters and exploration of modern life continue to resonate, helping Girls claim a more secure place among influential television series of its era.
With this ongoing revival, driven by both shifts in social attitudes and the accessibility provided by streaming platforms, Girls is now gaining the recognition and conversation its creators and cast, including Lena Dunham, Adam Driver, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and Allison Williams, could only imagine during its original broadcast. As audiences continue to revisit the show and reexamine its characters, especially Marnie, Girls is cementing its importance—and generating new discussion among today’s viewers and critics.
