Jewish actor, writer and director Lena Dunham’s new show “Too Much” is finally out. The London-based romantic comedy is loosely inspired by the “Girls” creator and star’s own love affair with her British husband, musician Luis Felber (they had an incredible Jewish wedding).
It stars Meg Stalter as Jessica Salmon, a “messy, complicated Jewess,” and Will Sharpe as British musician Felix Remen, who Jess starts seeing after moving to London following a messy break-up.
If you’re not sure if you want to go forth and binge this raunchy, funny series, here are some (mostly spoiler-free!) Jewish and Jew-ish reasons I loved it:
It has one of the most technicolor Jewish TV protagonists ever
Meg Stalter’s Jess is beautiful, stylish and funny. Yes, she’s imperfect. She screws up and self sabotages at times. But she’s also a really capable woman who is taking agency over her life. While she sometimes feels like she has to censor herself to be loved, her personality, her light, is ultimately too big to not shine through.
And her fashion! I absolutely need every item in Jess’s colorful, fabulous wardrobe.
Jess does make me think of “Girls” protagonist Hannah Horvath — Dunham has a knack for writing female protagonists who are not meant to be “palatable,” and yet end up being filled with delicious chutzpah.
Rhea Perlman plays a badass bubbe
Rhea Perlman, in what may be my favorite of her roles yet, plays the saucy Dottie, Jess’s grandmother. She has a major crush on Zev, Jess’s “Nice Jewish boy” ex played by Michael Zegen. She calls him “erotic.” Later in the show, she also gives Jess some invaluable sex advice that she ends up using with Felix. I’m obsessed with her.
“I knew [Perlman] was this iconic Jewish comedian who could perfectly capture that texture and that tone,” Dunham shared with Netflix’s Tudum. “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.” Dottie is actually inspired by Dunham’s grandmother, Dorothy.
It has Jewish Grey Gardens vibes
After she breaks up with Zev, Jess first moves into Dottie’s suburban home which is shared by her recently divorced sister Nora, played by Dunham, and her widowed mother, Lois, played by Rita Wilson (who also starred in “Girls” and who Dunham said she connected with through Nora Ephron, fun fact). There’s also Nora’s precocious son, Dash (Oliver Nirenberg).
The Salmon women are all dealing with their own debilitating demons that keep them from venturing far, but they’re also so colorful and full of life. It feels like a Judaica-filled “Grey Gardens” and I love it.
The show has a really fascinating take on the Nice Jewish Boy trope
I once interviewed Michael Zegen, who many of us know as Joel from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and can confirm, at least from that interaction, that he is indeed a Nice Jewish Boy — he was really generous and down to earth, and he was also really excited about his role in “Too Much.”
In the show, he plays Zev, who is described by Netflix’s Tudum as “a platonic ideal of the nice guy who talks about generational Jewish trauma and wears his feminism like a badge.” However, as the show unfolds, we see there are sides to Zev that are maybe not so ideal.
Many of us have met a Zev or two in our lives, and Zegen plays him incredibly well.
The Jewish representation in front and behind the scenes is super exciting
The two protagonists of “Too Much” are Jewish — Jess’s family is Jewish, and Felix has a Jewish father, played by the great Stephen Fry. And Dunham also worked on the show with her Jewish husband Luis Felber, whose music actually seals the final episode.
There are also a lot of exciting Jewish stars in the show. Director Janicza Bravo plays the glamorous Kim, Jess’s co-worker who is exploring her sexuality. (Bravo also directs one of the show’s best episodes.) Leo Reich plays Boss, her Gen Z co-worker. Jewish model Emily Ratajkowski plays Wendy Jones, a knitting influencer and Zev’s new girlfriend (and the object of Jess’s obsession).
You can read more about the extremely Jewish cast over on Hey Alma.
It has the best Jewish dog
Lastly, if a dog has an on-screen Jewish mom, does that make it a Jewish dog? I’m going to go with yes. Astrid, played by adorable doggo Mia, Jess’s lovely old lady of a pup, is perhaps the best character in this star-studded show:
“Too Much” is now streaming on Netflix.
