The first trailer for Lena Dunham’s new show, “Too Much,” is out and it looks incredible.
The show stars the brilliant Megan Stalter of “Hacks” as Jessica, an American expat who goes to work in London after a messy breakup. There, she meets Felix, played by Will Sharpe (“The White Lotus” and “A Real Pain”), who may or may not be her bashert.
This first look into the world of the show features jokes about London and fake British accents and the Spice Girls and a hilarious mention of “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” There’s sex and romance and laughter and talk of UTIs and murdering your ex, and technicolor parties and scenes of Jess and Felix walking alone forlornly in the city, as one does. It’s funny, sexy and full of heart.
We also get to meet the Jewish members of the cast. There’s Michael Zegen, who plays Zev, Jess’s ex, and Emily Ratajkowski as Zev’s new girlfriend.
And then there’s Rhea Perlman.
The Jewish actress is truly in her bubbe era but in this role she looks particularly regal — and that’s saying a lot because she also recently played the Jewish grandmother behind Barbie aka Ruth Handler. In the final scene of the trailer, Perlman channels a lot of Jewish grandmothers I know: the women who always have their faces on and their hair done, even if they’re just sitting and watching TV with their family. She’s sitting in a tchotchke-filled living room (I spot at least one menorah in the background!) with Jess, a character played by Lena Dunham (maybe Jess’s sister?) and their mother, played by Rita Wilson.
“If you spruced yourself up a little you could make it with him,” Perlman’s character tells Jess while knitting. We can guess she’s talking about Zev, and it’s very much another Jewish grandmother stereotype: the overcritical one that’s always got something to say about your body and your outfit.
But this is a Lena Dunham show. So Jess says, “Why don’t you hook up with him, why don’t you suck him off? See if you can get him to come,” Perlman’s character gives just as good as she gets and answers with an enthusiastic, “Any day!” She even adds: “So erotic.” We love a brazen, sassy bubbe! I’m officially crowning Rhea as the queen of this excellent trailer.
“Too Much” is premiering on July 10 on Netflix.
