Girls Generation

The behind-the-scenes story of the iconic hit television series Girls, capturing the show’s improbable rise, the illustrious forces behind the production, and how its success—and controversy—made the show the voice of a generation.

When Girls first premiered on HBO in 2012, little did Hannah Horvath, or her creator, Lena Dunham, know just how much her singular voice would go on to define what many would consider the millennial experience. If not an actual representation of reality, Girls was at the very least one of the first depictions on television of millennial women navigating sex, dating, friendships, and careers in their 20s. Add in the highs and lows of a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn, NY, and Girls quickly became both a nostalgic time capsule of a post-recession America and a bellwether of the culture wars to come. 

In Girls Generation, Wall Street Journal reporter and cultural critic Esther Zuckermandives into the nuanced and complicated history of the show, its production, and its cultural impact. Drawing on dozens of interviews, Zuckerman tells the story of how Girls became one of the most-discussed shows of the 2010s and its enduring legacy with viewers today. She covers how an unassuming cast of future A-listers was assembled, including Adam Driver, Allison Williams, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, to the show’s consistently tenuous position at HBO and the much-gossiped-about creative team, including showrunner and star, Lena Dunham, who would go on to become a cultural touchstone for writers and artists of her era. 

With careful reporting and infused with Zuckerman’s trademark keen sensibility, Girls Generation is the inside look into a landmark show that fans and casual viewers alike have been waiting for.