Too Much review: Lena Dunham's TV comedy return lives up to its title

Too Much's early episodes get some good material out of the culture clash between American Jess and her British beau Felix (played by Will Sharpe), who introduces her to UK life beyond the classic literature, period dramas and detective shows she's consumed.

Jess and Felix are polar opposites by design; the former being an intense fast-talking marketing executive, and the latter a somewhat spaced out and listless musician. Nevertheless, Stalter and Sharpe do manage to strike up an unusual offbeat chemistry.

Both really shine in Ignore Sunrise, the third episode of the 10-part series, which sees the honeymoon phase couple pull an all-nighter with their preferred comfort films and television shows, plus a natural blend of weighty and trivial chat.

It's here that their bond seems at its most natural, relaxed and compelling as it doesn't lean on punchlines or absurd behaviour to carry the scenes, but simply lets the characters sit in their free-roaming thoughts and raw feelings.

Elsewhere, though, Dunham takes the humour to broader and more outlandish places, usually fuelled by Stalter's character, who yells and rambles her way through a fire-related accident, social media hysteria and an unwisely high dose of ketamine.

It quickly becomes apparent that Jessica is too much for most to handle, as the title suggests, with her high-maintenance traits and unfathomable behaviour proving funny and charming at times, but simply annoying in weaker moments.

The character may not be quite as zany as Stalter's beloved Hacks role Kayla, but there are degrees of that same eccentricity here, which wear out their welcome in an ever-present series lead (as opposed to a more sparingly utilised supporting character).

With the delicate romance between Jessica and Felix being the key driver of this entire show, it's hard not to disengage somewhat when one or both of them begins to lose your sympathy, respect or interest.

The couple, who Dunham has said vary significantly from herself and her now-husband Luis Felber (read: no shade), are not especially likeable people at times, but those they associate with eclipse them by lightyears in that department.

Many viewers could relate to having had difficult colleagues, but Jessica's fellow marketing executives Jonno (Richard E Grant), Boss (Leo Reich), Kim (Janicza Bravo) and Josie (Daisy Bevan) are nothing short of unbearable narcissistic monsters.

Of course, fictional characters don't have to be endearing to be deserving of screen time, but more successful attempts at exploring such personalities – from Succession to Search Party – have tended to challenge or at least meaningfully examine them.

In the case of this cohort, they seem to exist just to incessantly natter about nothing much at all in the name of "comedy", but alas, it significantly misses the mark while also playing into every negative stereotype about what Londoners are like (only some of which are true).

I assume that wasn't Dunham's intention, but it's hard to decipher how these characters were supposed to be received; veteran actor Grant and talented director Bravo (of The Listeners and The Bear fame) would have spent their time better elsewhere.

But hey, perhaps they just wanted to have some fun. Too Much is, after all, a more light and fluffy ride than HBO's Girls, with Dunham's stated intention being to simply spread joy – a mission that she admits to not being so bothered about in her 20s.

In a broad sense, I'd say she has succeeded. Too Much certainly offers some chuckles and heartwarming moments, but getting the most out of it will require a genuine affinity with Dunham's voice and a considerable tolerance for utter nonsense.

Too Much is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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