The series is the start of something beautiful, and grants permission to all women, and men also, those of us who have been told we are “too much” to continue misbehaving, disrupting the status quo and do things differently. What do I think of it personally? I love it — too much!
There are tons of reasons I love Lena Dunham’s return to series in Too Much, a personal, semi-autobiographical take on her move to London, where the American actress and creator found the love she deserves. The series is now streaming on Netflix and it reminds me of the mantra that plays often in my head: This is a Netflix world, and we are all just living in it. Too Much is the perfect summer watch, 10-episodes long, and you’ll find yourself mesmerized by the performances, the music, the atmosphere and the fashion look of the show. But above all, it’s a perfectly written and produced, and acted series which was the result of love. The co-creators are real life hubby and wife Luis Felber and Lena Dunham, the series is written by Dunham, who is a powerhouse! And Too Much boasts Dunham, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Michael P. Cohen, Surian Fletcher-Jones and Bruce Eric Kaplan as Executive Producers, with Camilla Bray as Producer. In case you were wondering about the Notting Hill film reference in the photo above, and a bit of the Bridget Jones flavor thrown in, this is a Working Title Television production with Good Thing Going Production, all under the umbrella of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group studios.
For all of us who have ever been told we are “too much, too this, too that, too big, too small, too smart, too dumb, too pretty or too ugly,” well, this one’s for us. Yup. Those are just my own run-ins with the “too something” brigades. And that alone, the feeling of finally fitting in within a series would be reason enough to watch the show, a 10-episode tour-de-force for the actors and the wondrous writer that is Dunham. Yet, there is more… Too much more!
So what are my five fave things (or make that six, actually) about Too Much? Read on to find out.
A great cast… And that’s the understatement of the year!
Now let me count the ways. At the London premiere alone, celebrities present and seated among us mere mortals were the likes of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson (she stars as Jessica’s mom Lois who is inspired by Dunham’s mom, artist Laurie Simmons whom I interviewed in Venice for her film My Art); but also Andrew Scott, and Fergie, who are featured in the mix in different aspects. Read on to find out more about Fergie, watch the series for Scott’s amusing cameo.
Lena Dunham and Meg Stalter in a still from Netflix’s ‘Too Much’
The series start Meg Stalter, from Hacks, as Jessica and Will Sharpe, from The White Lotus and A Real Pain, as Felix. Both are written as imperfect people, just as we all are as humans, and neither is really looking for love when they find it in each other. And that’s not a spoiler, it’s the premise of the show.
Other recurring characters include Michael Zegen as Zev, Jessica’s ex boyfriend who is now engaged to an influencer; Emily Ratajkowski as the aforementioned influencer Wendy Jones; Rhea Perlman as Jess’ feisty grandmother Dottie; Dunham herself as Nora, Jess’ older sister; Andrew Rannells, as Jess’ NYC boss and former brother-in-law; cute doggie Mia as Astrid; Richard E. Grant as Jess’ London boss Jonno; Naomi Watts as Ann, his wife; Janicza Bravo as co-worker Kim, who is a fellow American expat — the actress also directs the 8th episode in the series, one more reason to love Too Much; Daisy Bevan as Josie, Jonno’s assistant; Leo Reich as Boss, another of Jess’ co-workers; French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos as Polly, Felix’s long-term ex; Dean-Charles Chapman as Jess’ neighbor Gaz; Stephen Fry as Simon, Felix’s dad; Kaori Momoi as his mom Aiko; and Prasanna Puwanarajah as Felix’s roomie Auggie. And more cameos, including ones by Rita Ora and Jennifer Saunders later in the series.
The lack of judgement in the writing and the story
It is difficult for a film, or a series, to come across without any judgement. Often it’s a sentence, or a situation which give away the writers’ and director’s viewpoint, usually looking down on the characters they are creating. In Too Much nothing is “too much”: from Jessica’s outbursts, which include yelling on the street for Felix in the middle of the night instead of using a doorbell and wearing a black and red negligee concoction which is a mixture of costuming from The Handmaid’s Tale and Marilyn’s nighty in Some Like It Hot, for a simple night in with her man. But the lack of judgement doesn’t end there. It is also absent from Jessica’s attitude towards others, like how she behaves with the moody filmmaker hired to direct the Christmas spot she is in London to help produce, played by Andrew Scott in a fabulously offbeat performance. And how she tucks Felix in when he’s had a rough day. Literally. You’ll have to wait until episode 7 to watch that. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
The fabulous Fergie re-works one of her hits for ‘Too Much’
Another reason to love this series is the new video by Fergie ‘TOO MUCH x London Bridge’ which the American singer reshot to right the wrong of having shot the initial one on Tower Bridge. When the series was introduced in London earlier in June, the blonde powerhouse with the sexy voice admitted that she was glad to finally shoot the video on the right bridge. In the video, Fergie wears a fab Union Jack gown and is sided by Too Much star Megan Stalter, being well, Jess-slash-Meg.
In the video, they are also caught making fun of the fact that the original London Bridge video 20 years ago was shot on the picturesque Tower Bridge instead, with Stalter asking “is this the bridge that everyone was making a big fuss about?” Surrounded by trash bags, a London-grey pavement and someone’s rogue hair extensions, the actress adds, “it smells like sh-t.” To which Fergie quips back “now you see why we didn’t shoot here originally.”
Fantastic music is at the core of ‘Too Much’
From the song the sisters, Jess and Nora remember their dad singing as a lullaby, Bob Dylan’s When the Ship Comes In, to Fergie’s song, to the soundtrack penned by Felber, himself a musician in real life who has collaborated with Mick Jagger and Jamie T, it’s all great stuff. Listen for Nicki Minaj’s Itty Bitty Piggy in Episode 2, Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain in Episode 3 and Carole King’s It’s Too Late in Episode 5, among many many many other gems. For a playlist of songs from and inspired by the show, check out this Spotify list below.
And don’t even get me started about the fashions here!
Finally, it can’t be a piece of mine unless we talk clothing. The dress code to the London premiere was: “There’s literally no such thing as Too Much”, on our invites and the screening of the first two episodes at the Barbican also included a champagne pre-screening reception and a post-screening rooftop reception where women received a deliciously smelling rose from behind a pink velvet curtain and celebrities were just inches away from this journo’s nose (I kid you not, Andrew Scott was almost standing on my toes!). It was an affair to be remembered I tell you. Netflix and co. really outdid themselves. You can check out some of my photos from the night on Insta.
The covet-worthy Foundry Mews sailor dress worn in Episode 1 of ‘Too Much’
For the premiere Dunham was wearing a bright red, one-shouldered, floor-length ballgown, while Stalter wore a gingham dress with a long asymmetrical train. Sharpe had on grey trousers with a black loose blazer and red accents, including a snappy pair of red socks. But the fashion statements didn’t stop there, they were also on the screen, including Jessica’s outfits which are an offbeat fashionista’s dream wardrobe come to life. From the iconic white cotton and lace dress she wears on her first night out of her AirBnB “Estate” flat — not the apartment she expected in a Downton Abbey setting, but rather a council flat, or a “joint in the Projects” as we would have called it in NYC — to the pink Chanel-influenced skirt suit she wears to the office, this is Fashion with a capital F. The work of costume designer Arielle Cooper-Lethem, the inspiration was part Jane Austen, part Bridget Jones and very Betsy Johnson, my designer of choice in 1990’s NYC when I wanted to go clubbing.
Oh, and that coat in the header image above? It’s a patterned coat by Celia B, in case you were wondering.
Need an extra reason? I’ll give you Will Sharpe, how’s that!
Yes, Will Sharpe is a wonder. A dapper dresser, a soft-spoken celebrity and all around marvelous actor, Sharpe broke the screens of our TV’s as Yuki Reid in the 2009 series Casualty, before winning a British Academy Television Award for the 2019 Giri/Haji. He starred in the second season of The White Lotus, set in Sicily, Italy and has directed the 2021 film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. In 2008 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company where he performed in some of the Bard’s play like The Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice. But hand’s off ladies, and gents of course too. He’s married to actress Sophia De Martino and the couple have two beautiful children together. So Sharpe is off the market.
While Jess may have come to London to look for her Alan Rickman, she did find someone just as unique in Sharpe’s Felix, who is, like the actor portraying him, half Japanese and half English.
All images courtesy of Netflix, used with permission.