When you're hot, you're hot and there has been no other new show on television so far this year that has earned quite the same amount of attention as Lena Dunham's "Girls." With the first three episodes premiering at SXSW to a huge response, "Girls" hit HBO in full force in April, averaging 3.8 million viewers over that first batch of shows, leading to a quick renewal by the network. And Dunham didn't waste a single moment, going in front of cameras this summer to shoot the second season, and in less than a year, we'll have ten new episodes to enjoy.
HBO has announced that season two of the Emmy nominated program will bow in January 2013, and we can't wait. Dunham's show is a sharp, funny and well observed look at how young women (and hell, people in general) stumble through love, life and work in their early 20s. And there are lots of questions to answer next season. Will Hannah and Marnie be friends again? Will Jessa still be married? Will Shoshanna and Ray last? Is Charlie really out of the picture? Will Adam forgive Hannah? Lots to follow up on, and we're eager to see how Dunham navigates the waters in a new season, and what changes she'll make (or won't) to the narrative and characters.
Meanwhile, this writer never watched "Enlightened" with Laura Dern and doesn't really know anyone who did, but HBO has faith and has re-upped it with a January bow also set. Mike White's show follows an ambitious executive at a global conglomerate, who returns to her fractured life after a humiliating public breakdown, determined to lead a more enlightened existence, but her new game plan has unintended repercussions. Thoughts on this show? Should we catch up with it? Let us know below.