HBO's new comedy series about four young women navigating their 20s in New York City is nothing like "Sex in the City." Let me disavow you of that notion, right off the bat.
"Girls," created, written and directed by Lena Dunham (who also stars as the main character, Hannah), is painfully honest, brutally awkward, and uncomfortably stark.
And yes, I'm using words like "painful" and "brutal" and "uncomfortable" to describe one of the best -- and funniest -- new shows in years.
"Girls," co-executive produced by Judd Apatow, is funny in the way that Louis CK's "Louie" is funny: both shows skew dark and are often hard to watch without occasionally wincing. But they also find subtle, beautiful moments of comedy in real, and sometimes painful, situations.
