In honor of the debut of its new standalone streaming service, HBO is having several of its own luminaries create and discuss playlists of their favorite content from the network. We've got an exclusive first look at Lena Dunham's playlist right here. As you can imagine, it's chock-full of strong, intriguing female characters, from Olive Kitteridge to Temple Grandin. And yes, the four leading ladies of HBO are on there. I'm talking, of course, about Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. Dunham provides a very interesting critique of the early Sex and the City episodes.
"Obviously, we at Girls love Sex and the City...It paved the way for us to do what we're doing," Dunham says. "I remember seeing the pilot of Sex and the City and my jaw being on the floor, like, 'They're doing this on television?' because it felt like this honest portrayal of female friendship, particularly, that I hadn't seen before."
She then elaborates on how even such a beloved show wasn't perfect right out of the gate. "I also love that you really get to see them find their voice. In the first episode, there's the to-camera monologues. You have all these New Yorkers talking about sex, and that disappeared halfway through the first season, and I love that you got to see the creative process of people behind Sex and the City, and them testing what worked and what didn't."
Despite the superfluous direct-address moments (RIP those random New Yorkers and their sexual feelings), "From that first minute, you know that you're gonna love Carrie for all the years of the show," she concludes.
Right on.
See the rest of Dunham's HBO must-watch list right here.
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