“Dance like no one is watching,” declares some bold text in the middle of the 30-second sneak peak, before Dunham’s character gets rudely interrupted by her mother.
Besides the brief cameo from Loreen (Becky Ann Baker), Dunham’s is the only main character that makes an appearance in the teaser, with no sign of Jessa (Jemima Kirke), Marnie (Allison Williams), Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) or Adam (Adam Driver), among more ancillary characters expected to appear throughout season five.
These will likely be the twilight years of the awkward New York-set TV show for 20-somethings. Dunham has said in interviews that both she and the network are planning to end the series after six seasons, and that the second-to-last batch of episodes will probably be directed to begin to tie up some loose ends from seasons past.
The show has garnered a decent level of critical acclaim over its short run, including the Golden Globe award for Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical in 2013. Lauded for its realistic depictions of modern women, its cringe-worthy humor was a refreshing dose of (semi) reality on a subscription-based network, a stark contrast to flagship Game of Thrones, and more satirical fare like Veep. But the most recent season did slip in the ratings from years past, and Dunham is starting to think about moving on.
The writer/director has stated that she enjoys shows that last shorter, rather than longer. “I think America has a tendency to push shows past their due dates,” Dunham said in an interview with Variety earlier this year, “I like the British model — in and out.”
Season 5 of Girls premieres Sunday, February 21 at 10pm, just after the first episode of the anticipated upcoming Scorsese/Mick Jagger-produced HBO series Vinyl.
